LAWS3900: Law Honours

HD

(85 < 100)

DI

(80 < 85)

DI

(75 < 80)

CR

(65 < 75)

PS

(50 < 65)

FA

(<50)

Ethics and Integrity

All candidates awarded honours must adhere to high standards of ethical research practice and educational integrity at all stages of the research process. See the Research Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity Policy.

Citation

All law honours theses must adhere to the current edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (as specified in the LAWS3900 unit of study outline).

Originality/

Innovation

Displays exceptional originality, innovation, creativity, and imaginative thinking across the research process.

Displays a high level of innovation, creativity, and imaginative thinking across the research process.

Displays innovation, creativity, and imaginative thinking mostly consistently.

Displays innovation, creativity, and imaginative thinking but may be repetitive or lacking in some areas.

May display some innovation, creativity, or imaginative thinking. Some minor areas may be underdeveloped or conventional.

Work is conventional and does not display signs of innovation, creativity, or imaginative thinking.

Research

Research skills

Displays exceptional mastery in the selection and execution of field-appropriate methods and techniques.

Displays advanced skills in the selection and execution of field-appropriate methods and techniques. Rare lapses do not significantly impact the research process.

Displays effective skills and understanding of field-appropriate methods and techniques. Rare lapses are present in some areas, but the impact is minor.

Displays effective skills and understanding of field-appropriate methods and techniques. Lapses are present in some areas, but the impact is minor.

Displays skills and understanding of some field-appropriate methods and techniques. Some lapses in selection and execution may have significant impacts or be common and significant.

Displays a poor understanding or lacks understanding of appropriate methods and techniques.

Methodology

Applies rigorous and insightful design and methodology demonstrating sophisticated implementation of research practices and sophisticated alignment with the research question.

Applies well selected and executed design and methodology demonstrating a thorough understanding of research practices aligned with the research question.

Applies effective design and methodology demonstrating strong understanding of research practices.

Applies effective design and methodology demonstrating a strong understanding of research practices. Some minor lapses in alignment with research question.

Applies mostly effective design and methodology demonstrating and understanding of disciplinary research practices. Lapses of alignment are present or there may be a lack of alignment with the research question.

Incorrect or inappropriate design and methodology demonstrates a lack of understanding of relevant research practices and failure to align with the research question.

Quality and persuasiveness

Analysis

Analyses material with exceptional rigour and insight. Applies expertly selected analytical methods always supported by evidence.

Conducts an in-depth analysis of material resulting in clear insights aligned with relevant evidence.

Analysis is clear but may lack some depth or complexity. Backed by relevant evidence.

Analysis is mostly clear and backed by relevant evidence. A lack of clarity may be present at times.

Analysis is at a basic level and may contain flaws. Logic may not be consistently strong or may be superficial and lack evidence.

Analysis is lacking or erroneous, and backed by weak, irrelevant, or no evidence.

Interpretation

Interprets material with insight, nuance and autonomy resulting in accurate conclusions which demonstrate depth and significance.

Very clear, accurate and succinct interpretation of material which shows depth and significance.

Clear and succinct interpretation of material which shows depth and significance.

Mainly clear, accurate and succinct interpretation of material which shows some understanding of depth and significance with some inconsistencies.

Interpretation of material is largely accurate but may lack depth or significance at times.

Interpretation of material results in inaccurate, missing, or illogical conclusions.

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

Demonstrates sophisticated ability to understand complex problems systematically and propose novel solutions. Highly sophisticated reasoning, judgement, and reflection.

Demonstrates ability to understand complex problems and propose relevant solutions. Demonstrates advanced reasoning, judgement, and reflection.

Demonstrates ability to understand problems and propose relevant solutions. Demonstrates strong reasoning, judgement, and reflection.

Demonstrates ability to understand problems and propose relevant solutions. Demonstrates reasoning, judgement, and reflection. A lack of depth may be present in some areas.

Demonstrates ability to understand problems and propose solutions but may struggle with complex problems. Reasoning, judgement, and reflection are mostly consistent but may be underdeveloped or lack depth.

Fails to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving or conclusions and solutions devised are illogical and lack evidence.

Communication

(Literary style, structure and organisation)

Displays expert communication with skillful language choices and original synthesis and integration, resulting in sophisticated, clear, and cohesive expression.

Displays advanced

communication with

appropriate language choices and mainly original synthesis and integration, resulting in clear and cohesive expression.

Displays clear language choices, synthesis and integration.

Displays clear language choices, synthesis and integration. Rare lapses in sophistication or clarity may be present but these do not impact overall coherence.

Language choices, integration and synthesis are mostly appropriate. Lacks sophistication but impact on clarity and cohesion is limited.

Poor language choices, impact on coherence, cohesion and clarity of thought or argument. Synthesis and integration may be unclear or lacking.