Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- Gatton
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 14
- Administrative campus
- Gatton
- Coordinating unit
- Agriculture and Food Sustainability School
Design, implementation & presentation of research project in the field of animal or plant Science with an emphasis on defining the research issue, establishing methodology, undertaking appropriate analysis of data and drawing defensible conclusions.
Students must submit the Research Project Contract by the first Thursday of February for students commencing in semester 1, and the first Thursday of July for students commencing in semester 2 to agriculture@enquire.uq.edu.au.
AGRC6005 is the major research project (Thesis) for Honours in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability commencing in Semester 2 and extends over four semesters. The course AGRC6631 – Agricultural Research Methodologies (2 units) needs to be taken in addition to AGRC6005 to complete the Honours degree.
This course aims to provide students with a higher level of experience in independent research and data interpretation in the field of Plant, Soil or Animal Sciences. While the Honours project is research focussed, it also aims to enhance practical skills and increase the employability propects of students. This course also serves as preparation for the higher degrees of Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy.
Students will select a topic for their research in discussion with an academic supervisor, and once selected, the topic should be approved by the course-coordinator. Thereafter, students need to complete their Honours application and student learning contract and submit to the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability student administration (agfs@enquire.uq.edu.au).
Course requirements
Restrictions
Head of School consent
Course contact
Timetable
Additional timetable information
While there is no set timetable for this course, the student is encouraged to organise a regularly weekly meeting with their project supervisor(s) to ensure the smooth running of any experimental work and to monitor progress in terms of academic writing with respect to their literature review and writing up of the thesis.
As a guide, students should dedicate on average a minimum of 30 hours per week on their Honours research project
This course is offered in a part-time format, across four semesters.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide students with an opportunity to pursue an independent research project in an area of their interest under the supervision of an academic staff member. Research projects can be chosen from the field of plant, animal or soil science. This experience has vocational aims but the course is not intended to provide specific vocational training in any discipline. The honours course also provides a preparation for postgraduate study by coursework and/or research for the higher degrees of Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Critically review the scientific literature in your specialist area of study
LO2.
Develop an independent research topic that addresses a knowledge gap
LO3.
Understand the processes involved in the design, development and implementation of a relevant research project
LO4.
Accurately collect, record and analyse a set of laboratory-based, field-based or theoretical data
LO5.
Be proficient in computer-based data acquisition and processing of data
LO6.
Be able to perform simple statistical analyses on the data (where appropriate), and appropriately present the data using graphs, tables or text
LO7.
Effectively communicate the results in writing (research proposal, thesis, poster) and orally (seminar) to both a specialist and a non-specialist audiences, in a potentially publishable way
LO8.
Have acquired a range of technical skills and attitudes appropriate to their area of study (including statistics, data and word processing, referencing software)
LO9.
Have gained insight into the breadth and diversity of their discipline and its place within the broader scope of science
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Research Seminar | 10% |
Week 13 of Sem 1, 2026 - Date, time and venue to be confirmed and delivered online. |
| Performance | Advisor's Assessment | 10% |
Friday Week 13 of Semester 1 2026 Completed by your supervisor |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Literature Review/Research Proposal | 20% |
2pm, Friday of Week 13, Sem 2, 2024 |
| Thesis | Research thesis | 60% |
2pm, Friday of Week 12, Sem 1 2026 |
| Notebook/ Logbook | Seminar Attendance Diary | Pass/Fail |
2pm Friday of the relevant week as follows: 1st check Week 13, Sem 2 2024; 2nd check Week 9 Sem 1 2026 |
Assessment details
Research Seminar
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
Week 13 of Sem 1, 2026 - Date, time and venue to be confirmed and delivered online.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L07, L09
Task description
Present short, informative oral presentation of your research project - venue to be advised, either Gatton or St Lucia Campus. If necessary, may be delivered via Zoom.
Attendance and presentation at the Student Conference is compulsory. Presentation on this date is NOT negotiable. If for some reason, you have not completed your research by this date, then you must report on what has been achieved to date, and your provisional results. Exemption from presentation and participation will only be granted in the most exceptional circumstances.
You should work with your supervisor who will coach you on how to present an effective seminar. The seminars are 15 minutes each, consisting of 10 minutes for your presentation and 5 minutes question time. This time is not negotiable and you will be cut off if you do not keep to this time.
The presentations will be marked by two staff members. You need to attend the presentations of all other students in the course, and participate in the question time at the end of each presentation. This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.Submission guidelines
Delivered via Live Zoom presentation.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). See 6.1 Assessment Related Policies & Guidelines for links to the University Guidelines and Applications for Extensions.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used, will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Advisor's Assessment
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Performance
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
Friday Week 13 of Semester 1 2026 Completed by your supervisor
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L08, L09
Task description
The advisor's mark is an objective assessment by the student's advisor(s) as to the overall quality of the student in terms of their scholarship, practical competence and potential for independent post-graduate research. This assessment will be guided by adherence to the scientific practice of maintaining a laboratory/field record by means of regular entries into an honours lab book. The honours lab book will be provided to each student at the start of the honours program. Each student is required to submit their honours lab book directly to the supervisor by the due date.
Honours lab books can be collected from SAFS Admin offices on both the Gatton and St Lucia campuses.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Submitted by Supervisor to School.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Literature Review/Research Proposal
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
2pm, Friday of Week 13, Sem 2, 2024
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L05
Task description
This is a Literature Review supporting the scientific grounds for your Research Proposal and a brief description of the planned research. Of the 4,000 word document approximately 75% (3,000 words) should be devoted to the review of the existing literature supporting your experimental design. The remaining 25% (1,000 words) should be devoted to an outline and defence of your proposed research, the proposed timeline and the methods you propose to use.
Further details can be found in the AGFS Honours handbook.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Turnitin
You must submit your Assessment task, in Blackboard, via the Turnitin link by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Your Research proposal is to be uploaded (either in pdf file format or as an MS Word document) through Turnitin on the Blackboard website.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). See 6.1 Assessment Related Policies & Guidelines for links to the University Guidelines and Applications for Extensions.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used, will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Research thesis
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Thesis
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
2pm, Friday of Week 12, Sem 1 2026
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08, L09
Task description
A substantial research report in a scientific format.
This is the culmination of your work over the year. It will include a short literature review and research question(s), hypotheses, material and methods, results and discussion.
Marking times are approximately two weeks at minimum for this assessment, with two independant markers reviewing this work. Students who have been approved an extension for this assessment must be aware that graduation eligiblity may be impacted, while marks are delayed.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Turnitin
An electronic copy must be submitted, as a PDF document, in Blackboard via the Turnitin link, by the submission deadline. You should also retain an electronic copy of every piece of assessment you submit.
Legal Declaration
By submitting your work via this website, you formally declare that (1) it is your own original work, and no part of the work has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made; (2) no part of the work has been previously submitted for assessment in this or any other institution; and (3) you have read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy (http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct) and understand its implications.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). See 6.1 Assessment Related Policies & Guidelines for links to the University Guidelines and Applications for Extensions.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used, will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Seminar Attendance Diary
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
2pm Friday of the relevant week as follows:
1st check Week 13, Sem 2 2024;
2nd check Week 9 Sem 1 2026
- Learning outcomes
- L03, L09
Task description
Students are required to attend research seminars (at least 12 for the year or 6-7 per semester). If it is not possible to attend seminars in person, students may utilise TEDx presentations or live-streamed presentations instead.
The student needs to maintain a diary, using a hardcover notebook, (no loose sheets) that shows:
- The date, title of the seminar and the speaker's name and affiliation.
- Notes made during the seminar.
A paragraph summarising the objectives of the speaker's work (i.e. what were they trying to show), what was achieved and the implications of the seminar material to the student's own research project, perceived career direction or interests. This should be added after the seminar, based on the notes taken. Material copied directly from the speaker's abstract is not acceptable.
The Seminar Diaries are now to be submitted online, via a link to be supplied on the Course Blackboard site. Students should scan or take photos of their seminar diary pages, add them to a Word document, and upload via the appropriate link. Hard-copy submissions are currently no longer required.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Students will submit their diaries via a Blackboard submission link. There will be two submission times during the year, as indicated above. Coversheets are not required, but student name and number should be clearly written on the front of the diary for ease of identification.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
Assessment deadlines are firm and must be met. Late submission without permission or non-submission of assessable work will result in penalties being applied. Late submission of assessment will only be granted for documented medical reasons, accident, bereavement, jury service and other circumstances allowed in the UQ Policies and Procedures Library (PPL). See 6.1 Assessment Related Policies & Guidelines for links to the University Guidelines and Applications for Extensions.
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item, or one grade per day if graded on the basis of 1-7, or equivalent penalty if an alternative grading approach is used, will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard before the due date of the assessment item.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 0 - 34% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 35 - 46% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: 47 - 49% |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 50 - 64% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 65 - 74% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 75 - 84% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 85 - 100% |
Additional course grading information
All Assessment is Compulsory
All required assessment items MUST be completed in order to obtain a passing grade for this course.
- You must submit all assessment to pass the course, even if you have passing grades in other AGRC6005 assessment tasks. If you achieve 50% on the cumulative results for the course, BUT fail to submit any assessment items, you will achieve a grade of 3.
- You must pass the Seminar Attendance Diary assessment to pass the course, even if you have passing grades in other AGRC6005 assessment tasks. If you achieve 50% on the cumulative results for the course, BUT fail the Seminar Attendance Diary, you will achieve a grade of 3.
In order to provide assessment equity, the submission date for the honours thesis will be strictly upheld. Please consult the AGFS honours handbook for specific guidelines.
Students must address any additional assessment requirements identified in this eCP.
Honours Class
Honours classes are calculated in accordance to theﾠprogram rules for the year that you commenced the Honours program, in conjunction with University of Queensland standards.ﾠ
Supplementary Assessment
In the event of supplementary assessment being awarded this will be at the discretion of the Course Coordinator.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Results
Unless specifically indicated by the course coordinator, every attempt will be made to have the results for progressive assessment available within 3 weeks of submission. For items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will not be available until grades release day. Results and feedback availability will be advised to you by email or announced via the course Blackboard site.ﾠﾠﾠ
TurnItIn Assignments
Assignments that are required to be submitted through TurnItIn, must only be uploaded to the assessment specific Turnitin link on the relevant course Blackboard site.ﾠ If you submit any version of your assessment item to any alternative Turnitin link, this is considered cheating and you will be held liable for this action.
UQ Student Integrity and Misconduct policy - http://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct
Re-mark Applications - refer to the University's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility
Before applying for a remark, students should consider the following:
- You have consulted the course coordinator for feedback
- Your academic grounds for remark have been discussed and are valid
- Wanting a higher grade is not grounds for a remark. A remark can decrease your grade.
Remark applications will not be considered without first having contacted your course Co-ordinator.
Deferred and Supplementary assessment (including Deferred Mid-Semester Examinations)
Deferred and Supplementary information can be located on the my.UQ website
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| AGRC6005 Course Profile | Provides details of specifications, rationale, aims and structure of the course. It also informs you of the assessment for this course, including weightings and due dates. | |
| AGRC6005 Blackboard site | Blackboard is the main method of communication for this course. http://learn.uq.edu.au/ |
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Not Timetabled |
Honours Research project The student will interact with their supervisor to develop and execute a research program culminating in a written thesis that will also be presented at the Student Conference (or scheduled seminars if the Conference does not proceed). Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08, L09 |
Additional learning activity information
This is a self directed research project course.
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:
Course guidelines
Immunisations as required based on project needs.