Advanced Research Methodologies (AGRC6631)

Course overview

This course encompasses both qualitative and quantitative research and analysis. Students will gain an understanding of the skills needed to design and undertake a research project, including the legal and ethical requirements in planning research projects. The course covers choosing the best experimental design and analytical methods, as well as how to present data for dissemination to the wider community.

This course provides students with the framework of principles and methods for defining research issues, developing research proposals, and communicating research progress in both oral and written formats. It helps students understand the 'big picture' of research and development within agricultural settings.

In the first module, students will learn the fundamentals of research and core concepts in research methodology, including academic integrity, literature review, proposal development, science communication and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their research and academic writing. The second module focuses on discipline-specific research methods.

Each topic is supplemented by a short lecture, tutorial-style learning activities, and additional learning guides and online resource materials. The tutorials include Q&A sessions, workshops, discussions, and focus groups to deepen the understanding of each topic. Assessment tasks such as quizzes and written reports are associated with most tutorials.

At the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge-sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold students and staff accountable for actively contributing to establishing a respectful and supportive learning environment. 

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against UQ Policy, and will not be tolerated. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us. 

Course requirements

Assumed background

This course is designed to assist students who are commencing or about to commence a research project in successfully completing their research.

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

AGRC7045

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

• Another instance of the same course

This course is jointly taught between St Lucia, Gatton and External modes, with all sharing activities and assessments; there are minimal differences between offerings.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

This course has one three-hour weekly scheduled class (listed as a tutorial in the timetable), and that block is used to deliver lecture content, tutorials, workshops, and industry or guest sessions; to provide an equal experience for both campuses, in-person lectures and guest speakers alternate in blocks across campuses, with the other campus cohort joining simultaneously via live Zoom, and external students participating online.

This course will be taught at the Gatton and St Lucia campuses. Additional learning materials, such as short video lectures and online learning modules, will be provided on Blackboard to set the scene for the corresponding tutorials. The tutorials will be delivered in person by teaching staff with a live video link to Gatton or St Lucia. We will also use Zoom-enabled teaching rooms to allow off-campus students to join the live events. Although all tutorials will be recorded and made available to students via Blackboard, we strongly encourage students to join the live sessions.

If you have any concerns regarding your official timetable or course allocations, or there are no suitable class times available, contact Faculty of Science Timetable science.mytimetable@uq.edu.au for advice. 

If you have any questions about missing class activities, please contact your course coordinator. 

Aims and outcomes

The purpose of the course is to provide students with a broad understanding of research paradigms and approaches used in various fields and to prepare them to work in multidisciplinary teams. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of the processes involved in conceptualizing and designing a research project and will build awareness of contemporary problems, paradigms, methodologies, and techniques in research.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Sequential Online Tests

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Examination, Quiz

Weight

30% Each sequential item contributes 15% towards the sequential tests (total 30%)

Due date

Test 1 17/04/2026 10:00 am

Test 2 29/05/2026 10:00 am

For external students, this online test will be conducted via Zoom-invigilation.

A Practice Test will be available and must be completed.

Other conditions

Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

These online tests will be conducted using Inspera. To familiarise yourself with Inspera and the Safe Exam Browser, please visit the links below:

https://elearning.uq.edu.au/student-guides-original/inspera-assessment-original

https://elearning.uq.edu.au/student-guides-original/inspera-assessment-original/safe-exam-browser-inspera-original

You will have access to your online test through the BB site; however, you will not be able to complete the test after the specified end date and time.

Academic Integrity is a core value at UQ. We all need to act with courage to take our responsibilities seriously and uphold honesty, trust, respect and equity, particularly in assessment. For you as a student, this means:

• Completing your assessment tasks, whether face-to-face or online, in an honest, fair and trustworthy manner
• Acting responsibly, based on your lecturer or tutor’s instructions, and not giving or receiving any unauthorised assistance to others in completing assessment tasks
• Commitment to act honestly and refusing to take any action that would break trust with your peers and lecturer/tutor

By undertaking this assessment, you will be deemed to have acknowledged UQ’s Academic Integrity Pledge (above) and to have made the following declaration:

“I certify that my submitted answers are entirely my own work, are not copied from lecture notes or other sources, and that I have neither given nor received any unauthorised assistance on this assessment item”.

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 Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and understand its implications.  

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

As this is an invigilated set of quizzes, each quiz will have one deferred session available to students with an approved deferred request. You must be available for the deferred session as you cannot defer an already deferred assessment item.

Any student who does not complete the Practice Test will not be eligible to defer Test 1 or Test 2 due to technical difficulties.

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).  

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. 

Report - Mind Map

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

10%

Due date

24/04/2026 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Turnitin submission details: 

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.  

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 Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and understand its implications.  

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the 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.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. 

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).  

Research Proposal

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

22/05/2026 3:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Turnitin submission details: 

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.  

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 Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and understand its implications.  

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the 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.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. 

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).  

3-Minute Pitch Style Presentation (3MP)

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

30%

Due date

8/05/2026 - 29/05/2026

Note: Due to the high number of students enrolled in this course, this activity begins in Week 10, at the end of each tutorial. Students will randomly be selected and allocated to each session for their 3MP presentations. For more details, please see the Blackboard site.

Other conditions

Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Completed in class environment. External students will be provided access to a Zoom link to present to the class.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Submission of an Extension of Assessment Due Date (EADD) should be completed online through your My Requests tab via my.UQ Dashboard, in accordance with the University's Assessment Procedure (located in the Policies and Procedures section of this course profile) which outlines the requirements for requesting extensions to assessment due dates. Extensions require the correct evidence/documentation to support the requested length of time of the extension. 

If students are unable to deliver their presentation during Weeks 10–13 due to valid reasons, as approved through an extension application, they must record their 3-minute presentation and submit the recorded version via Blackboard.

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.

For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks. 

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).  

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Course Grading Rules and Assessment Hurdles

• Students must obtain a passing mark in the combined available marks for the Sequential Online Test 1 and Sequential Online Test 2 in order to pass this course, in addition to an overall pass mark in the course.  

If a student obtains an overall percentage greater than the cut-offs set to achieve a 4 or higher for the course based on marks from a combination of progressive assessment and the Sequential Online Test 1 and Sequential Online Test 2 and the student does NOT score a passing mark for the combined available marks Sequential Online Test 1 and Sequential Online Test 2, they are unable to achieve a grade higher than a 3 (failing grade) for the course. 

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Assignment writing

You must not re-use past work from previous assessments in your assignments. You are encouraged to:

• read the instructions for assignments carefully and ensure that you address all the requirements,
• refer to references both in the readings and beyond, and cite references in the appropriate manner,
• reflect on your own experience and provide insight and critical thinking,
• write clearly and concisely.

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. ﾠIf you submit any version of your assessment item to any other Turnitin link, this is considered cheating, and you will be held liable for this action.

Release of marks

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. ﾠFor items of assessment submitted in the last 2 weeks of the semester, the results will not be available until grades release day. ﾠResults and feedback availability will be advised to you by email or announced via the course Blackboard site.

Feedback in this course 

Feedback is welcome in this course as any information on how students find this learning experience is constructive. 

Please use the evaluation form provided to you at the end of semester - or if you are enrolled internally, a course evaluation process will occur in the last few weeks of semester. 

Re-mark Applications – refer to the University's Re-mark Policy to check your eligibility.

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

Additional learning resources information

Students are encouraged to use the library resources, to locate, access, read and understand relevant published literature. Students are expected to make extensive use of published, scientific literature to provide evidence to fully support and validate the submitted research proposals.ﾠ

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Additional learning activity information

This course has one three-hour weekly scheduled class (listed as a tutorial in the timetable), and that block is used to deliver lecture content, tutorials, workshops, and industry or guest sessions; to provide an equal experience for all students - please see the course Blackboard site for an indication of when the different components will be delivered within the weekly timetabled tutorial session.

The course follows the action learning principles when learning is considered as the result of doing and reflecting on experiences. Students are invited to actively participate in the teaching and learning process. The course provides context through two modules that cover research fundamentals and discipline-focused research methodologies.

During the first 5 weeks of the course, students will learn about basic library search skills, research integrity, academic misconduct, and the ability to distinguish reputable and trustworthy resources along with relevant metrics. Other important topics in the research fundamentals module include experimental design, proposal writing, and science communication skills. In the second module (weeks 7-12), students will learn about common principles and research methodologies related to various areas of agricultural research, ranging from agronomy and plant protection to agribusiness and social science research. The teaching staff will act as facilitators throughout the course.

To fully benefit from this course, it is crucial that the students constantly reflect on their experiences in the course and link the principles and skills taught to their particular research interests. This course also requires students to have strong self-discipline and time management.

On-campus students are encouraged to attend and actively participate in the tutorial sessions, and external students to follow them online. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the training sessions run by the Library and AskIT during each semester, i.e. courses including EndNote, Data Base Management Skills, Advanced Word Processing, Excel and PowerPoint.

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 for Students Policy and Procedure
• AI for Assessment Guide

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.