Course coordinator
Professor David Ascher
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- External
- Attendance mode
- Online
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Chemistry & Molec Biosciences
Review of literature in a biotechnology area chosen by supervisor or course coordinator with written report in the format of a report for publication.
In depth review of literature, in theﾠarea of the masters program you are taking, chosen by agreement with supervisor. The review will be in the form of aﾠwritten report in publication format.
A literature reviewﾠexamines and evaluates key relevant published work within a particular area of interest. The review will explain current knowledge in the field whilstﾠsimultaneously usingﾠcritical analysis to highlight gaps in knowledge, conflicting or updated theories and possibilities for further exploration. Literature reviews are useful to learn about a new field, update your knowledge, find new avenues to explore and to avoid repeating what has already been done.
This is a 4 unit literature review it is expected you spend 20 hours per week on this review and that youﾠgive a very detailed in depth critical analysis of the literature. Do not simply pad out a 2 unit review as this will not give high marks. You will be expected to present your own conclusions on the assigned topic, especially when there are controversial or conflicting views in the literature. A reviewﾠwhich merely surveys and summarises the topic, without critical assessment, will not receive high marks.
There are optional weekly workshops for this course, supervised by Dr Ziora, to provide guidance and help throughout the semester. Details will be communicated through blackboard.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students will be expected to have a prior tertiary qualification in a relevant area.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
With permission of the program director. BIOX7101 has a pre-req of BIOX7100. BIOX7100 has no other pre-req.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
BIOT6015, BIOT7015
Jointly taught details
This course is jointly-taught with:
- Another instance of the same course
Workshops and assessment may be shared between BIOX7100 In-Person and BIOX7100 External.
Course contact
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
BIOX7100 is a 4ﾠunit course.ﾠYou should therefore be allocating at least 20 hours per week to working on your literature review.
The Program Director's permission is required to enrol in this course. Please complete and submit the SCMB Postgraduate Coursework Supervisor Approval Formﾠvia the submission link provided in the SCMB Postgraduate Coursework Community Blackboard site.
Any questions on the assessment requirements should be directed toﾠenquiries@scmb.uq.edu.au.
Students should contact their individual supervisors directly for matters relating to theirﾠliterature review.ﾠ
Please noteﾠit is a course requirementﾠthatﾠyou meetﾠregularly with your supervisor - see Assessment.
Students must meet with their supervisors and agree upon a topic BEFORE the end of week 2 of semester.
Contact with academic staff will be by mutual agreement.
There are additionalﾠweekly workshops for this courseﾠto provide guidance and help throughout the semester. Attendance is voluntary but highly recommended. Please check your timetable for details.ﾠ
Aims and outcomes
To produce an in depth critical review of the literature in an area aligned with the masters program being studied this will result in a written reivew in publication format.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Critically read the scientific literature and recognise papers of great scientific merit in a defined area;
LO2.
Comprehensively evaluate work already done in an area and assess where deficiencies in the knowledge of the subject lie;
LO3.
Critically review an area of research to detect its strengths and weaknesses;
LO4.
Organise ideas derived from other people's work, and to write a clear, concise, readily understandable review in an objective manner.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notebook/ Logbook, Participation/ Student contribution |
Meetings with Supervisor
|
20% |
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
Meetings held throughout semester |
| Essay/ Critique |
Literature review
|
80% |
25/10/2024 2:00 pm |
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
Meetings with Supervisor
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook, Participation/ Student contribution
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
Meetings held throughout semester
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Supervisor meetings during semester
You should arrange to meet with your supervisor at least 5 times during the semester to discuss your chosen topic and paper. You should ensure that a record of your meetings with your supervisor is maintained using the meeting diary template. You will note such things as what was discussed and what you were requested to do before the next meeting using the meeting diary template. Please ensure that your supervisor signs and dates each entry. A copy of the meeting diary should be submitted through the relevant Turnitin submission point in Blackboard by the due date given in the course profile. Scanned copies are acceptable.
Your performance during and in response to these meetings will be taken into account when the supervisor formulates a mark. In silico meetings (e.g. via Zoom or email) are acceptable. If you do not arrange and attend these meetings you will fail the course (see course hurdles).
Supervisor's mark
If the student does not attend regular meetings or keep in regular email contact they should be marked accordingly. The mark they are awarded should reflect the depth of issues discussed and questions asked, and your perception of their critical analysis skills.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in assessment
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of Generative AI may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
See ADDITIONAL COURSE GRADING INFORMATION for the hurdle/s relating to this assessment item.Submission guidelines
Submit a scanned copy of your meeting diary through the course Turnitin submission point in Blackboard when you submit your Literature Review. Before submitting your assessment item to Turnitin please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Applications for Extensions
Information on applying for an extension can be found here - my.UQ Applying for an extension
Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.
If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting the assessment item by the requested due date and time.
If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)
For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
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.
You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.
In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.
Literature review
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 80%
- Due date
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Selection of the Literature Assignment topic
1. The student should decide on a scientific area that aligns with their Masters program and that interests them. Before the first week of semester the student should secure a supervisor. There are many avenues to identify a potential supervisor:
· the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences website (scmb.uq.edu.au)
· the SCMB Research Projects booklet (scmb.uq.edu.au/postgrad-coursework)
· web pages of the various research institutes at UQ, links to those web pages can be found here research.uq.edu.au
· the UQ Researchers website (researchers.uq.edu.au)
You should contact prospective supervisors and ask whether they have time to supervise your literature review. Supervision will involve meeting with you at least 5 times during semester to discuss your progress and help you with any difficulties you have encountered. Your supervisor must sign the SCMB Postgraduate Coursework Supervisor Approval Form.
2. Once you have had an introductory meeting with your supervisor and established the area of research for your literature review, you should begin looking for key papers. This will involve searching the various library databases (e.g. PubMed) for relevant papers. If you are not familiar with these databases, you should enrol in one of the short courses offered by the library. Please ask at the Information desk or contact the UQ library online (https://web.library.uq.edu.au/contact-us) and indicate that you are a postgraduate student. You should then further discuss the area you wish to review with your supervisor to confirm that the area is of current interest to the field and is of sufficient breadth such that there is adequate material to review. The area chosen will not have been reviewed recently.
Preparation of the Literature Review
The Literature Review will consist of the sections described below and it is expected that the review will cover approximately 100 papers from the primary literature (ie not reviews themselves). The page limit is 30 pages (this does NOT include bibliography, figures and tables) if this limit is exceeded penalties will be applied in marking.
The plan will be prepared using a word processor: page margins will be set to 2cm all round, pages will be numbered, font of 12pt Calibri or Times New Roman (or equivalent) is acceptable, line spacing of 1.5 will be used. The first page (not counted in the total number pages) should carry your title, course code your name and student number, and your supervisor’s details.
The Literature Review should be similar in style to reviews published by scientific journals (see Nature Reviews for an example). There is no need to format the text into columns. All figures and figure legends should be inserted into the text as close as possible to the point where the figure is referred to. Figures are very useful - ideally you should create your own to summarise findings from multiple papers. You can use figures from published papers as along as the figure legend is your own words and you reference the source of the image. In general the review would have the following sections:
(a) An abstract. This should be no longer than 1 page and should briefly summarise the focus of the review.
(b) Background. This section should describe the biological system or process that is the focus of the review. This section should introduce the reader to all of the relevant terminology and describe the established function or role of the components of the system or process.
(c) Recent Advances. In this section you should summarise the recent work that has been published in your chosen research area. You should try to categorise findings and present them together. Particular attention should be given to aspects of the research area that are controversial or where conflicting data has been published.
(d) Conclusion/Perspectives. This section should be a brief description of the "state-of-play" in the research area you have reviewed. What are the overall outcomes from all of the published research? Where to now? You should look to give personal insight into: where advances have truly been made; the limitations of the current published work; and what still need to be investigated.
(e) Bibliography. Include titles of research articles, and include URLs
Assessment of the Literature review
Your literature review will be assessed by two examiners using the published criteria.
Finally, remember that the Literature review must be your own work. You may obtain advice and comment from your supervisor on the ideas in your proposal, and from various sources on whether your English expression is appropriate, but you should not request, or expect, others to rewrite your submission. Acknowledge all help and sources, especially if you quote text and ideas written by others.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
See ADDITIONAL COURSE GRADING INFORMATION for the hurdle/s relating to this assessment item.Submission guidelines
Submit your literature review through the course Turnitin submission point in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item to Turnitin please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Applications for Extensions
Information on applying for an extension can be found here - my.UQ Applying for an extension
Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.
If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a Word document outlining why you cannot provide the documentation and upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting the assessment item by the requested due date and time.
If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty. We strongly recommend you seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)
For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. A maximum of two applications may be submitted for any one assessment item, unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
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.
You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.
In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.
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: Work of a very poor quality showing a very limited understanding of subject matter and a very low level of appreciation of issues covered in lectures or discussions. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 0% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work of poor quality showing a very limited understanding of subject matter and a low level of appreciation of issues covered in lectures or discussions. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 30% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Fail: Falls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a pass. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 45% |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work of fair quality demonstrating a basic understanding of most aspects of subject matter and a modest appreciation of issues covered in lecture, but with serious deficiencies in some areas, at least good laboratory skills and a sound ability to interpret experimental results. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 50% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work of a good quality demonstrating a good understanding of most subject matter and a competent level of appreciation of issues covered in lecture and laboratory programs, although possibly with some lapses and inadequacies. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 65% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work of a very good quality demonstrating a strong understanding of a wide, but not complete, range of subject matter and a good level of appreciation of issues, although not necessarily of the finer points, covered in lectures, very good laboratory skills and a very good ability to interpret experimental results. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 75% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work of exceptional quality showing a deep understanding of a wide range of subject matter and a clear appreciation of issues covered in lecture and laboratory programs, very good laboratory skills and a very good ability to interpret experimental results. The minimum percentage required for this grade is: 85% |
Additional course grading information
Assessment Hurdles
In order to pass this course, you must meet ALL of the following requirements (if you do not meet these requirements, the maximum grade you will receive will be a 3):
1. Students must obtain an overall course mark of 50% or more; and
2. Students must complete and submit ALL course assessment items and learning tasks.
3. Students must arrange and attend meetings with their supervisor as evidenced in the meeting diary.
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
Assessment Submission
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.
Please ensure you receive and save the submission confirmation for all submitted items, you may be asked to produce this as evidence of your submission.
Turnitin
By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.
All students must ensure they receive their Turnitin receipt on submission of any assessments. A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if one or more of your submissions are missing. Without evidence, the assessment will receive the standard late penalty, or after seven days, will receive zero. In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.
Assessment/Attendance
Please notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. The my.UQ website and the Electronic Course Profile (ECP) for your course also provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.
A note for repeating students in this course
Any student who enrols in a course must not be given exemption or partial credit from their previous attempt(s) for any individual piece of assessment. Instead, the student must successfully complete all of the learning activities and assessment items within the study period of enrolment (PPL Assessment - Procedures Section: Assessment integrity).
If the same assessment item is set from one year to the next, repeating students are allowed to submit the same work they submitted in previous attempts at the course. Where possible SCMB recommends that you use the feedback you received in your last attempt to improve parts of the item where you lost marks. Resubmission of an altered or unaltered assessment item by a repeating student (where the same assessment has been set) will not be considered as self-plagiarism.
Important Note
Turnitin is to be used for assignments/laboratory reports to check for plagiarism. Penalties can be severe for plagiarism.
The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another either intentionally or unintentionally. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.
Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy.
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.
Additional learning resources information
Blackboard
Additional supplementary material may be posted on the course Blackboard site atﾠlearn.uq.edu.au
Please check the Announcements section of the Blackboard site regularly for information updates.
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 From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Workshop |
Literature Review Workshops Workshop run weekly by Dr Zyta Ziora to support planning and writing. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
General contact hours |
Organise and write literature review Map out chapter structure of literature review. Sort literature according to mapped chapters. Draft introduction and conclusions. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
General contact hours |
Compile bibliography Compile bibliography/list of references using Endnote or similar software. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 3 |
General contact hours |
Literature search Use library and online facilities to locate relevant literature Learning outcomes: L03 |
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.