Course coordinator
Dr Allan Hernandez Chanto
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Economics School
Students are required to complete a research thesis on a selected topic within their area of major interest. (If enrolling in this course across 2 semesters: Students commencing in semester 1 must enrol in ECON7933 for both semesters. Students commencing in semester 2 must enrol in ECON7934 for both semesters. Students enrolling in a single semester must enrol in ECON7930).
This course provides the means by which students can demonstrate their ability to undertake independent research work. Enrolment in this course requires students to have successfully completed ECON7950 (Research Methods) during which they completed a RESEARCH PROPOSAL. It is anticipated that students will take-up their research proposal and complete a thesis in their chosen area.
The student will be expected to undertake in-depth library research of relevant literature and to write a 20,000-word thesis embodying a high academic standard. This courseﾠencourages critical thinking and informed judgement and provides students with the opportunity to apply the economic theory and economic analysis they have studied previously in their post-graduate Masters degree program. There are no set topics for thesis research. However, the chosen topic should be linked to the economic project (or research methods)ﾠcourse during which students would have undertaken at least some critical review of academic literature on a topic about which they are particularly interested. The thesis is not simply a review of academic literature or an expose of existing regulation or government policy but would normally entail the use of empirical methods such as data analysis or econometrics to critically analyse or evaluate an economic issue, policy or established economic theory. Students are expected to conduct original research which could make a contribution, however small, to economic knowledge.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students must haveﾠpassed ECON7920 (/7921/7922) or ECON7950 before they are allowed to enrol in the ECON7930 Thesis.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
(ECON7310 or 7350 or 7360 + 7920 or 7950) or (ECON2300 or 3300 or 3350 or 3360 + 7920 or 7950)
Restrictions
Permission from Head of School (Summer only)
Course contact
School enquiries
Student Enquiries, School of Economics
All enquiries regarding student and academic administration (i.e. non-course content information, e.g., extension to assessment due date, etc.) should be directed to enquiries@economics.uq.edu.au.
Enquiries relating specifically to course content should be directed to the Course Coordinator.ﾠ
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Allan Hernandez Chanto
Timetable
Additional timetable information
Lectures
As students are expected to undertake individual research, lectures are limited to one sessionﾠover the duration of the semester. Please check blackboard for lecture information.
Consultation with thesis supervisor
In choosing a topic for the Master's Thesis students should consult with an academic(s) in the School of Economics whom they consider the most appropriate for advising their Thesis. However, it is anticipated that students will have previously identified academics specialising in their area of interest over the course of their studies in the School and in particular, whilst completing their research proposal for ECON7950. The research areas and recent publications of School staff can be viewed at -ﾠhttps://economics.uq.edu.au/research.
Students are strongly advised to identify an advisor before the beginning of semester. Students are advised that not all academic staff will be available to take up a supervisory role due to their existing research commitments so early consultation with possible academic staff is essential. This will enable them to have more time to undertake some preliminary reading and explore data availability and analytical techniques suitable for their thesis research.
Students should have settled on a topic and found a supervisor and settled on a research topic by the end of the second week of thisﾠsemesterﾠAT THE LATEST. So that your choice of supervisor and topic can be approved by the School of Economics, you will need to advise the name of your supervisor (and school affiliation) and thesis topic to econ.pgrad@uq.edu.auﾠby end of the second week of this semester. In order for the School of Economics to appoint suitable examiners for your thesis you will need toﾠprovide econ.pgrad@uq.edu.auﾠwith a 200-word abstract of your thesis around theﾠmiddle of the semester.
Students who have not been able to find an advisor can seek advice from the course coordinator by email.
Note that students should meet their own advisors regularly at a mutually agreed time. This should be at least once a fortnight, ideally once per week.
Aims and outcomes
The purposes of the Thesis are:
- To encourage you to undertake independent research and foster the necessary academic skills.
- To provide the means by which you can demonstrate your ability to undertake research at a professional standard and communicate your findings in a professionally acceptable way.
- To further your expertise in economics.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate that you can conduct independent research work.
LO2.
Write up your research undertaken at a high academic standard.
LO3.
Think critically and make informed judgement.
LO4.
Communicate what you do in the written form.
LO5.
Achieve a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge in your field.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis | 20,000 words via turnitin ONLY | 100% |
25/10/2024 1:00 pm |
Assessment details
20,000 words via turnitin ONLY
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Thesis
- Weight
- 100%
- Due date
25/10/2024 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Artifical Intelligence (AI) provides emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI in each instance. A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Research work may be empirical or conceptual, although you should bear in mind that the latter is often the more difficult.
You should strive for a thematic development of the thesis. The objectives of the thesis and techniques to be employed should be made clear to the reader in the introduction. It may be desirable to follow with a brief review of those aspects of the literature that are directly relevant to the thesis. The arguments should then be systematically developed in a logical and coherent way. The relevance of a new chapter should be made apparent to the reader with a statement of what is to follow and its role in the thesis. It should be apparent to the reader that the thesis is progressing as directly as possible to its logical end. Assessment is based not only on the discussion and conclusions from a thesis but also on the way research is undertaken, the quality of argument and the general standard of presentation.
While it is generally recognised that there are various constraints to the scale and scope of the research undertaken by postgraduate students, there are nevertheless minimum standards which must be met in the thesis construction. Emphasis is on "minimum", i.e. essential characteristics. Since a particular thesis will concentrate on a particular area of economics, it is not possible to prescribe the exact structure each thesis must have. However, every thesis must include, in addition to the exposition of the central issue researched:
1. An introductory chapter which includes some background about the issue or topic to be researched, a statement of the objectives of the research and why your research is important, research questions and/or hypothesis, and an outline of the contents of the remaining chapters.
2. A chapter on the relevant economic theory underpinning your issue or research topic. If you consider that no field of current economic theory is relevant, then this chapter should explain why this is so, and why under such circumstances the research required economic expertise and why it is relevant to the work of economists.
3. A chapter containing a critical review of recent economic (and any other relevant) literature in the area of research for your thesis. This chapter is likely to be a subset of the literature review of the Research Methods report, but narrower in focus, and directed to the specific issue you will be addressing in your thesis.
4. Where data analysis is an important part of the work, at least one chapter examining the data sources and any deficiencies; and also a discussion about the technique/s adopted for analysis of data.
5. A short chapter presenting results from any analysis undertaken.
6. A chapter discussing the implications, shortcomings etc of the analysis is very important. This is followed by the conclusion (which is NOT a summary of everything you have done in the previous chapters). The conclusion includes, if possible, policy recommendations and consider the shortcomings of your research and suggestions for on-going or further research.
A good standard of English is expected in the thesis. You may wish to consult those references listed in the Central Library Subject Catalogue under the heading "Style, Literary". The advisor may be able to offer guidance and help in your intellectual and academic development. The writing of a thesis is ultimately your task and you must not expect your advisor to convert careless or poor prose into good English. For non-native English speakers, it is a good idea to seek assistance from friends to proof read your writing.
You should aim to submit a draft of your thesis to your advisor at least two weeks before the due date to enable him/her to offer some constructive feedback. It is important to submit chapters of your draft progressively to your advisor throughout the semester so that there is ample time for advisor’s comments and advice, and you have ample time to revise your work. Submission of a large amount of new material shortly before the deadline will not give your advisor sufficient time to read carefully, and will leave you with little time to carry out the necessary corrections. Experience shows that theses completed in a last-minute rush often suffer from avoidable errors (grammatical, spelling and typographical) as well as obvious errors in argument, and accordingly, the loss of marks.
A template for the thesis is available on blackboard.
Criteria & Marking:
The thesis will be examined using the criteria below:
Referencing (5%)
Clarity and quality of written expression (10%)
Justification of the research topic and statement of objectives of research (15%)
Data/Theoretical Analysis (10%)
Research methods (10%)
Use of literature and theory (20%)
Presentation of results (10%)
Discussion and Conclusion (20%)
Examination of the Thesis:
The Thesis will be examined by two independent examiners and their marks will be averaged to yield a final mark and grade.
In order for the School of Economics to appoint suitable examiners for your thesis you will be prompted (by email) to submit an early abstract of your Thesis around the middle of the semester. At this point the abstract may be quite short, and we acknowledge that the final abstract may be different. (you will have advised the name of your advisor and title of your thesis by the end of week 2)
The marking process is confidential. The names of examiners will not be divulged to students.
Submission guidelines
Submission of Thesis
ONLY an electronic copy must be submitted via the Turnitin link on the course Blackboard site by the due date and time.
Turnitin
You should submit your work through Turnitin on a regular basis to help you with the way you present material in the Report.
Contact with your Advisor
You should discuss with your advisor the structure of the thesis and any issues that you think are important. The advisor should be in the position to offer you advice about this and to make suggestions.
You are required to submit a draft of the thesis to your advisor at least 2 weeks before the due date. This will provide your advisor with time to provide comments on the draft so that you can incorporate the comments in the final draft.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
Submission after the due date will delay the finalisation of the grade for this course. Students wishing to graduate in the Graduation Ceremony immediately following the exam period will NOT be guaranteed that their results will be processed in time for graduation.
Where an extension has not been previously approved, the following penalties apply to late or non-submission of an assessment item in alignment with PPL 3.10.02:
Thesis:
A penalty of 2% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item 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.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0% - 29% |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30% - 46% |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47% - 49% |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50% - 64% |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65% - 74% |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75% - 84% |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85% - 100% |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
A student's final overall end of semester percentage mark will be rounded to determine their final grade. For example, 64.5% rounds to 65%, while 64.4% rounds to 64%.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Format guidelines - General Requirements
- A4 size paper (297 x 210 mm)
- Font: preferably 12 point (minimum of 11 point for body of text)
- 10 point or smaller fonts are acceptable in Tables or Figures
- Double line spacing for text (1½ line spacing is allowed)
- Left hand margin: minimum of 3cm
- Right hand margin: not less than 2cm
- Top and bottom margins for text: not less than 2cm (excluding page numbers)
- Consecutive page numbering
- Must be submitted via turnitin, Blackboard ONLY. No hard copies need to be submitted.
Plagiarism
The School of Economics is committed to reducing the incidence of plagiarism. Further information on plagiarism and how to avoid an allegation of plagiarism is available in this course profile under Policies & Guidelines. Please refer to Academic Integrity Module (AIM). It is strongly recommended that you complete the AIM if you have not already done so.
Students can cite their own work previously submitted in the project course (ECON7950). Re-submitting the same work without citing, re-writing, summarizing, paraphrasing, etc. is considered self-plagiarism.
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
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Bibliography style
While the School of Economics does not impose a particular style, the most commonly used is Harvard.ﾠ The “golden rule” is that whatever style is used, it must be consistent throughout the document.ﾠ Some students use several different styles, and this is a matter which examiners often judge strictly.ﾠThe UQ Library has an excellent section on their webpage which gives very thorough information about the most commonly used referencing styles.ﾠ The web address is https://web.library.uq.edu.au/research-tools-techniques/referencing-style-guides.
These guides are very user-friendly and are updated when a new version of a style is published.
Previous Theses
Print copies of previous Economics theses can be seen in the Social Sciences & Humanities Library. From 2011, theses are only available in electronic format in library's e-space. If you are having difficulties locating previous examples of theses submitted by School of Economics students you should contact the library: bel@library.uq.edu.au
Advice
As explained in Section 4, you should meet your advisor regularly. You are also free to seek advice from other academic staff concerning any matter on which they have particular expertise.
Funding for Additional Resources
You should pursue a topic that is related to a course you have studied and also within the interests of the advisor. Topics that require significant School research funding may not be approved.ﾠ Details for any funding must be provided in advance for consideration/approval by the School.ﾠﾠﾠIf you use certain resources that are not normally available in the UniversityﾠLibrary, you should inform your advisor. Your advisor must have the opportunity to become familiar with any material you wish to use in your Thesis.
Student Services
StudentﾠServices run learning workshops through the semester on a range of topics including common grammar issues in writing, expectations of academic writing, incorporating graphs and tables into your writing, managing your reading load, reading and interpreting statistics, reading and writing critically, referencing correctly and avoiding plagiarism, thesis writing, writing a literature review and writing annotated bibliographies.ﾠBooking yourself into some of these courses early in the semesterﾠmay save you time in theﾠlong run and help you to produce a better thesis. You can consult the schedule of courses available from this link:ﾠhttps://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/learning.
Academic Writing
The Social Sciences and Humanities Libraryﾠhave many resources on academicﾠwriting.
- You could try the following generic subject headings:
Dissertations, Academic -- Authorship.
Academic writing -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
The call numbers for these areas are: LB2369 or PN146
- The following library resources may be appropriate for students who are not native English speakers:
http://library.uq.edu.au/record=b1962047~S7 or http://library.uq.edu.au/record=b2712752~S7
- ﾠThe Library works in conjunction with the Student Centre in providing sessions in order to help students with academic writing.ﾠ Presentations on academic skills training may be downloaded from: https://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/learning/presentation-skills.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (22 Jul - 28 Jul) |
Lecture |
Meeting with Coordinator Discussion re: requirements of thesis, guidelines for the presentation of thesis, choice of supervisor, milestones due, contact details for assistance. For assistance with the various datasets available at UQ or for an introduction to Endnote, please contact Economics' Librarian Debbie Martin (d.martin@library.uq.edu.au). Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 13 |
Not Timetabled |
Research and Write thesis Conduct research, undertake analysis and write thesis. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
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.