Honours Research Thesis (INDN6012)

Course overview

This year-long course introduces students to the process of sustained independent research, culminating in the production of an Honours thesis in English or, with permission, in Indonesian. Honours offers students the opportunity to pursue in-depth study in their area of specialisation, work closely with experts in the field, and produce a research thesis on a focused topic of their choosing. Under individual supervision, students will formulate a research question, conduct a critical literature review, apply an appropriate methodology, and present their findings in a well-structured written thesis. As the thesis component for students commencing full-time BA Honours in Semester 1, this course provides essential training in research design, academic writing, and scholarly communication. Completion of Honours is also a key prerequisite for progression to Higher Degree by Research programs such as the MPhil or PhD.

Depending on your field of study, your Honours thesis can be written in a number of languages:

• English: 15,000-20,000 words
• Spanish/French/German/Indonesian: 12,000-16,000 words
• Korean: 10,000-17,000 words
• Chinese: 20,000-32,500 characters
• Japanese: 30,000-40,000 characters

The Honours thesis is a substantial scholarly project that demonstrates a student’s ability to conduct independent research and communicate it according to the conventions of their discipline. It should be grounded in critical engagement with relevant theories and literature, and may involve original data collection, analysis, or other forms of scholarly inquiry, as appropriate to the field. The thesis may not necessarily make a new contribution to knowledge but must clearly demonstrate the student’s original contribution—whether through the creation of new knowledge, critical synthesis of existing research, or another recognised scholarly approach. Overall, the thesis should reflect a sound understanding of research processes, disciplinary methodologies, and academic writing conventions.

Course requirements

Incompatible

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

INDN6014, INDN6996, INDN6997, INDN6998, INDN6999

Restrictions

Restricted to students enrolled in the BA(Hons)

Course staff

Timetable

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

Additional timetable information

There is no formal class contact time for this course. You do, however, need to see your supervisor on a regular basis (i.e. every fortnight). It is the responsibility of students to contact their supervisor and establish a regular schedule of meetings.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to allow students to develop the major skills required in thesis writing at Honours level, including: the clear elaboration of research objectives and research design; the ability to formulate, develop and present a clearly defined and logical argument supported by literature; the ability to review and assess the relevant literature used as the analytical framework; the use of appropriate source materials; an understanding and justification of the use of appropriate methods and techniques; clear and careful presentation and organization of material; the use of appropriate register and academic writing skills in the language of the thesis; the ability to present a clear and coherent central argument.

For translation theses, the course aims to develop in students the major skills require for a translation thesis at Honours level, including: a nuanced understanding of the source text; the ability to research the cultural context of the source text; a sensitivity to issues of genre and register; an ability to render idioms, figurative language and stylistic nuances; and to present material clearly and in a grammatically and syntactically correct manner in translation. This course aims to allow students to develop analytical skills in translation commentary, in relation to: the articulation and resolution of specific translation problems; the reviewing and assessment of relevant literature; and the presentation of material in a clear, organised and grammatically and syntactically correct manner, including documenting and referencing.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Honours Thesis

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Thesis

Weight

100%

Due date

31/10/2025 4:00 pm

Friday of Week 13 (Semester 2)

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

The final thesis must be submitted by 4pm on Friday of Week 13 (Semester 2), via the following methods:

1. Turnitin Submission: A digital copy must be uploaded to Turnitin via the designated course portal.
2. Email Submission: A PDF version must also be sent to the SLC Honours Coordinator at slc.honours@uq.edu.au

Late submissions without an approved extension may incur penalties as per university policy.

Refer to SLC Checklist for Submission of Honours Dissertations: https://languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/study/honours/information-current-honours-students

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.  

• 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’.
• Students must ensure that they receive their Turnitin receipt. YOU MUST CHECK THAT THE RECEIPT CONFIRMS THAT SUBMISSION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
• A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted. In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible so that they can confirm the outage with ITS.
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they are submitting assessment items on a device that is capable of the task, and that appropriate internet bandwidth and speed is available. If you cannot be sure that your device or internet will enable you to complete or submit an assessment task, you must come onto campus and use one of the University Computers in the Library or Computer Labs.

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.

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.

Course grading

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

Additional course grading information

Marking Criteria

An Honours thesis is a substantial project which should demonstrate understanding of research processes and scholarly conventions. In scope, the thesis does not necessarily make a new contribution, but should be an independent and valuable contribution to the field of study.

Marking procedures:

• Each Honours thesis will be marked by two examiners according to the approved criteria. One of these examiners will normally be an internal examiner, the second may be an internal or an external examiner (an external examiner being external to the School or to the University).
• The marking process is confidential. The names of examiners will not be divulged to students, although examiners may stipulate that their name can be released to students along with their final report once the examination process has been completed.
• Once the two examiners’ reports have been received with their corresponding grades and weighted percentage scores, the Honours coordinator will instigate the process required to arrive at the final mark.
• If the two examiners award the thesis the same grade, the program coordinator in consultation with colleagues (and where possible the examiner(s) and advisor(s)) will approve this grade as the final grade and an average of the two weighted percentage scores given will be calculated.
• If the two examiners award the thesis two different grades one mark apart from each other (e.g. a 6 and a 7), the program coordinator in consultation with colleagues (and where possible the examiner(s) and advisor(s)) will decide which grade to award to the thesis. In general, it would be normal for the grade given to correspond to the grade arrived at by the calculation of the average of the weighted percentage marks given (e.g. one examiner gives a score of 88 and a grade of 7, the other a grade of 79 and a grade of 6, so the average percentage is 83.5 and therefore the final grade a 6). HOWEVER, it will be possible for the thesis to be awarded either the higher or lower of the two grades even if this does not accord with the above method if, after a meeting of the program coordinator, the two examiners and the advisor and during which all reports are carefully considered, it is decided that there are valid reasons why this grade is more appropriate (in which case a new percentage will need to be provided also).
• If the two examiners award the thesis two different grades two marks apart from each other (e.g. a 5 and a 7), the program coordinator in consultation with colleagues (and where possible the examiner(s) and advisor(s)) will decide the final grade to be awarded to the thesis. In general, it would be normal for the final grade given to be the grade in between the two grades suggested by the examiners (e.g. a 5 and a 7 would give a final grade of 6) but a different final grade may be arrived at if the average of the weighted percentage scores indicates a different result to this OR if, after a meeting of the program coordinator, the two examiners and the advisor and during which all reports are carefully considered, it is decided to award the thesis with the higher or lower of the two grades (in which case a new percentage will need to be provided also).
• If the two examiners award the thesis with two different grades three marks apart from each other (e.g. a 4 and a 7), the thesis will be marked by a third examiner. Once this third mark has been received, the three reports and corresponding grades and weighted percentages will be circulated to all three examiners and the advisor by the Honours coordinator. The Honours coordinator will then schedule a meeting to take place between the three examiners (if an examiner from outside the University has been used, he or she should be represented by a proxy – who could be the Honours coordinator), the Honours coordinator, the program coordinator and other members of the program as deemed appropriate by the program coordinator in order to arrive at the final mark to be awarded. In general, it would be expected that the third examiner’s grade would be closer to one of the original two grades than the other; this third grade, then, will then often prove crucial for the decision regarding the final grade and weighted percentage. However, this final decision is the sole decision of the three examiners and must be arrived at after the careful consideration of all of the reports. Comments from the advisor and others present at the meeting should only be taken into consideration for the award of the final mark if they contribute new material information not taken into account by the examiners in their deliberations
• Once a final grade and weighted percentage have been awarded, the Honours coordinator will submit the final grade and percentage via SI-net.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

Assessment Re-mark: If you are considering an Assessment Re-mark, please follow the link to important information you should consider before submitting a request.

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.

Learning activities

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

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