Course coordinator
Dr Sarah Ball
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Politic Sc & Internat Studies
Research report courses allow a student to work independently with a supervisor from the School to complete a research thesis. This course is for full time MIR and MPaCS students seeking to complete the thesis in one semester. Access to this course is limited. Entry is initially restricted to students who have: An exceptional record of achievement reflected in a high GPA; Completed #12 units of their program. MPaCS students must have completed all five MPaCS Core Courses and one MPaCS Flexible Core Course. MIR students must have completed all four MIR Core Courses and two MIR Flexible Core Courses. Completion of a research methods course is a recommended prerequisite; and Completed a research report application form, which includes a detailed research report proposal. Further information - including the application form and application due dates - is available from the POLSIS website here. Students are required to submit the application form and their research proposal by the relevant due date by email to polsis@uq.edu.au .
POLS7704 ﾠis a #4-unit major research project undertaken across a single semester. Students work by themselves, under the individual supervision of a member of the academic staff of the School of Political Science and International Studies, to write and present an academic thesis. This is designed to be similar to the requirements of an Honours dissertation, and therefore a useful preparation for further postgraduate research such as a PhD program.
This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Master of International Relations and the Master in Peace and Conflict Studies. It is an alternative to two regular elective courses. Enrolment requires approval by the course coordinator. To gain approval, a student needs to have completed 12 units of courses (which will include all compulsory core courses in the student's respective Master program),ﾠ have ﾠa cumulative GPA of 5.5 or above, and haveﾠidentified a suitable topic.ﾠProspective students must nominate two preferred supervisors. While you are welcome to discuss your intention to apply and proposed research with a member of staff, this is not a requirement. Supervisors will be allocated by the School based on availability, expertise and a fair distribution of supervisory load across the School. Please be aware that enrolment will only be able to proceed if a suitable and available supervisor can be found.ﾠCompletion of a course on research is a recommended prerequisite.
Students wishing to enrol need to complete an application form prior to the start of semester. The form and deadlines are available at: ﾠhttps://polsis.uq.edu.au/research-projectreportthesis
Course requirements
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
POLS7701
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
POLS7705, POLS7706, POLS7220, POLS7223, POLS7224
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Sarah Ball
Timetable
Additional timetable information
There are no timetabled classes for this course.
Extensions are usually only given under exceptional circumstances.
Aims and outcomes
The aim of this course is to create the opportunity for students to undertake a significant piece of independent research, building on the learning acquired in the courses taught throughout the program.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge in a sub-field of, Governance and Public Policy, International Relations or Peace and Conflict Studies.
LO2.
Effectively communicate the results and significance of research in written form.
LO3.
Effectively present and justify the results and significance of research orally.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Research Plan and Annotated Bibliography | 20% |
21/03/2025 5:00 pm |
| Thesis | Research Paper (10,000 words) | 80% |
30/05/2025 5:00 pm |
Assessment details
Research Plan and Annotated Bibliography
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
21/03/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
The Research Plan and Annotated bibliography should cover:
- The title/topic of the research report you are planning
- A succinct and clear statement of the central problem, research question and/or puzzle(s) you are seeking to address
- A succinct and clear statement of the research design that will answer your question
- An annotated bibliography listing and describing/critiquing the key sources that you intend to use when conducting research on your particular topic.
The task is marked by the supervisor. It should be no less than 2000 words and no more than 3000 words.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document to make sure you have chosen the correct file, you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot)
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
If there are circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from submitting an assessment item by the due date, you can apply for an Extension, but you must do so before the due date.
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.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered from the time the submission is due.
Research Paper (10,000 words)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Thesis
- Weight
- 80%
- Due date
30/05/2025 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
The largest item of assessment for the course is a paper on the topic chosen by the student. Some guidance:
Indicative Structure
- Title Page
- Abstract (not exceeding 500 words).
- Acknowledgements.
- A table of contents.
- The main text.
- Bibliography.
- Appendices where included.
Note that tables, diagrams and figures that are central to the thesis should be inserted into the text where possible.
Referencing
All sources from which information has been derived, paraphrased, quoted or used to support statements of fact and opinion must be clearly and accurately cited. The bibliography must include full details of all works from which information is derived, quoted or referred to in the body of the report or notes. The form of citation in the bibliography should follow the format set out in the School of Political Science’s Essay Guide.
Length
Reports should be of approximately 8,000 words. There is some discretion for length to vary according to the topic, however, reports should not exceed 10,000 words, including quotations and substantive footnotes or endnotes, but excluding the bibliography and appendices. Please note that the word limit does NOT allow for +10% as it does in other courses.
Please pay careful attention to the attached rubric and use that as a guide to your work.
Assessment tasks are intended to evaluate a student’s abilities, skills, and knowledge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the assessment instructions, assessments are to be completed without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT). Failure to comply with this direction may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin.
In uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university.
When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin after previewing the uploaded document to make sure you have chosen the correct file, you should see the “Submission Complete!” message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send this receipt to you automatically.
If you don’t see the downloadable receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
If the submission was not successful:
- Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot)
- Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again.
- If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately.
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.
Unless an extension is granted, penalties for late submission apply. Students are penalised 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item for every calendar day that an assessment item is late.
Marks will be deducted each day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point the submitted item will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is triggered 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) | 1 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does notﾠaddress the question, shows no evidence of reading and minimal comprehension of the issues at hand. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠaddresses the question poorly and showsﾠvery little evidence of reading. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student makes an effort to establish a single major argument for the essay andﾠemploys some research which is correlated with the argument. Makes a visible effort to achieve adequate grammar, spelling and punctuation. Evidence of attempting to achieve a recognisable narrative flowﾠappears throughout the assignment. The studentﾠaddresses the question and shows evidence of required research and a basic grasp of the issues at hand. However,ﾠfalls short of satisfying all basic requirements for a Pass. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student makes a reasonable effort to provide evidence to support a visible argument andﾠemploys an adequate research base to support the argument. Achieves a reasonable, if not completely coherent standard of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A recognisable narrative flow is sustained throughout the essay. The studentﾠanswers the question and shows evidence of adequate research and a degree of understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠprovides suitable evidence to support an argument andﾠemploys a comprehensive research base that directly relates to the topic, though it may not completely support the argument. Achieves decent levels of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct, well supported fashion and shows evidence of some wide reading and a reasonable understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠdemonstrates a very good grasp of the chosen topic andﾠprovides a considerable amount of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys a reasonably extensive and well-organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument and achieves a high level of competence in grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct, reasonably sophisticated fashion, employs wide research and shows a sound understanding of the issues at hand. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠdemonstrates a highly sophisticated grasp of the topic andﾠsucceeds in addressing the question by providing a high level of evidence to support a clearly stated argument. The studentﾠemploys an extensive and well organised research base to structure evidence in support of the argument andﾠachieves impeccable levels of grammar, spelling, punctuation and narrative flow. The studentﾠanswers the question in a direct and elegant fashion, employs significant research and shows a deep understanding of the issues at hand. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Refer to my.UQ for how to apply for supplementary assessment.
Supplementary assessment can take any form, for example, an oral or a written exam. Students who are eligible and approved for a supplementary assessment and the form of assessment is an examination, are expected to be available to sit the supplementary exam during the University’s Deferred and Supplementary examination period. Once approved, supplementary assessment cannot be rescinded by the student.
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
Ethical Clearanceﾠfor a Research Project
It is a University requirement that an Ethical Clearance is obtained for any independent study project involving human subjects. Working with their supervisor, students are expected to seek ethical approval for any interview, survey or other research involving people. If your independent study does not involve people in this way, then you do not need ethical clearance.
Applications should be submitted by using the MyResearch link ﾠhttps://my-research.research.uq.edu.au/
Further information can be found here ﾠhttps://www.uq.edu.au/research/research-support/ethics-integrity-and-compliance/human-ethics/ethics-application
It is not necessary to lodge an application for Ethical Clearance with your initial application. However, this must be done prior to commencing research.
Essay Guide
The School of Political Science and International Studies Essay Guide can be downloaded from the School’s Student Support webpage.
The Guide sets out guidelines you should follow in preparing written assignments.
Essay Writing Assistance
The School of Political Science and International Studies schedules regular “drop-in” sessions designed to provide one-on-one advice and assistance in essay planning and writing.
There is no need to make an appointment and you are encouraged to bring your essay with you.
The day and time of these sessions will be finalized at the beginning of each semester and published on the Student Support webpage.
Student Services
Student services offer a variety of short courses during the semester which will help you improve your study, research and writing skills and thus your academic performance in this course.
Library Resources
UQ Library offers training in software, assignment writing, research skills, and publishing and research management.
The University’s library holdings for Political Science and International Studies are primarily located in the Central Library.
There is a help desk in the Library. Students are also welcome to contact the BEL/HASS Librarians for assistance.
Email: librarians@library.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 From Week 1 To Week 13 |
General contact hours |
Independent Research Activity Each student undertakes independent reading and research, regular contact between student and supervisor, and finally the preparation of a 8,000 to 10,000 word report. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Workshop |
Statement of Intent Workshop This workshop will cover the basics of each research report course, introduce students to each other and give top tips for thesis writing. The course coordinator will contact all research report students via email to arrange this session. Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Workshop |
Work in Progress Workshop This workshop is designed to allow research report students to hear about the variety of projects that are being conducted and speak about their own project to others. Typically this will be done via discussion of plans and annotated bibliographies that have been submitted as assessment. Learning outcomes: L01, 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.