Research Thesis (RBUS7993)

The empirical honours thesis follows the same basic format as an empirical masters thesis or PhD thesis. To that end, unless otherwise instructed by the supervisor, the empirical honours thesis will have a minimum chapter content likely to include:

1. Introduction
2. Literature review
3. Model and hypotheses
4. Methodology of data collection
5. Analysis, results, and discussion
6. Conclusion.

The above structure is an example for an empirical thesis. In cases where a theoretical theses is undertaken a different structure would be required. Students are advised to seek direction of their supervisor on the appropriate structure in such cases.

Ethics

It is the responsibility of all research students to ensure research undertaken is ethically sound. Ethics approval must be sought prior to any form of primary data collection. For more information on research ethics process, please see below links:

• All research involving humans that is not greater than low or negligible risk can be reviewed by one our Faculty-based ethics sub-committees. Please direct all questions regarding low or negligible risk process to bellnr@uq.edu.au.
• Research involving humans that is greater than low or negligible risk will be reviewed by one of UQ’s Human Research Ethics Committee in a full committee meeting.
• Please liaise with your UQ Business School academic supervisor for assistance with ethics application process.
• https://www.uq.edu.au/research/research-support/ethics-integrity-and-compliance/human-ethics/ethics-application

The ethics committee meet fortnightly to assess ethics applications. The cut-off date for submissions is one week prior to each scheduled meeting. 

If you require ethics approval as part of your research project, please upload evidence upon receipt of approval. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to info@business.uq.edu.au.

Thesis Format and Word Count

The length of the thesis, inclusive of tables and figures but excluding cover page, acknowledgements, disclaimer, references and appendices, should not exceed 20,000 words or 100 pages of double-spaced printing in 12-point Times New Roman font on A4 paper. Please note that any content beyond this limit will not be considered for grading. To allow adequate room for binding and trimming, it is important to note that left and right-hand margins should be no less than 25mm, and top and bottom margins no less than 25mm. 

The fly page must show the following (template available on Blackboard)

The University of Queensland

Faculty of Business, Economics & Law

UQ Business School

(the title)

A thesis submitted to the Business School, The University of Queensland, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business, Master of Commerce, Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Master of Tourism, Hotel and Event Management, Master of Global Management or Graduate Diploma in Research Methods (whichever applies).

by (student's name)

the date

Supervisor: (name)

On a separate page show: Acknowledgements, which must include a signed disclaimer statement which says:

“The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original, except as acknowledged in the text. The material has not been submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or any other university.”

Marking Guide/Rubric.

The marking guide (rubric) for your thesis is provided by the course coordinator (and attached). 

The thesis must be the lesser of 20,000 words in length or 100 pages of double-spaced printing in 12 point Times New Roman font on A4 paper.

Note:   marking will cease should the thesis exceed 20,000 words (not including cover page, acknowledgements, disclaimer, references and appendices)

In the event a third examiner is required to moderate the thesis, the following process applies:

1. In the event the variance between the first and second examiner is greater than 10 or across two grade thresholds, a third examiner will be employed for moderation.
2. Upon finalisation of the third examiner marks, the final average mark for the thesis is taken from the two examiner marks closely aligned (i.e. within 10 marks or same grade threshold).
3. In the event the variance between all three examiners is greater than 10 or across multiple grade thresholds, the final average grade for the thesis is taken from across all three examiners

Research Data and Thesis Submission.

The research thesis is to be submitted electronically to Turnitin located in the Blackboard Assessment (above) link by the due date/time to avoid penalty.. The report will be subject to plagiarism checks through Turnitin.

UQ Business School research students are obligated to submit all research data through the UQ Research Data Manager (UQRDM). Instructions on how to upload your data is available via the attached document. Should you have issues in uploading the data, please contact the team via library@uq.edu.au

Students who submit a research thesis are required to submit their final thesis for upload to UQ eSpace (this will be done by the school on your behalf). This repository aims to create global visibility and accessibility of UQ's scholarly research. You will have the opportunity to revise your thesis after submission for upload to UQ eSpace.

The course administrator will be in contact with you after release of final grades to provide an opportunity to revise your thesis. For any student that does not submit a revised thesis, the School will revert to your original thesis on file (unless an alternative arrangement has been approved by the School).

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. 

This research presentation allows you to present your research question, literature review, and proposed methodology within a small supportive forum comprising academic members of staff and your fellow students. You will be given 15 minutes to present your progress to date and this will take place at a small in-house event at the end of semester one. Further details regarding the precise date will be provided.

An assessor will be assigned and detailed feedback will be provided to both you and your supervisor to assist with the progression of your thesis.

AI Statement

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.