Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Gatton
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- Gatton
- Coordinating unit
- Veterinary Science School
The content of the course will depend on the area of study selected and the format of the study negotiated with the Honours supervisors. You can expect to study a number of issues as core content which can be presented using one or more teaching methods including but not limited to, lectures, seminars, group discussions, case studies, collating and reviewing the literature and other self-directed learning.
The generation of concise, relevant and scientifically valid literature reviews is an essential skill for researchers. This course presents students with an opportunity to create a detailed literature review based on information that has direct relevance to the research project being undertaken in their Honours program. Apart from developing skills in literature review writing, it familiarises the student with key conceptual and technical information needed for their on-going research, and allows the Honours supervisor to provide feedback on writing style prior to undertaking thesis writing. The topic selected for the literature review should provide essential background knowledge needed for the Honours research project, and which the student is not likely to have encountered previously through their undergraduate training. Material included in the VETS6640 literature review should be complementary to and provided in more detail than that included in the literature review written as part of the research project thesis – i.e. the VETS6640 review should not be replicated in the thesis literature review, although a scaled-down and re-emphasised version of it is appropriate for inclusion.
You are required to prepare and submit a literature review in a topic that is related to your research project by the end of the 1st semester of enrolment as the Literature Review assists in the development of your research thesis. You will, under supervision, develop your ability to critically analyse scientific literature. Studentsﾠwill submit their literature review at the end of first semester of enrolment. The literature review will allow you to have important feedback on the standard of your scientific writing mid-candidature.
Course requirements
Companion or co-requisite courses
You'll need to complete the following courses at the same time:
VETS6001 and VETS6616 or VETS6617 (or part-time equivalents VETS6628 or VETS6629)
Course contact
Course coordinator
Dr Swaid Abdullah
Course staff
Course coordinator
Professor Joerg Henning
Program director
Dr Frances Shapter
Timetable
Additional timetable information
VETS6640 is delivered as entirely self-directed learning therefore you will need to develop a learning contract in conjunction with your supervisor/s which details a literature review and writing timeline, regular milestones across the semester, meeting schedule with supervisor/s (weekly is advised) and plan for review of the written literature reveiw prior to its submission. This should be emailed toﾠthe Honours Coordinator with your thesis outline for feedback, however only the outline will be marked as assessment.
Please be aware that due to unforeseen circumstances it may be necessary to make changes to the timetable throughout the semester and so it is important to check VETS6640 Blackboard site regularly. Students will be notified of changes to the timetable via Blackboard Announcements.
Aims and outcomes
The aim of this course is to allow you to develop skills in independent research within an area related to your thesis. You will learn how to communicate science through the completion of a literature review. During the process you should be able to follow scientific procedures when writing, grasp the concepts of your topic, apply principles to new information, critically evaluate other work and infer valid conclusions.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate a structured, evidence-based approach to scientific writing, ensuring relevant literature citation and organisation of arguments.
LO2.
Show evidence of a developing command and understanding of relevant concepts and disciplines.
LO3.
Apply increasing understanding of your topic to refining and developing your literature review.
LO4.
Analyse and evaluate a broad range of literature on your topic and draw objective conclusions and/or identify gaps in current knowledge.
LO5.
Professionally present the literature review in terms of style, formatting, presenting relevant tables and figures and editing, to a standard appropriate for Journal submission.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Postgraduate Advanced Topic Literature Review | 70% |
30/05/2025 2:00 pm |
| Participation/ Student contribution, Performance |
Honours Assessment Authenticity Report
|
Pass/Fail |
23/05/2025 3:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Outline of Literature Review | 15% |
24/03/2025 2:00 pm |
| Performance | Supervisor Evaulation | 15% |
30/05/2025 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
Postgraduate Advanced Topic Literature Review
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 70%
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
Honours students are required to prepare and submit a literature review in a topic that is related to their research project by the end of their 1st semester of enrolment as the literature review assists in the development of the thesis. The format of the literature review may vary according to the nature of the field (experimental, theoretical, comparative, descriptive etc) but its purpose is the same in all fields. It should be on a topic that is relevant to the honours research question being asked in VETS6616, VETS6617, VETS6628 or VETS6629 but should not be the same as the actual literature review of the honours thesis. For example - the topic could be related to a particular set of methodologies that are required to conduct the research project such as hormone assays or nutritional analyses. The review should summarize salient findings, arguments, theories and other developments.
This assessment task is linked with the Honours Assessment Authenticity Report (Assessment Task 2 below).
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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.
Submission guidelines
Submit your Assessment through the course Turnitin submission point in Blackboard.
Before submitting your assessment item to Turnitin please name your file in the following way:
For example: SMITH_Bob_54329876_VETS1234_Essay1
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.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Students with acceptable reasons (medical or compassionate reasons or as a result of exceptional circumstances) may apply for an extension of the deadline. 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.
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
Honours Assessment Authenticity Report
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution, Performance
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
23/05/2025 3:00 pm
Task description
Individual assessment tasks will detail any form of acceptable use of AI across all courses. Use of AI outputs without attribution is a form of plagiarism which is unacceptable and constitutes academic misconduct. Assessment will always centre on critical appraisal of student knowledge, skills and attributes. This may include students’ critical reflection and application of AI within their discipline. This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies for submitted responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
The Honours Authenticity Report must be submitted to the principal advisor one week prior to the submission of the Literature Review. This is a pass/fail assessment item for this course.
To pass this assessment, students are required to demonstrate to their supervisors, detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools. The use of the Honours Authenticity Report in conjunction with your academic supervisors oversight has been designed to authenticate and document the student's understanding of the topic and scientific principles, contained in their literature review. Students may use AI as a learning tool; to hone their understanding of a topic and improve their scientific writing style. However, all assessment submitted for grading must have been generated by the student, WITHOUT the use of any form of generative AI.
As this is a pass/fail assessment piece, if a supervisor is unwilling to sign this authenticity record, the student will need to provide evidence of why this should overridden by the Hons. Program Coordinator. Students should make minutes from their supervisory meetings and secure copies of their draft documents at each iteration on the UQ RDM. If a student feels they are not receiving adequate or the agreed level of support from their supervisor, they should contact the Hons. Program Coordinator (f.shapter@uq.edu.au) as soon as possible.
Hurdle requirements
This document must be submitted to the principal supervisor ONE WEEK prior to submission of the Literature Review.Submission guidelines
The form is to be submitted to the principal supervisor. The supervisor will then email the report to the course coordinator.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
If a student has an approved extension for the Literature Review assessment task, the same extension will automatically be applied to this assessment item.
Outline of Literature Review
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
24/03/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
This task is a brief, planning outline (maximum 2 pages) of the literature review following the detailed structure and formatting outlined in the SVS Hons. Handbook. The student and supervisor should discuss the structure of the literature review in detail before this document is submitted to the Honours Coordinator for assessment. The task overview is is provided in the SVS Honours Handbook and Course Blackboard site.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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.
Submission guidelines
The document must be emailed to the Honours Coordinator, f.shapter@uq.edu.au, by the due date.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Students with acceptable reasons (medical or compassionate reasons or as a result of exceptional circumstances) may apply for an extension of the deadline. 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.
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.
Supervisor Evaulation
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Performance
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
30/05/2025 2:00 pm
Task description
The supervisor evaluation form is available in the Hons Handbook and on Blackboard, and should be reviewed collaboratively by supervisor/s and students within week one of candidature, so all parties are clear about the marking criteria. This is a semester-long evaluation of student performance and growth as an independent researcher.
Submission guidelines
To be completed and emailed to Course Coordinator, by the supervisor/s, on the due date for the literature review.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Any extension granted to the student's candidature, will automatically be applied to the supervisor's evaluation due date, to ensure the entire candidature has been assessed.
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: 0-29% |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 30-44% |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: 45-49% |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 50-64% |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 65-74% |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 75-84% |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: 85-100% |
Additional course grading information
To pass VETS6640
The grade is 100% of the course mark and the GPA goes towards the final honours mark. A mark of 50% is required to pass the course.
Grade Calculations
When rounding final marks for grade calculations, part marks of <0.5 will be ROUNDED DOWN to the nearest whole number, and part marks of >/= 0.5 will be ROUNDED UP to the nearest whole number.
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
Specific formatting guides and further detail about all assessment items are provided in the SVS Hons. handbook on Blackboard.
Guidelines for timelines of submission of documents to supervisors are:
• An essay outline (section heading, paragraph contents) submitted to the supervisor and course coordinator within four weeks following commencement of the program. This will be assessed by the Honours Coordinator (10% of final mark).
• An essay draft submitted to the supervisor within eight weeks following commencement of the program. Recommended but will not be assessed.
Two examiners will assess the literature review. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to identify and contact the two examiners, and confirm they are willing and able to mark the literature review within a two week period after the due date.ﾠAt least one should be from the SVS, but the other may be external. The percentage marks awarded for the literature review will be the average of the two examiner's marks.
Examiners will be looking for evidence of the following general criteria when evaluating the literature review:
• Clarity of definition: of the issue being investigated
• Theoretical orientation: if there are several theoretical positions in relation to the topic, which one(s) are used and is there a sound rationale for this choice? Are any fresh suggestions of an explanatory or interpretative kind offered?
• Logical development of arguments: including critical, interpretative commentary that relates the study to other work in the field
• Interpretation: of previous and current research literature findings in relation to relevant theory
• Thoroughness of critique: based on clearly stated criteria, sound arguments and supporting evidence
• Integration: consistency of focus on issues that directly relate to the specific research task being undertaken, coherence and flow of writing, assembly of sections into a ‘whole’ review, cross-referencing of themes and conclusions of prior research
• Rationale for the current study: significance of reviewed research findings to thesis research topic.
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
Relevant scientific databases and referencing resources are available to students via UQ libraries. Each Faculty has an Outreach Librarian with extensive subject knowledge to support staff and students at all levels. If you have a question relating to an assignment, referencing or building a search strategy, contact the Faculty Services Librarians team - librarians@library.uq.edu.au to book a consult or talk through library research problems.
UQ Student Support and Wellbeing Services
Harmonising study and life commitments and seeking help early when needed is essential for successfully navigating university studies. UQ Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS) and UQU Student Advocacy and Support (SAS) offer numerous resources for BVSc(Hons) and BVetTech students, including various mindfulness programs and counselling services to boost confidence and promote overall physical and mental wellbeing.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the UQ Counselling and Crisis Line on 1300 851 998 (available 24/7, 365 days a year).
The Hub
The Student Clinical Skills Hub is a purpose-built, state-of-the-art self-directed learning facility located centrally in the School (John Mahon (8105), Room 101) with two main areas and an online resource community available for all SVS students.
The Hub has a lab where students can practice their clinical skills using standard veterinary equipment, on simulators and/or models in conjunction with supporting audio-visual resources and a smaller communications suite with two working consult rooms, a viewing room and a debriefing space.
The Hub’s aim is to provide a safe, authentic, self-directed learning environment where students can practice their clinical skills in accordance with individual competences beyond the scheduled contact hours of their programs and further enhance their capacity for self-directed, lifelong learning.
If you cannot access the community or have any other questions, please contact the Hub Coordinator via svs-hub@uq.edu.au or ext 15046.
SVS BVSc(Hons) and BVetTech Student Support
The 2025 School of Veterinary Science Student Support Blackboard Site can be found by visiting [SCIE0586] Student Support for BVSc & BVetTech programs 2025 SCIE0586_7520_00101
This site contains links to valuable resources and information for all BVSc(Hons) and BVetTech students. Here you will find information on topics such as:
- Orientation and new student information
- Mental health and wellbeing
- OH&S
- Program rules and requirements
- Study planners
- Equity, diversity and inclusion
- Study help and support
- Useful SVS staff contacts –
- Academic Student Mentors, International Student Mentor, Peers Support Network, SVS Academic Progression and Integrity Officer, SVS Chief Examiner, SVS Director of Students and Admissions, etc.
- SVS Student Information Resource Handbook
The site also offers a way for you to share your valuable feedback directly with the School about your experiences as a student. We welcome and encourage your input, as it helps us continually improve our processes. If you have a formal grievance regarding academic or teaching standards, please refer to the Student Grievance Resolution Policy to understand your options and the steps you can take.
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 |
Not Timetabled |
Preliminary literature research and discussions |
Not Timetabled |
Prepare an outline document summarising the literature review See assessment task description |
|
Not Timetabled |
Extensive and in-depth literature review and discussions |
|
Not Timetabled |
Prepare iterative drafts of scientific literature review and receive supervisor input |
|
Problem-based learning |
Critique additional related studies |
|
Not Timetabled |
Finalise discussions, feedback to drafts and written document for submission |
|
General contact hours |
Review the Assessment Authenticity & Supervisor Evaluation forms collaboratively The Assessment Authenticity and Supervisor evaluation reports must be reviewed with your supervisor during week one. These forms must be completed as directed to pass 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 - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:
- Fitness to Practise Policy
- Vaccinations and Immunisation Procedure
- Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience Policy
Course guidelines
Please access the SVS Hons. Guidelines Handbook in your course Blackboard's learning resources, for detailed information on all aspects of your candidature in the BSc (Gatton) Hons program.