Supervised Research

Research-Led Teaching

A key part of the BEc (honours) program is this supervised independent research project undertaken by the student. Students are responsible for the development of a research proposal and plan and undertake this large project over the course of the year to provide an in-depth analysis of a chosen topic.

Field Trips

Not applicable

Additional Course Costs

Not applicable

Examination Material or equipment

Not applicable

Required Resources

Not applicable

Recommended Resources

Not applicable

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	There are no classes. This is a year-long supervised research essay course.	Proposal Review; Public Presentation; Final Examination

Tutorial Registration

N/A

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Final Examination of Thesis (Mandatory, Hurdle)	100 %	14/10/2022	01/12/2022	1-5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Final Examination of Thesis (Mandatory, Hurdle)

The research thesis is a year long project (over Semesters 1 and 2). This is a hurdle assessment in line with the student assessment coursework policy (see https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004603). You must complete this task in order to be eligible to complete the HECON program.

This task is typically due at the end of Week 10 of Semester 2 of the HECON program.

Thesis format, research integrity and scientific replicability

Format:

A thesis should be no more than 15,000 words in length AND no more than 80 physical pages that include text, graphics, tables, references and appendices (i.e., the entire submitted thesis document).

The word and page limits do not apply to supplementary material such as code files, documentation for code and data.

Regular text should have at least 12-point sized fonts and page margins (i.e., top, bottom, left and right) should be no less than 3cm.

The thesis must meet normal academic standards (i.e. be typed with all cited work properly referenced in a bibliography). 

Template LaTeX and LyX files will be supplied to you at the start of the academic program.

When uploading to WATTLE:

• Please name your PDF file according to this convention: thesis_ID-NUMBER_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.pdf. Example: thesis_u5678901_Bauer_Jack.pdf
• Label the zipped file using the following file-naming convention: source_ID-NUMBER_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.zip. For example: source_u5678901_Bauer_Jack.zip. 

Scientific Replicability and Honesty:

• If your thesis involves theoretical claims (theorems, propositions, lemmas), then written proofs must be clearly presented and explained in the thesis.
• If your claims involve existing observations/results proven by other researchers, then you must clearly cite their respective sources, but you must still explain these intermediate results; and/or:
• If your thesis involves the following: 

1. Data, and,
2. computer source code and/or routine files (e.g. Python, Julia, MATLAB, R, C/C++, Fortran scripts/modules/executables, Stata DO files, Eviews workfiles), 

then you must upload them separately as an archived (i.e., zipped) file. 

• Any parts of your code that are attributable and copyright to other authors must be acknowledged in your thesis and source codes.
• Proprietary data and source code: Should you be working with data or codes that are claimed to be closed to inspection or verification (i.e., proprietary material) then you must get your supervisor to write and sign a statutory declaration stating so. This declaration must refer specifically to the components of your thesis that are claimed to be proprietary. Failure to do so may render the thesis un-examinable. 

Thesis Examination Policy at RSE

1.     Terms

(i)   The ‘Essay’ refers to the honours essay, sometimes informally referred to as the ‘honours thesis’.

(ii)   The honours Supervisor is also referred to as the honours essay ‘Advisor’. An honours student under an Advisor’s supervision is referred to as the ‘Advisee’. 

(iii)   An ‘Examiner’ is an RSE faculty member other than the Advisor who grades an Essay.

(iv)   A ‘Report’ is an Examiner or Advisor’s written document evaluating an Essay.

(v)   The ‘Meeting’ refers to an honours examiners meeting to discuss Essay grades.

2.     Essay Advisor:

(i)   Every faculty member of RSE is expected to contribute to being an Advisor to an honours student in their broad field of the Advisor’s expertise.

(ii)   The Advisor’s role is to meet with the Advisee early in the honours year to sort out a mutually agreeable and reasonable arrangement for supervision.

(iii)   The Advisee can expect a reasonable minimum access to the Advisor according to this agreement and the Advisor can expect a reasonable maximum (i.e. not excessive) workload or access in their supervision.

 

3.     Advisor Report:

(i)   Within an academic year, no faculty member may supervise more than ONE Essay, without permission of the Honours Convenor, up to a limit of TWO Essays.

(ii)   Each Advisor will prepare a written report on their student’s work to be submitted to the Honours Convenor at least TEN working days prior to the Meeting.

(iii)    This report will be tabled during the Meeting.

4.     Examiners' Reports:

(i)   Every Essay must evaluated by TWO Examiners drawn from academics in the RSE excluding the Advisor.

(ii)   Each examiner must prepare an independent and detailed report on, and must assign a mark between 0 and 100 percent to the essay.

(iii)    Examiners should not communicate with each other, the student, or the Essay Advisor in all matters reasonably construed to be related to the Essay.

(iv)    Advice will be given to each examiner to help them rank and to provide standardised feedback on the student’s work. Such feedback must be submitted together with the examiner’s detailed report and returned to the Honours Convenor. An Examiner may choose to reveal their identity on this form.

 

5.     The Meeting and final Essay grade:

(i)   The Meeting has the sole authority to grant a final Essay grade.

(ii)    An anonymous third Examiner will provide a Report on an Essay, prior to the meeting if possible, in any one of the following circumstances:

(iii)    The two Examiners reports or their grades are reasonably seen as being substantially different.

(iv)   The average of the two Examiners grades exceeds 80 but the Advisor argues the grade should fall below 80.

(v) The average grade of the two Examiners exceeds 90, considered an exceptionally high grade normally given to research that is clearly publishable in a good economics journal.

(vi) Oral defence:

(vii)    In rare and unusual circumstances, the Meeting may request an oral defence of the Essay by an Advisee.

(viii)   The Oral Defence is open to any academic within RSE and those invited by the Director.

(ix) The Oral Defence Committee will comprise, if available, all the essay Examiners, the Advisor, the Honours Convenor, and any external members who may be appointed by the Director.

(x) An oral defence committee will report its advice on the final Essay grade to the Meeting.

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Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Examiner reports will be made available to students at the Return of Assessment date.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Not applicable.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students