HOW ASSIGNMENTS ARE PREPARED?

CHECKLIST FOR STUDENTS

The aim of the checklist:

This checklist is designed to help students ensure that their submissions contain all the features of a well-written assignment. Students should ensure that positive responses can be made to each of the comments below before submission of their projects for assessment. Asking a peer to apply the checklist to one’s own work is an excellent approach.

 

PRESENTATION AND SUBMISSION

 Have you:                                                                                                                               Yes

Stated the word count?
Remained within the recommended word limit?
Had the work checked for correct spelling?
Had the work checked for correct grammar?

STRUCTURE

Does the submission:                                                                                                              Yes

Indicate its background, aim and scope in the introduction?
Demonstrate a structure appropriate to the task/question and a logical organisation of ideas?
Presented one main idea per paragraph?
Introduce new topics clearly within the first one or two sentences of a paragraph?
Provide an appropriate concluding paragraph that draws together the strands of the argument while avoiding the introduction of new concepts or material?

CONTENT

   Does the submission:                                                                                                              Yes

Use only material that is relevant to the question?
Address the major issues relevant to the question?
Show connections between material from different sources?
Provide sufficient evidence of your own clear understanding of the issues?
Demonstrate that you have used the material to help solve a problem or develop your knowledge of the issue?
Demonstrate that you can critically evaluate the evidence and mount a coherent written argument?
Provide evidence of wider reading on the issue?

STYLE

Does the work consistently employ:                                                                                 Yes

Expression which avoids plagiarism (direct copying from another source)?
An appropriate academic style which is objective and formal
A clear style which can be understood on the first reading* and shows a logical progression of ideas?
The recommended system of referencing?
Consistency in the use of references so that all the references used in the text appear in the reference list, and vice-versa?

            *(It is strongly recommended that you read the work to a peer to check that it can be understood)

 b. MARKING GUIDE

The aim of the marking guide:

This guide indicates broadly the qualitative judgements implied by the marks which may be awarded. A more precise evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of individual essays will be provided in examiners' comments. Students should seek advice from their supervisors if they are unsure of the meaning of any of the criteria used for marking the essay.

Below 50% (Fail): Work not of acceptable standard.

Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons:

▪      evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty;

▪     irrelevance of content or failure to address the question or task;

▪     presentation, grammar or structure so unclear it cannot be understood;

▪     submitted late without extension.

▪     little or no evidence of research

▪     irregularities of style and expression which interfere with the meaning

Failed work is always second marked.

50-54% (Low Pass): Work of an acceptable standard.

Written work:

1      contains correct citations for all non-original material;

2      contains evidence of minimal research and a rudimentary understanding of the subject matter;

3      offers descriptive summary of material relevant to the question, but may have a tendency to paraphrase without integrating research material into the students’ own ideas;

4      makes a reasonable attempt to organise material logically and comprehensibly.

5        contains irregularities of style and expression which do not ,however, always interfere with the meaning

There may be gaps in any or all of these areas.

55-59% (Medium Pass): Work of a satisfactory standard.

Written work:

1 contains correct citations for all non-original material;

2meets basic requirements in terms of reading and research;

3demonstrates a reasonable understanding of subject matter;

4offers a synthesis of relevant material;

5attempts to make a coherent argument;

·         may contain some irregularities of style and expression which do not interfere with the meaning.

There may be weaknesses in particular areas.

60-64% (High Pass): Work has considerable merit.

Written work;

·         contains correct citations for all non-original material;

·         contains evidence of a broad and reasonably accurate command of the subject matter;

·         offers synthesis and some evaluation of material;

·         maintains a clear focus on the principal issues

·         shows understanding of relevant arguments;

· offers an argument grounded in relevant evidence;

1  demonstrates minor irregularities in style and expression.

65-69% (Low Credit): Competent work that could be further developed

Written work:

·         contains correct citations for all non-original material;

·         contains evidence of comprehensive reading;

·         demonstrates good selection of evidence;

·         offers synthesis and critical evaluation of material;

·         takes a position in relation to various interpretations of material;

·         demonstrates a coherent and sustainable argument,

·         demonstrates some evidence of independent thought.

·  is written reasonably clearly and mainly in an appropriate style

70-74% (High Credit): Highly competent work,

Written work:

6contains correct citations for all non-original material;

7shows evidence of extensive research;

8demonstrates a sound grasp of subject matter and appreciation of key issues and context;

9engages critically and articulately with the question;

10   shows thoughtful evaluation of the material.

11  is written clearly and in an appropriate style

75-84% (Distinction): Work of a superior standard

Written work :

2contains correct citations for all non-original material;

3demonstrates initiative in research and reading,

4demonstrates complex understanding and original analysis of subject matter,

5critical understanding of the principles underlying the unit of study .

6characterised by good style and clarity.

12     is written clearly and in an appropriate style

85%+ (High Distinction): Work of exceptional standard

Written work:

·         contains correct citations for all non-original material;

·         demonstrates initiative in research and reading;

·         demonstrates critical evaluation of analysis of research material;

·         offers innovative interpretation of evidence;

· articulates critical understanding of the principles underlying the unit of study;

· characterised by its articulate style and precision.

13     is written clearly and in an appropriate style

High Distinction work is always second marked.

MARKING CODES THAT MAY BE USED BY YOUR SUPERVISOR:

 sp = incorrect spelling

A         The Introduction to this essay is excellent. It provides some background to the topic, and explains to the reader the scope of the topics to be covered in the essay.

B          The Introduction could be improved

C         A good concluding paragraph

D         Admirable detail in this section of your essay

E          Your essay could have included more detail in some sections

F          Figures attached to your essay (i) should be labelled as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc (ii) should include the source of the figure (book? internet?) (iii) should include brief explanatory notes.

G         There is need for improvement in some aspects of English language usage in your essay, such as grammar, spelling, and expression. You should consider doing a course in essay writing at the Learning Centre.

I           You should refer to the Figures in the text of your essay (for example, See Figure 1)

J          Inclusion of Figures could have improved your essay

K         A conceptual error

L       Poor essay structure, or poor use of paragraphing. Avoid paragraphs with one sentence.

M        Material in this section is not directly relevant. In an essay with a two-page limit you should concentrate on the relevant issues!

N         Avoid using very old books as reference material

O         Overall organization of some of the text in the essay could be improved

P       Presentation of the material is well organized, and the quality of the writing is excellent

Q         or ??? Confusing text

R         References to the source of the material should be included in the essay

S        A list of references used as sources of information for your essay should have been included

XS       The essay exceeds the word or page limit.

c. REFERENCING GUIDE

Correct use of citations and bibliographies is an important aspect of scientific writing and is not difficult if you follow these guidelines. The correct style is described on the following pages.

The most common flaws are:

Failure to cite source of information in body of text.

If a statement is made it must be supported by a reference, unless it is a well- accepted scientific fact.

Incorrect format for citations in text           (See below for correct form)

Copying all the details of the reference (ie. title, journal , as well as authors and year) into the body of the text is incorrect.  Similarly, incomplete citations are incorrect, eg. "Smith and Jones found possums .." as the year of publication must be included.

Note the different ways of citing multi-authored papers (>2). Only the first author is named (Bloggs et al., 1991). Not all journals follow this style, however this is the required form for your essays.

Inclusion/exclusion of references from the bibliography.

Be certain you understand the function of the bibliography. It is not a list of papers which you read in preparing the essay, or which you would recommend reading. It should be a complete and comprehensive list of all the articles/books which were cited in the essay, including those used in figures or diagrams. It should not include references which were not cited. The references should be listed alphabetically, then by year if there are multiple papers by the same author (see guidelines in the handbook).  It is important to follow a consistent format.

Incorrect citations.

The bibliography should be prepared last, after the essay is complete, so references are not missed. The list should be carefully proof-read and cross-checked with the text.   This may seem relatively trivial, but when the essay has many errors it detracts a great deal from the quality of the essay and the reader's confidence in your essay's accuracy.

Citation of References

When references are cited in the body of the assignment, there are two methods in common usage. You may use both to achieve some variation, thus:

                        "Stone (1990) showed that ....", OR

                        "Rats excreted 75% of the ingested toxin (Stone, 1990)."

When two authors are involved, cite both each time they appear, thus:

                        "Brother and Trouble (1990) ...."

When three or more authors have shared the glory, mention only the first author at the first reference:

                        "Harpo et al., (1977)  (et al. = and others)

Note:  No initials appear in the text, except in the case of a personal communication, i.e. a form of reference to someone's unpublished work or opinion.  For example:

                        "Storage of semen is enhanced by ...(I.C.A. Martin, pers. comm.)...

Personal communications are not included in the bibliography.  If you intend to include personal communications, please be sure that you quote your communicator accurately.

The Bibliography

(list of references at the end of the essay)

All forms of reference described below are arranged alphabetically according to authors' names, eg:

            Allen, W.J. (1974)....

            Allen, W.J. (1976)....

            Allen, W.J., Baker, A.B. and Smith, D.N. (1973)...

            Allen, W.J., Carter, C.W. and Brown, J.L. (1971)

Where more than one paper is published in one year by an author or group of authors, they are listed chronologically thus:

            Heywood, L.H. and Wood, A.K.W.  (1985a)....

            Heywood, L.H. and Wood, A.K.W. (1985b)....

The forms used for different types of references are given below.

Journal Referencing

Cite references thus:

McKenzie, R.A., Green, P.E., Hartley, W.J. and Pollitt, C.C. (1978) Cryptosporidium  in a red-bellied black snake (Pseudochio sorphyriacus)  Aust. Vet. J. 54, 365-366.           a red-bellied black snake (Pseudochio sorphyriacus). Aust. Vet. J.  54, 365-366.

Notes:

◦           All author’s names and initials are given with punctuation

◦           The full paper title is given

◦        The name of the journal is abbreviated according to the international standard (see Biosis List of Serials  in libraries)

◦           The first and last page numbers of papers are given.