School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy

Faculty of Health and Medicine

GUIDELINES

Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours)

HUBS4401, HUBS4402, HUBS4403, HUBS4404

2019

Honours Program Committee

Program Convenor: Dr Kathryn Skelding

Head of School: Professor Darryl Knight
Director, SBSP Research Committee: Professor Chris Dayas
 CONTENTS

ARE YOU CONSIDERING HONOURS?......................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION TO THE HONOURS PROGRAM...................................................................3

ADMINISTRATION OF THE COURSE........................................................................................4

HONOURS TIMETABLE...............................................................................................................5

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM...............................................................................................................6

LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE THESIS TOPIC AND HONOURS PROPOSAL....................7

PRESENTATION OF HONOURS PROPOSAL............................................................................9

THESIS..........................................................................................................................................10

THESIS CONTENTS....................................................................................................................12

SEMINAR.....................................................................................................................................13

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.....................................................................................................14

PLAGIARISM...............................................................................................................................14

TURNITIN....................................................................................................................................15

ETHICS.........................................................................................................................................16

MAINTENANCE OF DATA RECORDS.....................................................................................16

SAFETY........................................................................................................................................16

Appendix
Assessment Item Cover Sheet
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

ARE YOU CONSIDERING HONOURS?

THE IMPORTANCE OF AN HONOURS YEAR

The Honours year is your opportunity to make creative use of the information you have acquired
during your first 3 years of study. It should be an exciting, fulfilling experience and for those with
imagination, drive and an aptitude for problem solving the Honours year will provide a logical point
of entry into a research career. For many students the Honours year will lead to a higher degree.
Hons 1 or 2(1) will allow access to a PhD program directly while Hons 2(2) or 3 will permit entry
into a Masters program. A Masters enrolment can then be upgraded to a PhD if a sufficient level of
performance is achieved.

Even if you ultimately discover that a career in research is not for you, an Honours degree will
provide you with fundamental skills that are valued in the workplace and enhance your chances of
finding a job; the unemployment rate amongst our Honours graduates is essentially zero.

HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT HONOURS?

Asking questions of current and past Honours students and academic staff is probably the best place
to start. There are some academic restrictions, i.e. a Credit average (GPA 5.0 overall OR for 60 units
of appropriate 3000 level subjects) is the traditional qualification, but otherwise it is mainly a
matter of finding a project and supervisor. To assist you, the Honours committee has:
 Produced these guidelines so you have a clear idea of what you are getting into and
 Posts on the school’s website (Honours Opportunities) which has a list of potential
supervisors and their areas of research.

WHEN SHOULD I START LOOKING FOR A SUPERVISOR AND A PROJECT?

Although you may not know whether you have qualified for Honours until the end of the semester,
before you begin Honours it is important to begin to make enquiries and contact with possible
supervisors as soon as possible.

SUPERVISORS AND PROJECTS

The School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy offers a wide range of Honours training in the
laboratory ranging from the integrated human and animal, to bench and molecular projects. It is
vitally important that you are interested in the project you undertake so choose carefully. It is also
important that you make an informed decision, and this may take some time. It is often useful to
actually spend some time working as a volunteer with possible supervisors. A project that sounds
great on paper or in discussion may turn out not to be your thing at all. While your supervisors and
co-workers will provide a lot of support, it ultimately is your project, driven by your energy and
your commitment.

A student will be co-supervised by two individuals. As a guide, a supervisor is any person whose
contribution to the research project is such that they would, in normal practice be recognized as
authors on any publications arising from the student’s project.

Page 1 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

EXTERNAL SUPERVISORS

A Biomedical Science Honours student is permitted to work under the guidance of an external
supervisor, provided that the external supervisor is appropriately qualified. The external supervisor
is expected to participate fully in the Honours program if requested but they may not be present at
meetings of the Examination Committee.

A member of the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy will be a primary supervisor to
ensure good liaison between the external supervisor and the School.

ENROLLING IN HONOURS

Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours)

 The Honours program requires courses to the value of 80 credit points taken over one-year
full time or two years of part time study.

 As a full time student in the above degree, you will enroll in HUBS4401, HUBS4402 in
Semester One 2019 and HUBS4403 and HUBS4404 in Semester Two 2019.

 As a part time student in the above degree, you will enroll in HUBS4401 in Semester One
2019 and HUBS4402 in Semester Two 2019; HUBS4403 Semester One 2020 and
HUBS4404 Semester Two 2020.

Note: Make sure that you enroll for all four courses PARTICULARLY THE SECOND
SEMESTER COURSES. Failure to enroll properly will mean that you may not be able to
graduate the program this year.

Page 2 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

INTRODUCTION TO THE HONOURS PROGRAM

Welcome to the Bachelor of Biomedical Science Honours program. I am sure that you will find it an
interesting and stimulating program and one which will provide a very different experience from
that which you have had so far in your studies.

PURPOSE

The Bachelor of Biomedical Science Honours Program is a research training degree. The primary
purpose of the Honours year is for the student to develop a new testable hypothesis after reviewing
the literature, design appropriate experiments, collect, and critically evaluate the generated data, and
communicate the data to others. Students should note that it is an essential component of the
Honours year that they critically analyse and present their own data that was obtained throughout
their honours year.

AIMS

An Honours year in Biomedical Science will provide you with a number of generic educational
skills that will be of life long value regardless of your ultimate career path. At the most basic level
you should develop attitudes and fundamental skills relevant to problem solving, self-learning and
team work that will be highly valued in the workplace and the broader community. In more specific
terms you should learn:

1. How to retrieve information of various kinds using electronic media.

2. How to critically evaluate the information received to develop an understanding of the

background and the current status of a particular field.

3. How to use this information and your own insights to create hypotheses that can be tested
experimentally.

4. How to design statistically valid experiments to test a given hypothesis.

5. The wide and exciting range of technologies that are currently available to address medical
problems.

6. How to assimilate data and draw conclusions

7. How to present your results in written and oral form.

The development of these skills will be assessed by a number of indicators including a review in
which you critically examine the literature that is relevant to your thesis work and a thesis
summarizing the work you have done through the year. Your ability to present and discuss your
work with others will be assessed through a presentation outlining your Honours proposal, a thesis
review and an end of year seminar outlining your results and the conclusions that you drew from
those results.

Page 3 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

ADMINISTRATION OF THE COURSE

The Honours course is primarily administered by the Program Convenor with reference to the Head
of the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and the Bachelor of Biomedical Science
Honours Committee.

Program Convenor:
Dr Kathryn Skelding
3rd Floor, Room LS3-41, Life Sciences Building
Tel. 02-4921-5982
Fax 02-4921-6903
E-mail Kathryn.Skelding@newcastle.edu.au

Role of the Program Convenor

Apart from the administrative duties, a major function of the Convenor is to be the primary point of
contact for any questions you have or any problems that you are experiencing during the Honours
year. While in the great majority of cases students have great time in Honours it is possible that
problems can arise either within the laboratory environment or with your supervisor. It is important
that if issues of concern cannot be resolved by discussions with the supervisor you should contact
the Convenor to discuss your concerns. Any discussions will be held in complete confidence. In
addition, any further action by the Convenor will only come about after discussions with and
agreement from the student as to the course of action.

For a variety of academic and personal reasons students may decide to drop out of Honours. They
may decide it is not the right time to do it or it is not what they want to do. Should this happen
please contact the Convenor to discuss your concerns so that we are fully informed as to what is
happening and that you are aware of all your options. Again, complete confidentiality is assured.

Page 4 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

HONOURS TIMETABLE

HONOURS STUDENTS COME IN FOUR BASIC TYPES:

1. Full Time commencing in Semester 1

2. Part Time commencing in Semester 1
3. Full Time commencing in Semester 2
4. Part Time commencing in Semester 2

Full Time Commencing in Semester 1, 2019

Assessment Due Date Weight

Literature Review on Thesis Topic Week 6 - Friday, 5th April 2019 20%
5:00 pm

Slides to be received by email – 10%

Tuesday 16th April 2019 5:00 pm
Presentation of Honours Proposal
Week 8 – Wednesday 17th and
Thursday 18th April 2019
(Venue and date TBC)

Thesis and Week 11 - Friday 25th October 2019 - 60%

5:00 pm
Thesis Defence
Week 13 – Thursday 7th November or
Friday 8th November 2019

Final Seminar Presentation on Slides to be received by email – 10%

Research Project Wednesday 13th November 2019

Thursday 14th November and Friday,

15th November 2019
(Venue and date TBC)

All written assessments must be given to staff in the Teaching Support Unit, 6 th
Floor, Room 607, Medical Sciences Building for date stamping. PowerPoint
slides are to be emailed to Kathryn Skelding by 5:00pm the day before the first
presentation date for each presentation assessment item.

All assessments handed in past the above dates and the exact times will be
considered late. See the summary section for details about the late penalty for
each of the assessments. Any application for an extension of time must be made
via submission of the official university document and appropriate supporting
documentation (see Special Circumstances section).

Page 5 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

Supervisors will be asked to provide a short report on your work during the year and this report will
form part of the deliberations in the final assessment committee meeting.

Page 6 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Students are advised that the grade of Honours obtained is dependent on the standard of
performance in all aspects of a student's work, not only on a mark achieved in a particular section.

Thesis plus Thesis Defence (60%), Literature Review (20%), Presentation on Honours
proposal (10%) and Final Seminar (10%)

Your final result will be an Honours grade, not a specific mark.

The following is an outline of the Honours grades along with a general description of what would
be expected to achieve a particular grade in a specific task.

Honours 1: 85% or higher

Work of exceptional quality and independence, showing a very high level of understanding of
subject matter and appreciation of issues; well formulated; arguments sustained; figures and
diagrams relevant; appropriate literature referenced; strong evidence of creative ability and
originality; high level of intellectual work.

Honours 2(1): 75.0 - 84.9%

Work of high quality and substantial independence, showing a strong level of understanding of
subject matter and appreciation of dominant issues but not necessarily of the finer points; arguments
clearly developed; figures and diagrams relevant; relevant literature referenced; evidence of creative
ability and solid intellectual work.

Honours 2(2): 65.0 - 74.9%

Work of solid quality showing competent understanding of subject matter and appreciation of main
issues but with some lapses or inadequacies; clearly identifiable deficiencies in logic or originality;
some evidence of creative ability; reasonably well prepared and presented.

Honours 3: 50.0 - 64.9%

Adequate report, reasonable quality but showing a minimal understanding of the research area with
major deficiencies in content or experimental rigor; little evidence of creative ability or original
thought. Sufficient only to merit a bare pass mark.

Fail: 49.0% or less

Page 7 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE THESIS TOPIC AND HONOURS

PROPOSAL

1. The literature review should illustrate that you have a broad conceptual framework of the topic
of your thesis, plus an in-depth understanding of the particular aspect of the topic that you
are working on. The literature review that we wish you to do is different from the normal
review. We ask that you not only review the area of your thesis topic but to provide the
rationale for the hypothesis that forms the basis for your Honours work. The literature
review presents you with an opportunity to refine the questions that you will be asking
during your project and crystallize your objectives. It will also provide a basis for the
introduction to your thesis.

2. General points in writing the literature review: when doing your review you should seek
information in other literature reviews initially and then in particular go to original journal
articles. The information is then collated and interpreted in relation to the topic being
considered. Your review should not be simply an information catalogue, but a critical
review of the literature.

Important points to concentrate on are:

a) Use the published literature to give your personal interpretation of the topic

b) Cite relevant literature - in relation to the literature utilized, remember that peer-
reviewed journals of appropriate standing are the primary sources of information. Do
not rely on previously published literature reviews as your main source of
information. Internet sites are generally not peer reviewed and often of unknown
quality. Internet sites should generally be used for background information only, and
not cited in your literature review.

c) Use the information obtained accurately

3. In your literature review, thesis and future manuscripts remember that;

a) The text of the writing should make sense by itself, without the need to refer to
figures.

b) Each figure and diagram should make sense by itself, without the need to refer to
the text. The title and legend should provide all the necessary information. If you use
a figure from another article you need to reference the source of the figure. If you
adapt a figure from another source, you must state that the figure has been ‘adapted
from’ that source. Do not use very complex figures if you wish to refer to only a
small section of the information contained in it. Often, it is better to generate a
simple figure yourself to clearly show the point that you want to make.

c) The abstract should provide a brief overview of the contents of the review.

4. Good review articles can serve as a guide to your writing e.g. The Annual Reviews series.
Referencing can be alphabetical or numerical. You can use referencing styles from major
journals or alternatively discuss the most appropriate style with your supervisor. Whatever
style you decide to use - stick to it!

Page 8 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

5. Three (3) copies of the literature review should be handed into the TSU office, and also
submitted through Turnitin, by the due date. The literature review should be in a ring, spiral
or clamp style binder. There is a 5000 word limit on the literature review; this does not
include figures, tables and references. Due to the importance in sticking to word limits in a
variety of situations (e.g. manuscripts, grant applications), this is a hard limit, and any words
over the 5000 limit will be disregarded.

6. Three members of staff will mark all literature reviews. The final mark is an average of the
three. The three examiners will be drawn from the diverse areas of expertise in the School.
In the case where an examiner is examining their own student, the Program Convenor or a
nominee of the Convenor will act as an examiner instead.

7. The examiners will mark the literature review on the basis of the following criteria:

 Scope: the scope of topic chosen such that it allowed an in-depth analysis of the topic
within the limits of the review
 Aims and rationale: there is a thorough and critical review of previous research,
there is a sound basis or framework for the study and the aims and rationale of the
study are clearly defined
 Information content and presentation: high level of information content, clear
logical flow in how information presented and area succinctly summarized and
critiqued
 Research of topic: appropriate material is referenced. It is not appropriate to use
quotations from other sources, summaries of information should be included in your
own words
 Figures clearly and succinctly define the points being made

8. Role of Supervisor/s: The literature review is the responsibility of the student and therefore
should be essentially their own work. However, in accordance with the training aspects of
Honours, the Supervisor/s will provide feedback on the proposed structure and coverage of
the literature review and feedback on the first draft. Thereafter, the final version is the work
of the student.

9. Examiners will be asked to provide a short general summary of the literature review that will
be summarized by the Convenor and then be e-mailed to each student along with the mark
achieved for the Literature Review and the average mark for the class. This will be a very
short summary which brings up areas that could be improved in later assessments. It will
not be a detailed critique.

10. The literature review mark will be reduced by 2% for every day it is late. The deadline
will be rigidly enforced.

Page 9 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

PRESENTATION OF HONOURS PROPOSAL

After submission of your Literature Review and Honours Proposal you will present the background
to your Honours thesis and your specific proposal to the school as a whole. In this presentation you
will provide background to your topic and the rationale for what you're going to do. This will be
different from your presentation at the end of the year where you will be primarily discussing your
results and the interpretation of those results.

1. The presentation should be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes available for questions from
the audience.

2. Three members of staff will mark each presentation. The final mark is an average of the three.
The three examiners will be drawn from the diverse areas of expertise in the School. In the
case where an examiner is examining their own student, the Program Convenor or a
nominee of the Convenor will act as an examiner instead.

3. The examiners will mark the presentation on the basis of the following criteria

 Scope: the scope of topic chosen such that it allowed an in-depth analysis of the topic
within the time limits of the seminar
 Aims and rationale: there is a thorough and critical review of previous research,
there is a sound basis or framework for the study and the aims and rationale of the
study are clearly defined
 Methods: there is an adequate description of the relevant methods that will be used
to achieve the aims
 Information content and presentation: High level of information content, clear
logical flow in how information is presented, area succinctly summarized and
presentation style
 Answers to questions

In preparing for seminars keep the following in mind:

a) Organise the seminar in a logical and easily understood way

- An adequate and clear introduction to the research question
- A logical development of the seminar, emphasising key points.
- Final summing up and conclusions

b) It will be assumed that you will be using PowerPoint in your presentation. It is

important that you road test your presentation on the specific computer to be used
prior to the presentation day. If any aspect of your presentation is not on PowerPoint,
please contact me before the presentation so I can ensure that appropriate facilities
are available. In your presentation it is important that each slide does not contain too
much information and can be read from the back of the room. Furthermore, you
should not read your presentation off notes, although cue cards can be used
sparingly, if needed. Students that can stand out the front and deliver their
presentation without the need to refer to notes are generally thought to know their
material well by the examiners.

c) Do not assume that everyone has knowledge of specialist terminology.

d) If key references are included on slides, it is recommended that they be kept as

unobtrusive as possible.

Page 10 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

Everyone in the school, irrespective of your topic, should be able to understand what your
seminar is about. One of the criteria you will be assessed is on the success of your presentation
to an audience of general medical scientists.

Roles of Supervisor/s: The proposal seminar is the responsibility of the student and therefore should be
essentially their own work. However, in accordance with the training aspects of Honours, the Supervisor/s
will provide feedback on the proposed structure and content of the seminar. Supervisors will not be permitted
to answer questions or clarify concepts on behalf of the student throughout the question time.

The presentation must be submitted electronically prior to the first day of the presentation
(see previous table to due date and time). The document emailed to Kathryn Skelding will be
the version used for the presentation.

The date/time of the email defines the official submission of the assignment.

Page 11 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

THESIS

The quality of the thesis is ultimately dependant on the qualities of the experiments carried out, the
presentation and analysis of data and the concepts developed. Even the best thesis work though will
not receive the recognition it deserves if it is not properly presented.

Commonly, the thesis will be divided into sections of:

 Abstract
 Introduction
 Material and Methods
 Experimental Results
 Discussion
 Conclusions
 Future Directions
 References

Previous Honours Theses

A list of the Honours theses is available in the Teaching Support Unit Office. Honours theses are
available for borrowing and must be signed for in the borrowing book available in the TSU office.

General Considerations for Presentation

1. When writing the thesis, you should take into account the advice given in previous sections and
also the general feedback you received during the year.

While the thesis provides an opportunity to be more expansive than a scientific paper, it is
essential it does not become rambling. The attention of your examiner will only be retained
if the writing is clear and concise. There is a 18,000 word limit on the thesis; this does not
include figures, tables, references or appendices. Due to the importance in sticking to word
limits in a variety of situations (e.g. manuscripts, grant applications), this is a hard limit, and
any words over the 18,000 limit will be disregarded.

2. Organize your data very carefully so that it flows in a logical sequence. Often it is not best to
organize your data in the sequence that you did your experiments.

3. Tables and graphs should be complete in themselves, without reference to the accompanying
text. Insert the tables, graphs or photographs near to where they are first referred to in the
text.

4. Material of a very detailed nature, which is not essential to the understanding of the thesis, may
be included as an appendix if necessary.

5. The thesis should be free of spelling and citation errors and should be thoroughly proofread to
avoid typographical errors.

6. Use the International System of Units in the presentation of your data.

Page 12 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

7. The source of any uncommon materials, or material central to the work, should be included in
the "Materials and Methods" section.

9. Role of Supervisor/s: The thesis as the major part of the Honours assessment must be
essentially the student’s own work. However, in accordance with the training aspects of
Honours, the Supervisor/s will assist in the overall structure of the thesis and provide
feedback on the first draft. Once the student has received advice on the draft, it is the
student’s responsibility to produce the final version for submission. It is essential that the
thesis clearly reflects the student’s abilities, not the supervisors.

10. Three (3) copies of the thesis should be handed into the Teaching Support Unit office, and
submitted through Turnitin, by the due date. The thesis should be laser printed on white
paper, size A4. Fonts size must be 12-point type with a clear typeface such as Times New
Roman. Margins must be Left - 3.5 cm, Right - 2.5 cm, Top and Bottom - 2.5 cm and line
spacing must be 1.5. It is recommended that text is justified for ease of reading. The thesis
should be in a ring, spiral or clamp style binder. Spiral binding was the most popular last
year. The thesis mark will be reduced by 2% for every day it is late. The deadline will
be rigidly enforced.

11. Three members of staff will mark the thesis. Each thesis will have a separate set of examiners.
The final mark is an average of the three. The examiners will be chosen on the basis of
having one who has expertise close to the work in the thesis through to the third person who
will have expertise in a very different area.

12. The examiners will mark the thesis on the basis of the following criteria:-

 Abstract: highly developed succinct summary of the work

 Aims rationale and literature review: the importance and implications of the study
are clearly defined, there is a sound basis or framework for the study and there is a
thorough and critical review of previous research
 Methods: description of methods reflect attention to detail and scientific rigour
 Presentation and interpretation of findings: results clearly and logically presented,
discussion of strengths and weaknesses and implications for interpretation of study
findings. Results discussed in context of other research and clear recommendations
for further research
 Overall standard and scope of thesis

13. Approximately one-two weeks after submission of the thesis there will be a thesis defence. This
will provide an opportunity for the examiners to discuss with the student any points that may
have been raised from their reading of the thesis. The thesis review will be 30 minutes in
length. The Convenor will chair each session but take no direct role in the session. When the
Convenor is one of the examiners or when a student being supervised by the Convenor is
being assessed, another member of staff will chair the session.

Page 13 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

THESIS CONTENTS

There is to be a table of contents, and, in general the thesis should be divided into sections of

 Contents (index)
 Summary or Abstract
 Declaration
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Experimental Results
 Discussions
 Conclusions
 Future Directions
 References
 Appendices (if any)

At the beginning of the thesis there should be a brief summary or abstract of the work presented in
the thesis. This summary should not exceed two pages.

Page 14 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

FINAL RESEARCH SEMINAR

The seminar will be the final assessment item in your Honours year. Oral presentations are an
important part of research as results are frequently disseminated via meetings or symposia. The
seminar will give you an opportunity to present your results to the whole school.

1. The presentation should be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes available for questions from
the audience.

2. Three members of staff will mark each presentation. The final mark is an average of the three.
The three examiners will be drawn from the diverse areas of expertise in the School.

3. The examiners will mark the seminar on the basis of the following criteria

 Aims and rationale: the importance and implications of the study are clearly
defined, there is a sound basis or framework for the study and there is a thorough and
critical review of previous research
 Methods: key methods clearly described
 Information content and presentation: the results are presented in a clear logical
way. There is appropriate interpretation of results and appropriate conclusions
drawn from the results
 Answers to questions: answers questions well, including those not directly related to
the thesis

In preparing for seminars keep the following in mind:

a) Organise the seminar in a logical and easily understood way

- An adequate and clear introduction to the topic
- A logical development of the results and/or ideas, emphasizing key points.
- Final summing up and conclusions

b) As discussed previously a PowerPoint presentation will be presumed. If other types

of presentation are to be used please contact me prior to the seminar days.

c) Do not assume that everyone has knowledge of specialist terminology.

Everyone in the school, irrespective of your topic, should be able to understand what your
seminar is about. One of the criteria you will be assessed is on the success of your presentation
to an audience of general medical scientists.

The presentation must be submitted electronically prior to the first day of the presentation
(see previous table to due date and time). The document emailed to Kathryn Skelding will be
the version used for the presentation.

The date/time of the email defines the official submission of the assignment.

Page 15 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES

Honours deadlines and performance are subject to the Universities Adverse Circumstances Rules
and Procedures. If you wish to ask for special consideration for assessment items < 20% then
apply in writing with appropriate documentation to Dr Kathryn Skelding AT LEAST ONE
WEEK BEFORE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT ITEM. A copy of your application should
be given to your supervisor. When applying for Special Consideration for assessment items > 20%
then apply online through the Adverse Circumstance system.

Full-time Honours students are sometimes invited to take part in undergraduate demonstrating
activities within the discipline during the first semester. However, you should not commit yourself
to more than 8 hours per week to ensure an adequate amount of time for your Honours project. In
the second semester, those students enrolled in a full-time program may not take part in any
demonstrating activities.

Part-time Honours students may not take part in demonstrating activities in the final semester of
their program.

PLAGIARISM

The University has introduced programs and procedures to educate students on academic integrity
and avoidance of plagiarism. To assist in this aim, the University has established an Academic
Integrity web site (see academic-integrity-module). This site contains information on how to avoid
plagiarism. Writing and plagiarism, referencing and style guides, research skills as well as Turnitin.
Students must be aware of their responsibilities as outlined in the Policy on Student Academic
Integrity.

How to avoid plagiarism

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty, where the work of others is passed off as your own. According to the
University's Student Academic Integrity Policy plagiarism is:
the presentation of the thoughts or works of another as one's own. Without limiting the generality of this
definition, it may include:
copying or paraphrasing material from any source without due acknowledgment;
 using another's ideas without due acknowledgment;
 working with others without permission and presenting the resulting work as though it was
completed independently.
In Australian universities it is considered very important that you acknowledge the original sources of your ideas.
By referencing your work correctly, you will avoid charges of plagiarism. You need use a recognised referencing
style, and your lecturer or tutor should be able to tell you the preferred style for your School or Faculty. The
following links may help you to learn more about avoiding plagiarism by correctly citing your sources.
Infoskills- online information literacy and academic integrity tutorial developed by the University of Newcastle
Library (https://downloads.newcastle.edu.au/library/tutorials/infoskills/)
Academic Integrity - this InfoSkills module is particularly useful, as it provides clear definitions of academic
misconduct, including plagiarism and academic fraud, and how to use appropriate referencing styles
(https://www.newcastle.edu.au/current-students/support/new-students/academic-integrity-module).

Students are reminded that their assessment items will be analysed by plagiarism detection
software (Turnitin).

Page 16 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

TURNITIN

Turnitin will be used, so students must submit both a written and electronic copy of designated
assignments. Provision will be made to allow you to submit drafts to Turnitin. Turnitin submission
is a required part of the submission process.

All text- based assessment items (i.e. Literature review and thesis) submitted by students in the
Biomedical Science Honours program will be assessed by the Turnitin plagiarism prevention and
detection software. Turnitin is integrated with Blackboard, and so as an Honours student enrolled in
HUBS4401 –HUBS4404 courses (F/T or P/T) you are automatically enrolled into Turnitin.

To submit your Assessment to Turnitin, go to Blackboard Biomedical Science Honours course site.

1. Click on the ‘Literature Review and Honours Proposal’ or ‘Thesis’ tab (there is a link that
takes you to Turnitin). Upload the text of your Literature Review to the appropriate
“Literature review” Turnitin link. Turnitin should then return an “Originality Report”.
Please note that the originality report can sometimes take up to 24 hours to be accessed by
the person submitting.
2. You can use this report at your discretion to decide whether your text is significantly similar
to text located on the web. You can re- submit your assessment to this site until the due date.
3. The same procedure is required for submission of your thesis to Turnitin.

Each text-based assessment item must be submitted electronically prior to the due date of the
assessment item. The document submitted electronically to Turnitin must contain identical
text to the hard copy of the assessment item submitted to the TSU.

Each submitted hard copy includes a signed Assignment item Coversheet (appended as last
page of this document or available on the Blackboard site). The School of Biomedical Sciences
and Pharmacy will not assess the submitted work unless an identical text copy of that work
has been submitted to the Biomedical Science Honours Turnitin site by the due date.

The written copy submitted and date-stamped defines the official submission of the
assignment.

If you have any questions regarding his process, please contact Dr Kathryn Skelding (4921 5982)
Kathryn.Skelding@newcastle.edu.au .

Page 17 of 17
Guidelines – BBiomedical Science (Honours) 2019

ETHICS

All Honours research projects involving humans or animals must have Human or Animal ethics
clearances. Information regarding ethics clearances and requirements are available on the
University of Newcastle website at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/unit/research-services/ .

MAINTENANCE OF DATA RECORDS

All research students and other researchers are required to store their original primary data in a
location designed by the responsible academic staff member. These data are all laboratory data
books (a hard copy for electronic data books), relevant photographic records, computer discs (where
a hard copy is not practical) and any other relevant data. The data are required to be stored in the
designated location for 5 years. In effect, all laboratory books are to be retained by the responsible
academic staff member. Students and visitors are able to retain photocopies of any (or all) records.

SAFETY

Your Supervisor will organize Safety inductions for any laboratory space to be used over the course
of you project. In the case of any accident or injury, however minor, appropriate first aid must be
carried out by the trained First Aid Officers.

 Students must make themselves aware of hazards or dangers associated with any procedure,
equipment or chemicals they are using and apply appropriate safety procedures and /or
equipment.
 Information on dangerous chemical is available from books and posters in the preparation
areas and from safety manuals in each Supervisors laboratory. Standard operating
Procedures (SOPs) are available for each experimental procedure used in the laboratory.
These must be consulted prior to understanding the procedure.
 Safety equipment is available throughout each building and MUST be worn if conditions
require it. The use of safety equipment does not take the place of care and common sense in
any laboratory situation.
 Students are required to wear basic protective clothing (i.e. lab coats and closed in footwear)
and must provide these themselves.
 Fire extinguishers are placed around the building. Students should familiarise themselves
with their position and use.
 Any questions on the use and/or disposal of radioactive waste should be refereed to Ms
Melissa Musika (ph: 4921 6846)
 Any accidents that do occur should be reported to your supervisor. If you are injured, please
advise First Aid Officers.
 Contact School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Teaching Support Unit, MS607 for
any general enquiries.

Page 18 of 17
 School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
ASSESSMENT ITEM COVER SHEET

Student Name: ____________________________________

Last name (USE BLOCK LETTERS) First Name

Student Number: Email:______________________________________

(Your studentmail account)

Course: BBIOMEDICAL SCIENCES (HONOURS)

H U B S 4 4 0 1
ode
Course Code Course Title

Campus of Study: _______________________________________________________________________

Assessment Item Title: _______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Tutorial Group: Word Count (If applicable): Due Date/Time:

Lecturer/Tutor Name: _______________________________________________________________________

Extension Granted: Yes No Granted Until:______________________________

Please attach the approved copy of your extension approval.

Include here any instructions / checklist for submission

I declare that this assessment item is my own work unless otherwise acknowledged and is in accordance with the University’s
plagiarism policy available from the Policy Library on the web at http://www.newcastle.edu.au/policylibrary/000608.html
I certify that this assessment item has not been submitted previously for academic credit in this or any other course. I certify that I
have not given a copy or have shown a copy of this assessment item to another student enrolled in the course.
I acknowledge that the assessor of this assignment may, for the purpose of assessing this assignment:
 Reproduce this assessment item and provide a copy to another member of the Faculty; and/or
 Communicate a copy of this assessment item to a plagiarism checking service (which may then retain a copy of the item on its
database for the purpose of future plagiarism checking).
 Submit the assessment item to other forms of plagiarism checking.

I certify that any electronic version of this assignment item that I have submitted or will submit is identical to this paper version.
Insert this Turnitin ID:
way (if applicable)

Signature: _______________________________________________Date:_____________________________________