RESEARCH METHODS AND BIOSTATISTICS UNITS

 

These core units are each assessed in the following way:

 

  1. All students are required to complete the unit material.

 

  1. Self-assessment occurs throughout the unit via online exercises and quizzes. These integrate into the material with the course units, and allow students to continuously monitor their progress and test understanding. Results of this self-assessment do not contribute to the overall Unit mark.

 

  1. Formal assessment occurs through two tutor-marked assignments (in the case of each unit): a mid-unit assignment, and a final assignment.  In addition, the Research Methods unit requires your participation in an online discussion board activity.  All formal assessment will be provided with personal feedback.
  2. Assessment weighting.  Research Methods, mid-unit assignment (35%), final assignment (60%) and discussion board activity (5%). Biostatistics, mid-unit assignment (40%) and final assignment (60%).

 

  1. The pass mark for the overall unit is 50% (40% for the PGDip).

 

  1. You may fail an assessment within the unit, but if your overall unit mark is 50% (40% for PGDip) or above you will not be required to re-sit the failed assessment(s). Should you achieve an overall mark of below 50% (40% for PGDip) then you may be required to re-sit.

 

  1. A student who fails to satisfy the Examiners in any assessment of taught units may be permitted to re-sit the assessment on one further occasion.

 

ASSESSMENT OF OTHER UNITS

 

The methods by which the speciality units are assessed within your chosen postgraduate programme will be outlined in your programme handbook.

 

As noted elsewhere in this handbook, assessment of the final research element of MSc/MSc (Clin) programmes is by a dissertation of 10,000-15,000 words.

 

STATEMENT ABOUT THE USE OF TURNITIN

 

The University uses electronic systems for the purposes of detecting plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice and for marking.  Such systems include TurnitinUK, the plagiarism detection service used by the University.

As part of the formative and/or summative assessment process, you may be asked to submit electronic versions of your work to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems used by the University (this requirement may be in addition to a requirement to submit a paper copy of your work).  If you are asked to do this, you must do so within the required timescales.

The School also reserves the right to submit work handed in by you for formative or summative assessment to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems used by the University.

Please note that when work is submitted to the relevant electronic systems, it may be copied and then stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made.

 

MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Mitigating circumstances are personal or medical circumstances which are unforeseeable and unpreventable that could have a significant adverse effect on your academic performance. You should only submit a mitigating circumstances application if you consider it serious enough, and the timing critical, to have affected your performance in your assessed work and examinations.

Request for mitigation must be submitted to your programme administrator, in advance of your assessment submission deadline or exam. Requests for mitigation submitted after the assessment or exam (except those requests made as a result of circumstances that have arisen during the course of that assessment period) will not be considered without a credible and compelling explanation as to why the circumstances were not known before the beginning of the assessment period or why you were unable to complete or submit an application prior to the assessment or exam. Please note that not informing the University of circumstances due to personal feelings of embarrassment and pride, or having concerns over the confidential treatment of requests for mitigation, are not considered to be credible and compelling explanations

All mitigating circumstances applications must be supported by independent third party evidence. The type of evidence required will vary according to the nature of the circumstances. Examples of evidence include a doctor or other health professional’s letter, counsellor’s letter, self-certification form signed by your GP or GP’s Medical Practice (for illnesses of 7 days and under only). Please note that it is a University policy that the self-certification form must be signed by a GP; we cannot accept forms which have not been signed by a GP. Please note that if evidence has not been received within 2 weeks of the submission of your form, and you have not contacted them to inform them of any delay, your application will be refused and no further action will be taken.

 

Please ensure that you password protect or encrypt your mitigating circumstances form and supporting evidence before sending to your programme administrator.

 

Any requests for mitigation will be considered confidentially by a mitigating circumstances panel or sub-panel. Dates of the panels for the academic year 2019/20 are 23rd October 2019, 27th November 2019, 15th January 2020, 19th February 2020, 18th March 2020, 22nd April 2020, 20th May 2020 and 17th June 2020.

 

Where a request for mitigation is supported, a recommendation will be made to the exam board for them to decide on the best course of action for the student.

 

You are advised to consult the following guidance, which directs you to seek advice and support before and whilst submitting a request for mitigation.

 

The University form and guidance for students, is available at: http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/basic-guide-mitigating-circumstances/

 

For further information about the process and acceptable grounds for mitigation see: Mitigating Circumstances Policy & Procedures:

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=4271

 

ASSIGNMENT WORD COUNT (INCLUDING THE DISSERTATION)

 

In accordance with the University Policy on Marking:

Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page. It is acceptable, without penalty, for you to submit an assignment within a range that is plus 10% of this limit. If you present an assignment with a word count exceeding the specified limit+10%, the assignment will be marked but 1% will be deducted from this mark for every 100 words over the limit given.

 

For an original word limit that is 1000 words and an assignment that is marked out of 100.  If a submission is made that is 1101 words then it exceeded the 10% leeway, and is more than 100 words over the original limit and should receive a 1 mark deduction.

 

In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:

 

  • All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list.
  • All words that form the actual essay.
  • All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves.
  • All in-text (that is bracketed) references.
    All directly quoted material.

 

Certain assessments may require different penalties for word limits to be applied. For example, if part of the requirement for the assessment is conciseness of presentation of facts and arguments. In such cases it may be that no 10% leeway is allowed and penalties applied may be stricter than described above. In such cases the rules for word count limits and the penalties to be applied will be clearly stated in the assessment brief and in the submission details for that assessment.

 

 

 

LATE SUBMISSION PENALTY (INCLUDING THE DISSERTATION)

 

Work submitted after the stated submission deadline without prior approval shall be subject to the following penalties:

 

The mark awarded for the piece of work will be reduced by:

  • 10 marks if up to 24 hours late (1 day)
  • 20 marks if up to 48 hours late (2 days)
  • 30 marks if up to 72 hours late (3 days)
  • 40 marks if up to 96 hours late (4 days)
  • 50 marks if up to 120 hours late (5 days)

 

A zero mark will be awarded if the piece of work is more than 5 days late.

 

The sliding scale does not apply to referred assessment, where late submission will automatically receive a mark of zero.

For further information see: Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes

EXTERNAL EXAMINERS

 

External Examiners are individuals from another institution or organisation who monitor the assessment processes of the University to ensure fairness and academic standards. They ensure that assessment and examination procedures have been fairly and properly implemented and that decisions have been made after appropriate deliberation. They also ensure that standards of awards and levels of student performance are at least comparable with those in equivalent higher education institutions.

 

External Examiners’ reports relating to this programme will be shared with student representatives at the Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) and/or programme committee, where details of any actions carried out by the programme team/School in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. Students should contact their student representatives if they require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them.

 

Details of your programme’s External Examiner are provided in your Programme Handbook.  Please note though that it is inappropriate for students to make direct contact with External Examiners under any circumstances, in particular with regard to a student’s individual performance in assessments. Other appropriate mechanisms are available for students, including the University’s appeals or complaints procedures and the UMSU Advice Centre. In cases where a student does contact an External Examiner directly, External Examiners have been requested not to respond to direct queries. Instead, External Examiners should report the matter to their School contact who will then contact the student to remind them of the other methods available for students. If students have any queries concerning this, they should contact their Programme Office (or equivalent).

 

 

 

Postgraduate Marking Scheme (Dissertation)

 

Please Note: This mark scheme is subject to change up to the point that students are asked to submit their Notice of Submission’

 

Mark Explanation
90-100%

Exceptional (allows award of distinction):

Exceptional work, nearly or wholly faultless for that expected at Masters level. Perfect presentation.
80-89% Outstanding (allows award of distinction): Work of outstanding quality throughout. Excellent presentation.
70-79% Excellent (allows award of distinction): Work of very high to excellent quality showing originality, high accuracy, thorough understanding, critical appraisal.  Shows a wide and thorough understanding of the material studied and the relevant literature and the ability to apply the theory and methods learned to solve unfamiliar problems. Very good presentation.
60-69% Good Pass (allows award of merit): Work of good to high quality showing evidence of understanding of the research topic, good accuracy, good structure and relevant conclusions.  Shows a good knowledge of the material studied and the relevant literature and some ability to tackle unfamiliar problems. Good presentation.
50-59% Pass: Work shows a clear grasp of relevant facts and issues and reveals an attempt to create a coherent whole. It comprises reasonably clear and attainable objectives, adequate literature review and some originality. Presentation is acceptable, minor errors allowed.
40-49% Referral:  Work shows a satisfactory understanding of the research topic and basic knowledge of the relevant literature but with little or no originality and limited accuracy.  Shows clear but limited objectives, and does not always reach a conclusion. Presentation adequate but could be improved.
30-39% Referral: Work shows some understanding of the main elements of the research topic and some knowledge of the relevant literature. Shows a limited level of accuracy with little analysis of data or attempt to discuss its significance. Presentation poor.
20-29% Fail with no opportunity to resubmit:  Limited relevant material presented.  Little understanding of research topic. Unclear or unsubstantiated arguments with very poor accuracy and understanding. Presentation unacceptable.
10-19% Fail with no opportunity to resubmit: Limited understanding of the research process.  The topic is largely without evidence to support its exploration for research and the arguments are supported by poor sources of evidence.  The dissertation is disjointed and does not demonstrate logical coherent thinking with unacceptable presentation.
0-9% Fail with no opportunity to resubmit: The text demonstrates no understanding of the research process. The topic is totally inappropriate and there is no evidence to support its exploration as an area of interest for research.  Presentation is extremely poor and is not in an appropriate format for submission as a Masters dissertation.  The topic would need to be reconstructed and totally rewritten if it were to be presented for resubmission.

GRADUATION

 

Degree ceremonies are held in December and July each year.

 

Graduation ceremonies are organised by the University’s Student Services Centre, in consultation with the Faculty, the School and the Division.  When you submit your dissertation you will receive information about the upcoming graduation ceremony and should indicate at that stage whether your intention is to attend the ceremony or graduate in absentia.

 

Receiving the published result confirms the award of the degree and eligibility to attend the ceremony.

 

Degree certificates are handed out to students at the degree ceremony. Students not attending graduation will receive their certificate by post.

 

ACADEMIC APPEALS

 

If you are thinking of appealing a decision taken by the Division, you should first discuss the matter with your supervisor, Programme Director or Professor Julian Yates, PGT Tutor, before doing so in order to better understand the reason for the result or decision against which you wish to appeal. A formal appeal should only be submitted if you remain dissatisfied once informal avenues have been exhausted.

 

An appeal may be made only on grounds alleging:

 

  1. that there exists or existed circumstances affecting the student’s performance of which, for good reason, the board of examiners or committee may not have been made aware when the decision was taken and which might have had a material effect on the decision [Note: if students wish to appeal on such grounds, they must give adequate reasons with supporting documentation why this information was not made available prior to the decision being made.];

 

  1. that there had been a material administrative error or procedural irregularity in the assessment process or in putting into effect the regulations for the programme of study of such a nature as to cause significant doubt whether the decision might have been different if the error or irregularity had not occurred;

 

  1. that there is evidence of prejudice or bias or lack of proper assessment on the part of one or more of the examiners;

 

  1. that the supervision or training of the student in respect of research for a dissertation or thesis or equivalent work was unsatisfactory to the point that his or her performance was seriously affected.

 

 

An appeal which questions the academic or professional judgement of those charged with the responsibility for assessing a student’s academic performance or professional competence will not be permitted.

 

The University policy on Academic Appeals (Regulation XIX), along with the form on which to make a formal written appeal, can be obtained at:

http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/appeals-complaints/.