Deadlines, penalties and document limits
Submission dates will be published via Blackboard or by Unit Coordinators.
- a) Submission of Coursework and Penalty for Late Submission
Failure to submit coursework by the due date, in the absence of an extension agreed in writing (see below) will result in penalties. The mark awarded will reduce by 10 marks per day for 5 days (assuming a 0 -100 marking scale), after which a mark of zero will be awarded. Late submission of coursework with a weighting of <7 credits and project/dissertation will result in a mark of zero. If illness or other circumstances prevent submission of course work on time, a mitigating circumstances form and appropriate documentation to confirm the reason for late submission must be submitted to the Student Support Office within one week of the course work deadline.
- b) Policy on word limits and penalities for exceeding word limits
Projects and dissertations for all PGT programmes in the School of Biological Sciences have maximum word limits which students must adhere to. These are outlined in the programme specific section of this handbook. If work is over the word limit then penalties will be imposed as follows:
Up to and including 10% over the word limit 10 marks will be deducted
Each additional 5% (or part thereof) over the word limit 10 marks will be deducted
In excess of 50% over the limit a mark of 0 will be recorded
All projects and dissertations must give the final word count at the bottom of the contents page. The word count excludes the table of contents, bibliography, glossaries, appendices, tables, figures and figure legends but is inclusive of footnotes and endnotes. This is the case for all programmes with the exception of dissertations submitted for the MSc History of Science, Technology and Medicine. The word count for dissertations submitted to this programme will be inclusive of ALL content.
Failure to provide the word count, or the provision of a false word count, may lead to disciplinary action. The School reserves the right to request an electronic copy (Microsoft Word) of any work submitted so that the word counts can be checked by the examiners.
Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic malpractice
Plagiarism is a serious offence - it is treated as seriously as cheating in exams.
- As a student, you are expected to cooperate in the learning process throughout your programme of study by completing assignments of various kinds that are the product of your own study or research. Coursework, dissertations and essays submitted for assessment must be your own work, unless in the case of group projects a joint effort is expected and this has been indicated by the Unit Coordinator. For most students this does not present a problem, but occasionally, whether unwittingly or otherwise, a student may commit what is known as plagiarism, or some other form of academic malpractice, when carrying out an assignment. This may come about because students have been used to different conventions in their prior educational experience or through general ignorance of what is expected of them or of what constitutes plagiarism.
- This guidance is designed to help you understand what we regard as academic malpractice and hence to help you to avoid committing it. You should read it carefully, because academic malpractice is regarded as a serious offence and students found to have committed it will be penalized. At the very least, 10 or more percentage points may be deducted from the piece of work in question, but it could be worse; you could be awarded zero (with or without loss of credits), fail the whole unit, be demoted to a lower class of degree, or be excluded from the programme, depending on the severity of the case.
Academic malpractice includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results and anything else intended by those committing it to achieve credit that they do not properly deserve. You will be given exercises and guidance on plagiarism/academic malpractice in tutorials and if you are unsure about any aspect of this you should ask your Personal Advisor for advice.
As further support for students, the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has developed a module entitled “Understanding Academic Malpractice”. This unit should be completed by all postgraduate taught students and will allow you to test your understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and academic malpractice. You can access the resource via Blackboard. Log in to My Manchester and click on the Blackboard tab. The online skills training resource will be listed under the My Communities heading (below your course units). The module should be completed as soon as possible after you begin your programme, but must be completed before you submit your first piece of academic writing for assessment.
All students are required to confirm that they have read and agree to the University’s declaration on Academic Malpractice as part of the online registration process.
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.
Please see the document Guidance to students on plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2870
Academic Literacy Programme - BIOL85440
BIOL85440 Academic Literacy Programme (ALP) is an on-line unit that provides useful information on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism. All students are expected to complete this unit. Students who require additional language and writing support are also identified. It starts with a short test to help identify any areas where you may need to improve so you can focus particularly on these.
eLearning (Blackboard)
As a student at the University of Manchester, you will find that many of your units contain sections of work that you have to complete online (known as electronic (e)Learning). The University uses a website-like environment for this called Blackboard.
Online eLearning support for your course means that it is easy to fit your learning into your everyday life, as you can complete the work from almost any computer in the world with an internet connection. We are encouraging the use of students’ own mobile devices to support teaching and learning in lectures and tutorials. However, if the session requires a mobile device and you do not have one, one will be supplied.
Your eLearning work will often have strict deadlines and marks will be awarded for successful completion of assessments. Every Blackboard course is different, so read the rules regarding the course before you start, to ensure that you don’t miss any work.
Technical support from the eLearning team is available between 9:00 and 17:00 on all working days. This is accessible by selecting ‘Technical Support’ and then ‘eLearning enquiries’ from the menu bar on the left of your online courses; the eLearning team will reply to your University email address.
More information on eLearning in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health can be found here http://bmh-elearning.org./technical-support/.
Dissertations and Project Reports (please refer Section B of this handbook for more information on this)
- a) Writing your Dissertation/Project Reports
Guidelines for the presentation of your dissertation/project report are available at http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/map/teachinglearningassessment/assessment/sectionb-thepracticeofassessment/guidanceforthepresentationoftaughtmastersdissertations/
- b) Writing your Literature Report (PG Diploma)
Following successful completion of the taught part of your course, instead of undertaking a research project for an MSc, you may be invited to undertake a literature project on a selected topic for a PG Diploma.
Submission of Dissertation/Project Report
You are expected to submit your dissertation/project report by the advertised deadlines. All dissertation/project report should be submitted via Blackboard.
Feedback
The University of Manchester is committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to students on their academic progress and achievement, thereby enabling students to reflect on their progress and plan their academic and skills development effectively. Feedback, and acting on feedback, is therefore part of the active learning process throughout your course of study.
Methods of feedback vary according to the assessment type and the individual needs of the student. The feedback for each unit is outlined in the specific course unit information in the programme section of this handbook. You should expect to receive feedback on your work within 15 working days of the submission.
Feedback is a broad term, which can be interpreted in different ways. Many different forms of feedback are provided within your degree programme. For example, you will receive feedback for both summative and formative assessments. Your feedback can also be delivered in a variety of ways; this could include a meeting with your Programme Director/Course Unit Coordinator or comments on a written piece of work.
Marking Criteria
Marking criteria specific to your programme can be found on Blackboard under the relevant unit code.
Responsibilities of Students and Supervisors
Supervision of your dissertation/project report is the responsibility of your dissertation/project supervisor. We expect that your supervisor will meet you on a regular basis by prior arrangement. As a postgraduate student, you have a number of responsibilities to yourself, your supervisor and your work colleagues.
Responsibilities of the Supervisor:
- Giving guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected, the planning of the research programme, literature and sources, attendance at taught classes where appropriate and about requisite techniques (including arranging for instruction where necessary);
- Maintaining contact through regular meetings (the frequency of meetings being appropriate to the research being undertaken and agreed in advance);
- Being accessible to students at other appropriate times for advice and responding to difficulties raised by the student;
- Giving detailed advice on the necessary completion dates of successive stages of the work so that the dissertation may be submitted within the agreed timescale;
- Requesting written work or reports as appropriate and returning written material with constructive criticism and in reasonable time;
- Ensuring that the student is made aware when progress is not satisfactory and facilitating improvement with advice and guidance;
- Establishing, at an early stage, the supervisor's responsibilities in relating to the student's written work, including the nature of the guidance and comments to be offered as the work proceeds and on the draft of the dissertation/project report before it is submitted. As a minimum level of guidance supervisors should provide feedback on one complete draft of the dissertation/project report. It must be made clear to the student that research for a higher degree is undertaken within the general principle that a dissertation/project report must be the student's own work;
- Providing general advice for sections of a report/dissertation for which improvements in written English are required but not to rewrite poor English. Where appropriate, students should be directed to the University Language Centre for help with written English.
- Making students aware of other researchers and research work in the School;
- Encouraging the student to publish the research where appropriate;
- Providing pastoral support and advising students, where appropriate;
- Bringing to the attention of the student the health and safety regulations and academic rules, regulations and codes of practice of the University, including the statement on plagiarism.
Responsibilities of the Student:
- Pursuing the programme with a positive commitment, taking full advantage of the resources and facilities offered by the academic environment and, in particular, contact with the supervisor, other staff and research students;
- Being highly motivated and fully engaged with his/her programme of study;
- Discussing with the supervisor the type of guidance and comment believed to be most helpful, and agreeing a schedule of meetings;
- Ensuring that he/she is aware of the health and safety regulations and academic rules and regulations and codes of practice of the University, including the statement on plagiarism;
- Successfully completing any training programme arranged within the prescribed time period;
- Taking the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem, bearing in mind that prompt discussion and resolution of problems can prevent difficulties and disagreements at a later stage;
- Maintaining the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the supervisor, including in particular the presentation of written material as required, in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussion before proceeding to the next stage. Where possible, students will be given details of the work programme for the academic year at the beginning of the year;
- Agreeing with the supervisor the amount of time to be devoted to the research and the timing and duration of holiday periods;
- Submitting the dissertation/project report by the required deadlines. Checking the completeness and accuracy of the text of the dissertation/project reports submitted; failure to check the dissertation/project report carefully may result in the dissertation/project report being failed or cause a delay in the award of a degree.