Codes of Practice

1. University Policies

1.1 Code of Practice - Students

1.2 Code of Practice - Teaching & Assessment

1.3 Code of Practice - Honours

1.4 Code of Practice - Supervision

1.5 Academic Grievance Policy

1.6 Policy & Guidelines on Non-discriminatory Language Practice & Presentation Policy Statement

1.7 Intellectual Property Policy

 

2. Safety in Laboratories and on Field Trips

2.1 Occupational Health and Safety Policy

2.2 Laboratory Safety University Guidelines

Laboratory Conduct and Safety

  1. Attend practical class on time in order to receive important pre-practical instructions.
  2. Laboratory coats and sensible footwear (no thongs or open-toed sandals) must be worn in the laboratory at all times, unless otherwise instructed. For outdoor practicals, sensible footwear and clothing must be worn. Students should take the recommended measures to protect against sunburn, sunstroke, bites and stings. Long hair must always be tied back. Safety glasses must be worn when appropriate.
  3. Smoking, eating and drinking are NOT permitted in the laboratory.
  4. Commonsense is expected at all times. There should be no horseplay or practical jokes in the laboratory or field.
  5. Risk assessments for each practical will be available in the laboratory. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) detailing the hazards and safety procedures associated with any hazardous substances will also be provided. You MUST read the risk assessment and any data sheets before each practical.
  6. In the laboratory, keep your workspace as tidy as possible throughout the practical and completely clean at the completion of the practical. Follow instructions in the laboratory for disposal of all waste, including contaminated waste and broken glass.
  7. All instructions for the handling of organisms and equipment must be carefully adhered to. It is YOUR responsibility to follow these instructions carefully.
  8. Familiarise yourself with the evacuation point in case of evacuation.
  9. If an accident occurs, alert your demonstrator and/or the practical supervisor. An accident/injury/incident form must be completed as soon as possible after the incident. These are available from the laboratory technician.

2.3 Fieldwork Safety Guidelines and Forms

3. Policies Relating to Written Assignments and other Assessment Items

3.1 Resources for written assignments

3.1.1 Library

Ask our friendly librarians for help with your research, in the library or on line

3.1.2 Learning Resource Centre

Need help with your writing?
Use the on line resources in UniLearning

3.2 Acknowledgement Practice/Plagiarism

3.3 System of referencing to be used for written work and use of Internet sources

References

In all technical writing there are literary conventions to be met in citing sources of information. Not only are you ethically bound to acknowledge any facts or ideas that are not your own (unless of course they are well-known and accepted), but complete bibliographic information is also required by readers wishing to pursue the topic being written about. All references must be cited in the text.

Systems of referencing vary across disciplines and also across publications. When submitting papers to particular journals you must ensure that you conform to the instructions to authors of that particular journal. For the purposes of assignments in Biology ensure that your referencing follows a uniform system, for example, that used by CSIRO publications. The examples given below are from the instructions to authors submitting to a CSIRO journal.

Citing references in the text

There are four things to keep in mind about citing sources in the text:

a. Acknowledge the source of all material that is not your own. This allows the reader who wishes to find out more about the subject to find the original source material. You must not copy text directly from textbooks or journals.

b. Do not cite sources for information regarded as common knowledge.

c. Cite sources using a conventional format. Some examples are presented below:

" Limulus polyjemus is the horse-shoe crab of North America (Fingerman 1976)."

" Esau (1960) points out that vascular plants..."

" Hubby and Lewontin (1966) found a high level of enzyme polymorphism in Drosophila pseudoobscura..."

d. If you did not actually read a reference but obtained information via a second source:

"As shown by Morgan (1944) (quoted in Smith 1957)." OR "Morgan (1944, cited by Smith 1957) showed that." (cite both references in the reference list).

Note that the "et al." means that the publication has more than two authors. Although this abbreviation is used in the main body of the text, all of the authors must be given in the list of references given under the heading References at the end of the paper.

It is usually not acceptable to cite dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and newspaper articles or lecture notes. In later years it will not be acceptable to cite textbooks either, but you will be able to do this for this year. The reason for this is that these kinds of books and publications are all using someone else's data rather than their own. You should always cite the original author when you refer to an idea or result of someone else's - so textbooks, encyclopaedias etc are not original data.

You should avoid using the internet as a source since this material is unreliable and even where it is reliable it is often not an original source. In addition, it is usually unclear who author of the web page is and therefore it is difficult to cite it correctly. Try to find a published source for your information that has been edited or refereed and is also attributable.

The reference list

You should include all references you cited in the text in this reference section. Do not include references that you have not cited in the text. References are listed by author in alphabetical order, followed by the year of publication.

For a paper
Loher, W., and Rence, B. (1978). The mating behaviour of Teleogryllus commodus (Walker) and its central and peripheral control. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 46, 225-259.

For a book
Raven, P. H., Evert, R. F., and Eichhorn, S. E. (1986). 'Biology of Plants.' 4th edition. (Worth: New York, USA)

For a chapter in an edited book
Bennet-Clark, H. C. (1984). Insect hearing: acoustics and transduction. In: 'Insect Communication'. (Ed. T. Lewis.) pp. 49-82. (Academic Press: London, UK.)

For a Thesis
Erzinclioglu, Y. Z. (1984). Studies on the morphology and taxonomy of the immature stages of Calliphoridae, with analysis of phylogenetic relationships within the family, and between it and other groups in the Cyclorrhapha (Diptera). PhD thesis. (University of Durham: UK.)

Note:
1. Books on specialised topics often consist of a series of chapters written by different authors, with the overall format of the book arranged by an editor. In the above example T. Lewis is the editor of the book "Insect Communication", and T.H. Bennet-Clark contributed the chapter that appears on pages 49 to 82.

2. "Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie" is an international journal produced in Germany (but most contributors write in English to reach a wide audience). The journal publishes in the area of animal behaviour. The paper by Loher and Rence appeared on pages 225 to 259 in volume 46 of this journal in 1978.

Reference:

Pechenik J. A. (2004) 'A short guide to writing about biology'. 5th edition. (Longman; New York, USA) 808.0665/13

The Above section on References as a PDF (20k)

3.4 Submission and Return of written assessment materials

3.4.1 Arrangements for acknowledging submission of written work

Cover sheets are provided on the Subject WebCT page, or on the biological sciences website. All assignments must have a coversheet attached, with all details completed. This should contain the title of the assignment, the student's name, the subject name, and the date of submission, there is a tear off section which, when signed, acknowledges receipt of the written work. It is your responsibility to retain this signed receipt. In the event of an appeal this signed receipt will be the only evidence that will be accepted.

3.4.2 Procedures for returning assessed materials

Students will be advised when assignments are ready to be collected. Students may collect assignments from the relevant Lecturer / Technical Officer and must sign for their assignments. Students will not be allowed to collect other students assignments.

3.4.3 Retention of Written Work

All assignments worth less than 20% of the final mark are kept for one month after being assessed. Assignments worth more than 20% of the final mark are kept until the end of the first week of the following session (not including summer session).

3.5 Late submission and extensions

There will be a 10% deduction of the numeric mark for each day an assignment is late. Exceptions to this will only be made where circumstances, such as illness, make it impossible to meet the requirements. Medical certificates will be required and your must apply for special consideration through SOLS. If you are requesting an extension you should also contact the course coordinator directly.

3.6 Special Consideration Policy

To apply for Special Consideration, students must log onto SOLS using their student number and barcode, and select the Special Consideration link. A personalised application form will be then appear for electronic completion and submission-
UOW Special Consideration Policy

3.7 Minimum acceptable marks in Biology Examinations

Since the theory and practical components of Biology subjects are both important, you must reach an acceptable standard in both to pass each subject.

For Biol100 level subjects you must obtain a mark of 40% or greater for the total examination component.

For Biol200-400 level subjects you must obtain a mark of 45% or greater for the total examination component.

For Biol900 level subjects, you must obtain a mark of 50% or greater for the total examination component.

There is also much useful information on written asignments on the Science Faculty Honours Website

4. Policy on Ethical Objection by Students to the Use of Animals and Animal Products in Coursework Subjects

Active participation in dissections has been found to be the best medium for learning animal (and plant) structure and function. However, students who have philosophical and/or moral objections to dissections are not required to participate directly in dissections themselves. As the material is examinable, students must either attend the practical and "observe" the dissections, or locate dissection guides that cover the animals used in the practicals. You should contact the Subject Coordinator (or Academic teaching the material), prior to the relevant practical, to make alternative arrangements. Ethical Objection Policy

4.1 Animal Research guidelines

UOW Animal Ethics

5. Contact details for Support services and facilities

5.1 Student Services

Disability Liaison Officer, University Counselors, Careers Service

5.2 Aboriginal Education Centre

 

Last reviewed: 29 July, 2009