Offered: Hobart: may be taken in Semester 1 OR Semester 2

Unit Description:

Allows students to undertake a sustained piece of research under the supervision of a member of staff. There are no classes as such; teaching takes place through the interaction between the student and staff member. Students select their own research topics in consultation with, and subject to the approval of, a staff member. The research may be on any topic subject to approval and the availability of staff supervision. The work must be completed during one semester. The paper is 7,000-10,000 words in length. Under the new degree rules students much complete LAW670 Research Paper in order to be eligible to graduate with first class honours.

Enrolment

Students wishing to enrol in this unit must first consult the Sub-Dean\Honours Co-Ordinator, Mr Ken Mackie. Students must have a distinction grade average in their law units to be eligible for enrolment in this unit. Details of potential research areas and staff supervisors are located in the secton above, Law 679 Supervised Research Paper Supervision Areas:

http://www.law.utas.edu.au/research.htm#mainresearch

Staff

Supervisor to be determined in consultation with the relevant staff member and Sub-Dean/Honours Co-Ordinator

Unit weight: 12.5%

Guidelines for LAW679 Supervised Research Paper

Aim

Students will learn:

• How to define a viable research topic
• How to research that topic, using electronic and paper aids to research where appropriate
• How to present the results of that research in a scholarly paper.

Subject Requirements

Candidates must complete a research project of 7,000-10,000 words (excluding footnotes, contents page, bibliography and table of cases) on a topic of their choice in consultation with and subject to the approval of a staff member. The work must be completed in one semester.

Details of potential research areas and staff supervisors are located on the Faculty of Law Research Page: http://www.law.utas.edu.au/research.htm#mainresearch

Entrance Requirements

1. Applicants must be in the final two years of the LLB degree.
2. Applicants in the final two years of the LLB degree (other than Master of Laws preliminary candidates - see below) must have a Distinction grade average in their law units to be eligible for enrolment in this unit.
3. Applicants must have the consent of the Faculty of Law Sub-Dean/Honours Co-Ordinator and of the supervisor before enrolling.
4. Applicants must have a project which has been certified by the supervisor as a suitable topic for a research project before enrolling.
5. Before being allowed to commence a project, applicants will complete a tutorial on the use of paper and electronic aids to research to the satisfaction of the Law Librarian.
6. Completion of LAW679 Supervised Research Paper is required to be eligible to graduate with first class honours.
7. LLB pass graduates may also undertake LAW679Supervised Research Paper as a Master of Laws preliminary if required before enrolment as a Master of Laws candidate.

Submission Date

The paper must ordinarily be submitted for assessment no later than the final teaching day in the Faculty of Law (as ascertained from University Academic Dates) in the relevant semester in which the candidate is enrolled for LAW679 Supervised Research Paper. Variations to this submission date must be approved in writing by both the supervisor and the Faculty of Law Sub-Dean/Honours Co-Ordinator.

Assessment

The project will be assessed by an examiner other than the supervisor and chosen by the Faculty of Law Sub-Dean\Honours Co-Ordinator in consultation with and upon the advice of the supervisor.

If the subject is being undertaken to comply with the requirements for first class honours or as a Master of laws preliminary enrolmeent, the paper must be assessed by an examiner from outside the Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania.

In all other cases, the examiner may be a member of the Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania, or from outside, at the discretion of the Faculty of Law Sub Dean/Honours Co-Ordinator.

Assessment Criteria

The following criteria will be taken into account in assessing Supervised Research Papers:

1. The Originality and importance of the topic
2. The thoroughness of the research - is the student aware of the available literature?
3. Does the student understand the literature and the issues raised by the topic?
4. The argument - Is it original? Is it comprehensive or are there issues which should have been dealt with but which are not? Are irrelevant issues raised?
5. Is it well written with accurate spelling, grammar and proof reading?
6. Acknowledgements: are all references footnoted and all quotes and borrowings from the work of others properly acknowledged?

The Form of the Paper

The candidate shall submit two copies of the paper which must be word processed (with a minimum test size of 11pt and minimum footnote size of 8pt) and double spaced and single sided, paginated pages. All references shall be properly footnoted in accordance with the requirements of Stuhmcke, Anita Legal Referencing3rd Edition, Sydney Lexis Nexis 2005. The paper must also contain a contents page (with pagination of contents), bibliography and table of cases.

The paper is to include a cover page containing the full name and student number of the candidate, the topic of the paper, the semester and year of submission and the words "Submitted for assessment in the unit LAW 679 Supervised Research Paper in the Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania.

The first page after the cover page should comprise a certificate with the candidate's full name, signed and dated by the candidate certifying that the paper is all the candidate's own work and that no work in the paper has been submitted for assessment in another subject.

External Examiner

Final-year students expecting to obtain First Class honours, and LLB pass graduates enrolled in LAW679 Supervised Research Paper as a Master of Laws preliminary, will have their paper examined externally ie by an examiner outside of the Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania.

University of Tasmania Law Review and other law reviews

Candidates who successfully complete LAW679 Supervised Research Paper should discuss with their supervisor the possibility of submitting a revised version of the paper to the University of Tasmania Law Review or other suitable refereed academic journal to be considered for publication.

Submission of a revised version of the paper for publication is strongly encouraged and if accepted for publication by a journal, will add to a candidate's curriculum vitae. Such publication is also of assistance if a candidate later decides to apply for higher degree study and scholarships.

Hints for Students

1. Define the scope of the project in writing as early as possible and gain the approval of your supervisor for that proposal. The outline should contain the thesis to be defended, the arguments to be considered and the research to be undertaken. It may be necessary to amend the outline later in the light of work done, but it is necessary to do this in the beginning to give direction to the work. Define the topic narrowly as it is better to do a thorough job on a narrow topic than a poor job on a broad topic. It is also easier to organise a narrow topic so as to work out exactly what work needs to be done.
2. Conduct a thorough literature search through electronic and paper sources so that you know the amount of work which has been done in the area. Depending on the amount of literature there is, you may have to expand or contract your topic.
3. Agree on a timetable with your supervisor. This ought to set goals for the completion of parts of the project. Stick to it.
4. Have regular meetings with your supervisor. Arrange a time for these meetings at the beginning of the semester, e.g. a set time once per fortnight.

Revised April 2007