BIOL4710 Honours Critical Readings

2014

4.5

1 x 10-minute seminar per semester
1 x 50-minute intensive workshop weekly

1 108 Units of topics
2 Admission into BSCHAB-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Animal Behaviour)
2a Admission into BSCHAQ-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Aquaculture)
2b Admission into BSCHBD-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Biodiversity and Conservation)
2c Admission into BSCHMN-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Marine Biology)
2d Admission into BSCHMNAQ-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Marine Biology and Aquaculture)
2e Admission into BSCHCT-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Clean Technology)
2f Admission into BSCH-Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Enhanced Program for High Achievers)
3 Admission into BSCHWS-Bachelor of Science (Honours)
4 108 Units of topics
5 Admission into BSC-MCRB-Microbiology
5a Admission into BSC-MCBL-Molecular Biology
5b Admission into BSC-BIOL-EX-Biological Sciences
5c Admission into BSC-BIOL-Biological Sciences
5d Admission into BSC-EBEV-Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution
5e Admission into BSC-BINF-EX-Bioinformatics
5f Admission into BSC-BLCM-EX-Biological Chemistry
5g Admission into BSC-MBMB-EX-Molecular Biosciences & Microbiology
5h Admission into BSC-MBSC-Molecular Biosciences
5i Admission into BSC-EEOB-Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology
5j Admission into BSC-BTEC-Biotechnology
6 Admission into HBSC-Bachelor of Science (Honours)
6a Admission into HBA-Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
6b Admission into HBBSC-Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours)
6c Admission into HBSCAB-Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) (Honours)
6d Admission into HBSCAQ-Bachelor of Science (Aquaculture) (Honours)
6e Admission into HBSCBD-Bachelor of Science (Biodiversity and Conservation) (Honours)
6f Admission into HBSCMN-Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology) (Honours)
6g Admission into HBTA-Bachelor of Technology (Aquaculture) (Honours)
6h Admission into HBSCBC-Bachelor of Science in Biodiversity and Conservation (Honours)
6i Admission into HBECOT-Bachelor of Ecotourism (Honours)
6j Admission into HBSCMB-Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology (Honours)
6k Admission into HBSCCT-Bachelor of Science (Clean Technology) (Honours)
6l Admission into HBSCMNAQ-Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology and Aquaculture) (Honours)
Must Satisfy: ((1 and (2 or 2a or 2b or 2c or 2d or 2e or 2f)) or (3 and 4 and (5 or 5a or 5b or 5c or 5d or 5e or 5f or 5g or 5h or 5i or 5j)) or ((6 or 6a or 6b or 6c or 6d or 6e or 6f or 6g or 6h or 6i or 6j or 6k or 6l)))

BIOL7005 has been successfully completed

Completion of the first three years of a Biological Sciences degree and sufficient GPA, or supervisor's consent, to enrol in Honours.

This topic develops skills that will aid you in reading the scientific literature in a critical manner, effective discussion of this literature with peers, and presentation of literature in a seminar format. Students will be allocated to small tutorial groups in which a number of challenging research papers, based around an overall theme, will be reviewed. You will be asked to examine the experimental design, the interpretation and analysis of data, and the paper's conclusions. You should also consider the broader implications of the results and develop research plans to resolve issues that were raised by your critique of the paper. The processes of publishing a scientific paper will also be scrutinised.

This topic is aimed to:

1. Teach students how to approach and critically read scientific literature, paying attention to thematic context, experimental design, constraints placed by journals, and impacts for current understanding and future research
2. Skill students in how to participate in discussions of the scientific literature with peers
3. Train students in how to give seminar presentations that summarise scientific studies in a way that is succinct, sets out the context of the study, elucidates the key results, discusses potential flaws, and points out implications of results and consequences for future research

At the completion of the topic, students are expected to be able to:

1. Critically review scientific publications, placing them within a broader context of research themes, with awareness of potential problems in the study along with the study's future implications
2. Present research findings in a seminar setting, using computer projection tools and effective speaking skills
3. Discuss research findings with peers in a way that draws on the critical insights of both the student and their peers