Meet with supervisor and begin work on research – from Wednesday, 30 January 2008
First Panel meeting – by Friday, 11 April 2008 (end of Week 4)
Second Panel meeting (if needed) – by Friday, 8 August 2008 (end of Week 2)
Deadline for thesis submission – Monday, 13 October 2008 (start of Week 11)

Dissertations should be prepared in accordance with the guidelines summarised in the handout Guide to Writing Fourth Year Psychology Dissertations. The maximum length is 60 pages, double spaced. Three copies of the thesis should be submitted in the standard covers supplied by the School. This is arranged through the Psychology General Office (Level 10, Mathews Building). After marking, one copy is placed in the School Thesis Library, another is typically retained by the supervisor while the third is available to be collected by you. You should make as many additional copies as you may need for your own purposes.

Late theses will be penalised .5 marks for every working day late. Tuesday, October 14 will be considered 1 day late. In the past, students have often assumed that it is acceptable to submit their thesis 1 day late but that assumption is incorrect. If you believe that your thesis is late because of exceptional circumstances, then you should (a) discuss the situation with your supervisor to get their advice, and (b) inform the Honours co-ordinator that your thesis is going to be late by way of a written explanation (with relevant documentation). Your supervisor cannot grant you an extension. Further, after all the theses are marked, but before the final Fourth Year marking meeting where marks are finalised, the Fourth Year committee will meet and discuss all applications for special consideration. At that meeting, it will be decided whether you are granted full, partial, or no dispensation (i.e., whether none, some, or all of the late penalty will be applied). This procedure maximises the equity of the process (i.e., all students asking for special consideration are discussed by the whole committee at the one time). Please remember, though, only exceptional circumstances will be considered.

Note: Take the deadline for submission seriously. Penalties for late submission will be imposed. Extensions will only be considered in exceptional circumstances because the School itself must meet deadlines for submitting final results to the University. Late completion might also interfere with your acceptance for postgraduate programs. If you have problems during the year that delay your progress, inform the Fourth Year Committee so that they can be taken into consideration. The Committee cannot accept any excuses at the end of the year unless it has been informed early in the year.

Research panels consist of the supervisor and two other staff members and they provide you and your supervisor with the opportunity to receive feedback and advice about your research design, methodology, and analysis. At panel meetings these staff members will get the opportunity to gain some familiarity with your research and to evaluate your understanding of the area. You should see your supervisor for assistance on all aspects of your research, including advice on data analysis, but can also consult panel members on areas in which they have expertise. You will be advised separately of your research panel.

At least three days prior to the first panel meeting, each student should provide each panel member with a written research proposal. A copy of the proposal together with a note on the time and date of the panel meeting must also be submitted to the general office. The proposal should be 6-8 pages long, and should summarise the planned research and its rationale. Use the following headings to organise your proposal: Background (practical or theoretical problem of interest, summary of literature), Aims/hypotheses, Design, Equipment/procedures, and Analysis. The idea is to set out clearly what you plan to do, why you are doing it, how you will do it, and how you will interpret the results. At the panel meeting, be prepared to speak on each of these points, and to lead the discussion of the proposed research.

Before the commencement of any data collection, your Fourth Year thesis project must first have received formal approval by one of the research ethics committees of the University. In the case of research using animals this will typically be arranged by your supervisor prior to the commencement of the project. In the case of research involving human participants you should consult with your supervisor about the appropriate course of action required to obtain approval. If your project is similar to one that has been carried out before in your supervisor’s laboratory or is part of a larger program that is funded by a research grant then it is likely that your project will be covered by previous approvals granted to your supervisor. If your project examines issues or makes use of methods not covered by previous ethics approvals then you (with the guidance of your supervisor) will need to go to http://www.psy.unsw.edu.au/research/resources/researchparticipation.html. Details on ethics approval are available here including the application form. You must have an approved and signed copy of the application form back from the Head of School before you can commence your research. Please note that, regardless of prior approvals obtained, you, together with your supervisor, must complete one of these forms if you are intending to make use of the First Year subject pool.

Computing. Students will be given access to a dedicated Fourth Year/Masters computer lab with 10 computers and printing facilities on Level 11 (Room 1101). Additional computers and printing facilities are in Mathews rooms 422, 209 and 209A. Students have access to these facilities 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Consumables. The School is unable to provide free photocopying. Students who are required to give out a handout to other students when making a seminar presentation in an elective class or to use overhead transparencies must do so at their own expense. Students who require a questionnaire to be produced or equipment built as part of their research work should make arrangements through their supervisor.

Due dates for essays/class work will be set in the two compulsory courses and each elective. Exams for the compulsory courses will be held externally by the Registrar in the scheduled University examination periods.

Electives. Electives will run for 9 weeks (Weeks 3-11 in Session 1 and 1-9 in Session 2). Any elective changes must be approved by the Fourth Year Committee (see Chris Mitchell). Do not see individual lecturers to negotiate a change.

Feedback. Feedback on compulsory and elective performance will be posted on WebCT Vista http://vista.elearning.unsw.edu.au/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct
To login, click on the blue "UNSW" link.

At the end of the year each student will be issued with a School statement which sets out compulsory and elective courses completed and results, title of thesis and result, and overall grade of honours.

In Session 1, the compulsory course on History and Issues in Psychology (Dr Chris Mitchell) will involve a 1 hour per week lecture for 10 weeks (Weeks 2-11) of the session. In addition there will be a 1-hour per week seminar for six of those weeks. In Session 2, the Ethics and Professional Issues course will be structured with 14 hours of lectures on Professional and Research Ethics (Prof Jim Kehoe), and a series of 2-hour workshops that will cover professional issues including professional employment opportunities for 4-year Psychology graduates and postgraduate study options. Timetable to be advised.

Your supervisor is your primary source of advice on design and analysis issues in your particular field of research, so any questions you have regarding these issues should be directed in the first instance to your supervisor. If there is any design or analysis issue that cannot be resolved in this manner or your supervisor feels that additional advice on more complex statistical issues is required then you may make an appointment for yourself and your supervisor to consult with:
Dr. Melanie Gleitzman (Room 1108, telephone 9385 3019, e-mail m.gleitzman@unsw.edu.au), or Dr Kevin Bird (Room 1004, telephone 9385 3046, e-mail k.bird@unsw.edu.au).

For an overview of current American Psychological Association guidelines outlining good practice in data analysis and reporting, students are encouraged to read the 1999 article “Statistical Methods in Psychology Journals: Guidelines and Explanations” produced by Leland Wilkinson and the APA Taskforce on Statistical Inference, a copy of which can be found on the Psychology server U drive, under the directory Fourth Yr or on the web at http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/amp548594.html.

Refer to the University website: http://www.unsw.edu.au/futureStudents/futurestudents.html for application procedures.

Dr Chris Mitchell (Chairperson, Mathews Room 911)
Prof Peter Lovibond (Head of School, Mathews Room 1013)