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Unit outline_

CEPI5215: Writing and Reviewing Medical Papers

Semester 2, 2023 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study will appeal to anyone wanting to write medical papers for conferences or journals, or to improve their paper writing skills. Students will work at their own pace through 9 modules covering research integrity, medical style, abstracts, presentations and posters, constructing a paper, data visualisation, manuscript submission, responding to reviewers' comments, post-publication research dissemination, and peer- reviewing a paper. This unit aims to teach students the principles of research integrity in writing for medical journals, typical issues they may face, and link to resources to help them maintain integrity through their publishing careers. It will guide them to reliable evidence-based resources to improve their conference abstract, presentation and poster design, and manuscript style and writing. Students will learn about reporting guidelines, common pitfalls in writing and presenting research, choosing a journal, keywords, improving tables and figures for manuscripts through open source software, copyright, writing cover letters and response letters to reviewers. Students will learn about measuring research impact and ways to improve research reach, dealing with the media and press releases, using social media in dissemination, digital archiving and basic skills needed to act as a peer-reviewer. This is an online unit, but those needing to study in block mode will do online study as well as a workshop.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Public Health
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
(PUBH5010 or CEPI5100 or BSTA5011)
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
CEPI5214
Assumed knowledge
? 

Some basic knowledge of summary statistic is assumed

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Christina Abdelshaheed, christina.abdelshaheed@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Assessment 1 Part A
Written assessment - submit a poster
6% Week 05
Due date: 28 Aug 2023 at 23:59
Poster
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11
Assignment Assignment 1 Part B
Written Assessment
6% Week 06
Due date: 04 Sep 2023 at 23:59
Research Integrity Scenario - 750 words
Outcomes assessed: LO12 LO13
Assignment Assignment 1 Part C
Written Assessment
2% Week 06
Due date: 08 Sep 2023 at 23:59
See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed: LO14
Assignment Assignment 1 Part D
Written assessment
6% Week 08
Due date: 22 Sep 2023 at 23:59
Reflection exercise - 1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO14 LO15
Assignment Assessment 2
Written assessment
50% Week 12
Due date: 27 Oct 2023 at 23:59
See Canvas for details
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO16 LO11 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Online task Module quizzes
Online quizzes
30% Week 13 To be added by the unit coordinator
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO11 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: 9 self-paced modules, each comprising unit notes, lectures, demonstrations, exercises, and quizzes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate knowledge of metrics of, and methods for, measuring publication impact
  • LO2. describe mechanisms of disseminating published research
  • LO3. demonstrate skills in working with media and social media to disseminate medical journal papers
  • LO4. demonstrate knowledge of structure and practical tips for preparing a high quality conference poster
  • LO5. demonstrate knowledge of principles of data visualisation
  • LO6. demonstrate an ability to use available open source software to help improve tables, figures, and plots
  • LO7. demonstrate knowledge of how to reuse creative commons images with correct attribution
  • LO8. demonstrate an understanding of bibliometrics and altmetrics
  • LO9. demonstrate an ability to deal with media and press releases
  • LO10. demonstrate an ability to use social media to disseminate work
  • LO11. demonstrate knowledge of archiving and copyright.
  • LO12. demonstrate an understanding of research integrity considerations including (but not limited to) authorship requirements
  • LO13. demonstrate an understanding of conflict resolution in research
  • LO14. Demonstrate an ability to provide constructive peer review of research work
  • LO15. Demonstrate an ability to reflect on the strengths and limitation of peer review, as a provider and receiver of peer feedback
  • LO16. demonstrate an ability to prepare a manuscript according to specific journal requirements

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.