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Once the basic processes of fertilisation, gastrulation and axis determination have been achieved, how is the body actually built? What drives the organisation of apparently uniform populations of cells into different three-dimensional tissues and organs? What genes are involved, and how do cells interact to tell each other what to do? This course starts to answer those questions, concentrating on well studied model systems. We take a tour of the vertebrate body, studying the origin and development of the major organs and tissues, to see how morphogenesis, the creation of form, is initiated and taken to completion. Much of our detailed knowledge of gene regulation and cell-cell interaction during the development of the body plan comes from invertebrate systems, and we will cover two of the most iconic, vulval development in C elegans, and the imaginal discs of Drosophila.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr Martin Collinson (m.collinson@abdn.ac.uk, ext. 7515)
1.This course enables you to achieve a broad understanding of how the functional organs of the body are built.
2.We will put into practice the study of model systems and genetics in order to comprehend the creation of three-dimensional form – morphogenesis.
3.Lectures will depict how processes such as cell proliferation, adhesion and motility contribute to organ formation.
4.The course will act as an introduction to the relationship between developmental biology and cancer, and between developmental biology and evolution.
5.The links between developmental embryology, stem cells and regeneration will be emphasised.
1. Introduction to Course and the basic tissue types (JMC)
This lecture introduces the course and starts to describe the size of the problem – how many tissue types are there, and how are they interrelated. Many of our organs are of epithelial origin, and one of the early developmental events defines a subset of the embryonic epithelium that will become neural. We need connective tissues – e.g. ligaments, tendon and bone to hold things together, and muscle to move it all around. Last but not least, none of this works without a circulatory system – with blood. This lecture will introduce the haematopoietic system and explain what you need to do for the essay assignment.
2. Pattern formation: How the Zebra got its stripes (JMC)
How can we understand the formation of complex patterns in organs and tissues from basic principles? It is possible to use very simple mathematical models to predict the biology that underlies body patterning – this lecture will briefly explore some of these models.
3. C. elegans vulva development (JP)
The vulva is every worm geneticist’s favourite organ, allegedly. With 22 cells, and only a few basic patterns of gene expression, the C elegans vulva is a paradigm for the genetic dissection of inductive and other signalling interactions during organ development. This lecture covers the basic processes of cell fate specification in this superficially simple organ system and reveals hidden levels of complexity that illustrate the principles by which other organs in invertebrates and vertebrates are assembled.
4. Drosophila imaginal disc development (JMC)
Flies are really two animals in one: during metamorphosis, the larval structures are replaced by adult organs that unfold from specialised sheets of epithelium, the imaginal discs, that were tucked away under the body wall during embryogenesis. There are different imaginal discs for each set of legs, the wings and halteres, the eyes and antennae mouthparts and genitals. Using specific examples, the genetic control of specification and patterning (anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral) of imaginal discs will be described. Apart from being interesting in their own right for our understanding of cell-cell interactions, they also act as classical models for the discovery of fundamental signalling pathways that we will and have come across time and time again during vertebrate organogenesis.
5. Skin & Hair (Stem cells and cancer)(SPH)
The largest organ of our body is the skin. More than just a bag to hold the rest of our organs in, the skin plays fundamental roles in homeostasis and, as will be shown in this lecture is a model system for the specification and role of adult stem cells in maintenance of the body plan. The multiple embryonic origins of skin tissues will be described. Vertebrate skin tends to have appendages – hair, feathers or scales, and the development of these will be described. The adult stem cell niche will be described, using the skin and cornea as an example. This lecture will introduce the concept of cancer as a developmental disease.
6. Hippo signalling in Organogenesis, Stem Cells and Cancer (HW)
This lecture introduces the Hippo signalling pathway – not well studied until recently, this pathway has fundamental roles in control of organ size and tissue integrity, for example by controlling stem cell activity and cell proliferation. The pathway is deregulated in many cancers and interacts with the Wnt signalling pathway.
7. Skeletal muscle development and satellite cells (HW)
The development and maintenance of skeletal muscle is fundamental to normal health, and the degeneration of skeletal muscle underlies many human diseases, as well as being a cause of morbidity in aging. Central to long term maintenance of skeletal muscles are the satellite cells – this lecture explains their origin and roles in muscle regeneration and repair. The Hippo signalling pathway is central.
8. Gut Development and Colorectal Cancer (SPH)
As the first and most fundamental example of an endodermal organ, this lecture will study the embryonic origins and development of the gut. Starting as little more than a tube, the gut becomes patterned into different specialised units (e.g. oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine) along the body’s anterior/posterior axis. Within each region of the gut, the arrangement and function of cells, together with their nervous and vascular supplies, are different. This lecture concentrates in detail on the intestine, which like the skin has a distinct stem cell niche. Colorectal cancer is a major killer in the west, and, complementing lecture 4, this lecture will examine the origins of gut cancers.
9. Heart development (SPH)
The heart is the first organ to become functional during vertebrate embryonic development, and without it, everything else stops. The embryology of the heart, and the important signalling mechanisms that underlie its formation, will be described, using model systems such as Xenopus where the genes required for heart development have been well studied. The origin of the heart as a simple tube, and its development into a chambered structure will be examined. Heart structure will be compared between different vertebrates.
10. Kidney development (SPH)
The development of kidneys and the reproductive organs and cells are linked through a common origin in the urogenital ridge. Reproductive development is covered elsewhere (DB3502), and this lecture covers development of the excretory system. The embryonic or primitive ‘kidney’ structures of the pronephros and mesonephros will be described before the development of the metanephros, giving rise to our adult kidneys is covered in depth. The interaction between the metanephric mesenchyme and the ureteric bud has been studied by genetic means in vivo, but can also be set up in culture systems in vitro. The genes required for this two-way inductive interaction and the subsequent branching patterns that underlie the organisation of the adult kidney will be examined.
11. Nervous System 1: The differential adhesion hypothesis
How do cells from different tissues separate during development and then stay separate afterwards. Cell surface adhesion properties are fundamental, and the theory and practical evidence for the basis fo cell mixing and sgegregation are explored. (Lecture shared with BM3803 Integrative Neuroscience)
12. Nervous System 2: Placodes and neural crest (JMC)
While the neural plate represents the beginnings of our brain and spinal cord, it is a feature of vertebrate development that many of the sensory organs – e.g. eyes, ears, nasal epithelia – that form our interface with the outside world have their origins as specialised thickened epithelial plates (placodes). Development of these placodes was a significant event in evolution of the vertebrate body plan, and we will examine examples of tissues, such as the eye lens, which arise from placodes. But placodes don’t do the job alone, they are largely induced by, and interact with underlying tissues, and we need to explore the concept of induction. Moreover, there is a contribution to sensory organ development from a population of cells that delaminate from the roof of the neural tube – the neural crest. The origins and fate of the neural crest will be discussed in this and future lectures.
13. Blood vessel development (in embryology and oncology) (NV)
We mentioned above that the heart develops early and without it, development of the rest of the animal cannot proceed. This is true, but the heart is useless without a circulatory system to plumb into. The development of blood vessels will be covered in this lecture, encompassing both their physical formation and the signalling mechanisms that control the branching and growth of arteries, capillaries and veins. All tumours need oxygen and nutrients to grow, and this lecture will cover the processes by which tumours can subvert the patterning of the vasculature to maintain their growth.
14. Nervous System 3: Anterior-posterior patterning (JMC)
Starting with the classic experiments that showed the genetic basis of compartment formation and anterior-posterior patterning in Drosophila, we move onto the experimental evidence for similar mechanisms in vertebrates. We look at how Hox genes drive patterning of the vertebrate hindbrain. (Lecture shared with BM3803 Integrative Neuroscience)
15. The liver, the lung and the pancreas (JMC)
Budding off from the gut – the set of our most squishy organs that have different but related ontogenies. The development and evolutionary origins of the lung will be examined briefly, with reference to broader issues of the development of the head and neck. The patterning of the gut that leads to budding of the liver and pancreas, and the dual origins of the pancreas will be described. The genetic pathways that lead to development of insulin-producing -cells in the islets of Langerhans will be described – these are intensively studied by research groups trying to manufacture or regenerate insulin-secreting tissue for the treatment of diabetes.
16. Nervous System 4: Dorso-ventral patterning (JMC)
In the CNS, motor output is via the mid-ventral neurones in the neural tube and sensory input comes in dorsally where it must be picked up and transmitted by many types of interneuron. This lecture looks at how dorslalising singals including BMPs tussle with ventralising signals such as Shh to pattern the vertebrate neural tube in the dorso-ventral axis. (Lecture shared with BM3803 Integrative Neuroscience)
17. Evolution of Organ Systems (JMC)
The previous lectures have demonstrated that the development of organs and tissues within the body requires closely co-ordinated processes of cell differentiation and morphogenesis, driven by tightly regulated and highly complex patterns of gene expression. This final lecture begins to investigate the processes by which complex organs evolve. Do the tightly regulated developmental systems spring out of nowhere or can we see their origins as we track backwards down the evolutionary tree? The lecture concentrates on the nervous system and sensory organs, and will not be examined.
Laboratory Work
Cell death analysis – Dr Martin Collinson and Dr Neil Vargesson.
This will be a laboratory-based class which investigates assays of cell death during limb development. For laboratory work it is essential that you should wear appropriate protective clothing, such as examination gloves and laboratory coats. You must also keep an accurate protocol and records of all experiments performed, including numerical analysis of the experimental results and imaging of the morphology of experimental and control embryos. Following the practical, you will each prepare an individual report which should be word processed in the form of a short scientific paper. This report will form an important component of the continuous assessment. The practical work required in this course might present difficulties to students with special access needs. For such students, alternative arrangements will be made. Any student with special needs should make these known to the Course Co-ordinator when registering for the class, and should then also discuss their needs with the School Disabilities Co-ordinator, to ensure that they have the best possible outcome.
Written Essay
Haematopoesis – Dr Martin Collinson
This will be an exercise in library research. Haematopoiesis (the formation of blood) is the classic example of tissue development from stem cells. You should write an essay of about 3-4000 words that synthesises what we know about blood stem cells, and the in vivo and in vitro experimental evidence that underlies our knowledge. Write about the implications and uses of haematopoietic stem cells for the treatment of human disease.
There is a regular programme of seminars given throughout the academic year by invited specialists from within the broad field of biomedical research.
Developmental Biology students should attend research seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology to reinforce and complement the material covered in lectures and practical laboratory work. You will be informed when these seminars are occurring via the MyAberdeen site or at lectures.
As you are studying within research-driven disciplines, we strongly feel that you should attend these whenever possible, with a view to broadening your appreciation of medical sciences. You will also be directed to attend any other relevant seminars when they arise.
General Reading List
Recommended Reading
Essential Developmental Biology by JMW Slack (Blackwells, 2nd Edition, 2006) will be the main textbook used for the course.
The following textbooks will also be useful textbooks for some aspects of the course:
Principles of Development by Lewis Wolpert et al. (Oxford University Press, 3rd Edition, 2007).
Developmental Biology by Scott F. Gilbert (Sinauer Associates Inc. 8th Edition, 2006)
The University has strict regulations on plagiarism. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism read the University guide on plagiarism at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing
Copying or plagiarising another persons work, either from other students or published material in books or papers and submitted as your own for assessment is considered a form of cheating. This is considered by the University to be a serious offence and will be penalised according to the extent involved and whether it is decided there was an attempt at deliberate deception, or whether bad practice was involved. If you do use information or ideas obtained from textbooks or other published material you must give a precise reference to the source both at the appropriate point in your narrative and in a list of references at the end of your work. Direct quotations from published material should be indicated by quotation marks and referenced in the text as above.
Students are expected to attend all lectures, laboratory classes, and tutorials, and to complete all class exercises by stated deadlines. The minimum performance acceptable is attendance at 75% of the lectures, seminars, practical classes, and presentation of all set course work, written and oral.
Students can self-certify absences of up to six days from compulsory classes by completing the downloadable form at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sms/documents/absenceform.doc
Assessment is derived from coursework (30%) and a written examination (70%). The continuous assessment (CA) component is based on a laboratory-based practical class (15%) and a written essay (15%).
Written Examination: 70% of the total assessment is based on one 90 minute written paper. Students have to answer two questions, one from section A and 1 from section B.
Deadline day for the written essay will be Friday 19th April 2013, and for the practical write-up will be Friday 10th May 2013.
Common assessment scale (CAS) grade: The overall performance of the student is expressed as a grade awarded on the common spine marking scale.
The degree examination is held in May, with the re-sit examination in August.
Dr Martin Collinson
Prof Stefan Hoppler
Dr Jonathan Pettitt
Dr Neil Vargesson
Dr Henning Wackerhage
If students have difficulties with any part of the course that they cannot cope with alone they should notify someone immediately. If the problem relates to the subject matter you may be best advised to contact the member of staff who is teaching that part of the course. Students with registered disabilities should contact either the IMS based School Office (Miss Stephanie Sweeney ssweeney@abdn.ac.uk) or the Old Aberdeen office associated with the teaching laboratories (Mrs S.Jones s.jones@abdn.ac.uk ) to ensure that the appropriate facilities have been made available. Otherwise, you are strongly encouraged to contact any of the following as you see appropriate:
Course student representatives.
Course co-ordinator (JMC)
Convenor of the Biomedical Sciences Staff/Student Liaison Committee (Dr Gordon McEwan).
Adviser of studies.
Disabilities Co-ordinator (Dr Derryck Shewan).
Staff are based at Foresterhill (IMS Building) and we strongly encourage the use of email or telephone the SMS office. You may be wasting your time to travel to Foresterhill only to find staff unavailable.
Support Available to Students
The University is keen to help you successfully complete your studies. If at any time you feel you need assistance, there is a range of support services available to help you. These include support to assist with unexpected and/or exceptional financial difficulty, support for disabled students and academic learning support through the Student Learning Service. Further details about all these services area available at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/studenthelpguide/.
We value students’ opinions in regard to enhancing the quality of teaching and its delivery; therefore in conjunction with the Students’ Association we support the operation of a Class Representative system.
The students within each course, year, or programme elect representatives by the end of the fourth week of teaching within each half-session. In this school we operate a system of course representatives. Any student registered within a course that wishes to represent a given group of students can stand for election as a class representative. You will be informed when the elections for class representative will take place.
What will it involve?
It will involve speaking to your fellow students about the course you represent. This can include any comments that they may have. You will attend a Staff-Student Liaison Committee and you should represent the views and concerns of the students within this meeting. As a representative you will also be able to contribute to the agenda. You will then feedback to the students after this meeting with any actions that are being taken.
Training
Training for class representatives will be run by the Students Association. Training will take place in the fourth or fifth week of teaching each half-session. For more information about the Class representative system visit www.ausa.org.uk or email the VP Education & Employability vped@abdn.ac.uk. Class representatives are also eligible to undertake the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award, further information about the co-curricular award is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers.
The University operates a system for monitoring students' progress to identify students who may be experiencing difficulties in a particular course. If the Course Co-ordinator has concerns about your attendance and/or performance, the Registry will be informed. The Registry will then write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to ask you to contact the Senate Office in the first instance. Depending on your reason for absence the Senate Office will either deal directly with your case or will refer you to your Adviser of Studies or a relevant support service. This system is operated to provide support for students who may be experiencing difficulties with their studies. Students are required to attend such meetings with their Adviser of Studies in accordance with General Regulation 8.
Set criteria are used to determine when a student should be reported in the monitoring system. You will be asked to meet your Adviser if any of the following criteria apply for this course:-
either (i) if you are absent for a continuous period of two weeks or 25% of the course (whichever is less) without good cause being reported;
or (ii) if you are absent from two small group teaching sessions e.g. (laboratory/tutorial classes) without good cause;
or (iii) if you fail to submit a piece of summative or a substantial piece of formative in-course assessment by the stated deadline
If you fail to respond within the prescribed timescale (as set out in the e-mail or letter) you will be deemed to have withdrawn from the course concerned and will accordingly be ineligible to take the end of course assessment or to enter for the resit. The Registry will write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to inform you of this decision. If you wish consideration to be given to reinstating you in the course you will be required to meet the Convener of the Students' Progress Committee.
Students who attend and complete the work required for a course are considered to have been awarded a ‘Class Certificate’. Being in possession of a valid Class Certificate for a course entitles a student to sit degree examinations for that course. From 2010/11 class certificates will be valid for two years and permit a total of three attempts at the required assessment within that two year period i.e. the first attempt plus up to two resits.
You will receive a University e-mail account when you register with the University Computing Centre. The University will normally use e-mail to communicate with you during term-time. These e-mails will be sent to your University e-mail account, which you can access using Eudora or SquirrelMail.
It is your responsibility to check your e-mail on a regular (at least weekly) basis and to tidy the contents of your e-mail inbox to ensure that it does not go over quota (see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/diss/email/mailquota.hti for guidance on managing your e-mail quota). It is recommended that you use your University e-mail account to read and respond to University communications. If you already have a non-University e-mail account that you use for personal correspondence, it is possible to set up automatic forwarding of messages from your University e-mail account to your personal e-mail address (see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/local/mail.forward/) but, should you do so, it is your responsibility to ensure that this is done correctly. The University takes no responsibility for delivery of e-mails to non-University accounts.
You should note that failure to check your e-mail or failure to receive e-mail due to being over quota or due to non-delivery of an e-mail forwarded to a non-University e-mail account would not be accepted as a ground for appeal (for further information on appeals procedures, please refer to http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix5x17.hti).
TurnitinUK
TurnitinUK is an online service which compares student assignments with online sources including web pages, databases of reference material, and content previously submitted by other users across the UK. The software makes no decision as to whether plagiarism has occurred; it is simply a tool which highlights sections of text that have been found in other sources thereby helping academic staff decide whether plagiarism has occurred.
As of Academic Year 2011/12, TurnitinUK will be accessed directly through MyAberdeen. Advice about avoiding plagiarism, the University’s Definition of Plagiarism, a Checklist for Students, Referencing and Citing guidance, and instructions for TurnitinUK, can be found in the following area of the Student Learning Service website www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism/.
Absence from Classes on Medical Grounds
Candidates who wish to establish that their academic performance has been adversely affected by their health are required to secure medical certificates relating to the relevant periods of ill health (see General Regulation 17.3).
The University’s policy on requiring certification for absence on medical grounds or other good cause can be accessed at:
www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x5.pdf
You are strongly advised to make yourself fully aware of your responsibilities if you are absent due to illness or other good cause. In particular, you are asked to note that self-certification of absence for periods of absence up to and including eleven weekdays is permissible. However, where absence has prevented attendance at an examination or where it may have affected your performance in an element of assessment or where you have been unable to attend a specified teaching session, you are strongly advised to provide medical certification (see section 3 of the Policy on Certification of Absence for Medical Reasons or Other Good Cause).
Feedback Framework
Feedback on assessment:
The University recognises that the provision of timely and appropriate feedback on assessment plays a key part in students learning and teaching. The guiding principles for the provision of feedback within the University are detailed in the Institutional Framework for the Provision of Feedback on Assessment available at:
www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x8.pdf
Enhancing Feedback:
The University recognises both the importance of providing timely and appropriate feedback on assessments to students, and of enabling students to voice views on their learning experience through channels such as Student Course Evaluation Forms and Class Representatives. FAQs, guidance and resources about feedback can be found on the University’s ‘Enhancing Feedback’ website at: www.abdn.ac.uk/clt/feedback
Appeals and Complaints
The University’s appeals and complaints procedures provide students with a framework through which to formalise their concerns about aspects of their academic experience or to complain when they feel that standards of non-academic service have fallen short of that which they expected.
The process has been designed to make the appeals and complaints process as accessible and simple as possible and to provide a robust, fair mechanism through which to ensure that all appeals and complaints are considered in the appropriate way at the appropriate level.
A major feature of the process is the emphasis it places on early or informal resolution. All students should note that there is an expectation that they will take responsibility for seeking resolution of their academic or non-academic concerns by raising and discussing them at the earliest possible stage with the relevant individuals in an academic School or administrative Service.
Further details of the processes for making an appeal or complaint, including where to find further help and support in the process, is given at:
www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/appeals
Transcripts at Graduation
It is anticipated that students who commenced their studies in, or after, 2009/10, will receive a more detailed transcript of their studies on graduation. The increased details will include a record of all examination results attained. For students graduating in 2012/13 transcripts will show details of all CAS marks awarded, including marks which are fails. Where a resit has been required as a result of medical circumstances or other good cause (MC/GC) this will not be shown, but all other circumstances (i.e. No Paper ‘NP’) will be included.
My Aberdeen (the University of Aberdeen’s Virtual Learning Environment)
MyAberdeen replaces WebCT as students’ virtual learning environment. This is where you will find learning materials and resources associated with the courses you are studying.
MyAberdeen also provides direct access to TurnitinUK, the online originality checking service, through which you may be asked to submit completed assignments.
You can log in to MyAberdeen by going to www.abdn.ac.uk/myaberdeen and entering your University username and password (which you use to access the University network).
Further information on MyAberdeen including Quick Guides and video tutorials, along with information about TurnitinUK, can be found at: www.abdn.ac.uk/students/myaberdeen.php.
Information about academic writing and how to avoid plagiarism can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism.
Aberdeen Graduate Attributes
Graduate Attributes are a wide-ranging set of qualities which students will develop during their time at Aberdeen in preparation for employment, further study and citizenship.
There are four main areas of the Graduate Attributes:
• Academic excellence
• Critical thinking and communication
• Learning and personal development
• Active citizenship
Students have many opportunities to develop and achieve these attributes. These include learning experiences on credit-bearing courses and co-curricular activities such as work placements, study abroad and volunteering. In accordance with the University’s commitment to Equality and Diversity, students can request support with any aspect of the Graduate Attributes framework.
The ACHIEVE website offers resources that enable students to assess and reflect upon their present skills and development needs. The website also contains resources to help students to improve their skills and links to a range of university services such as the Careers Service and the Student Learning Service. Students can access ACHIEVE from their MyAberdeen site in the ‘My Organisations’ section. More information about Aberdeen Graduate Attributes and ACHIEVE can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/graduateattributes.
The Co-curriculum
The co-curriculum enhances a student’s employability and provides opportunities to develop and achieve Aberdeen Graduate Attributes. Co-curricular activities complement a student’s degree programme and include: work placements, study abroad, enterprise and entrepreneurship activities, the BP Student Tutoring Scheme, career mentoring and the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award initiative. Below are examples of credit-bearing co-curricular activities. It is anticipated that these types of activity will be included on an enhanced transcript for students graduating in, or after, 2012/13
ERASMUS is an exchange programme funded by the European Commission which enables students to study or work in another European country as part of their degree programme. Eligible students will receive a grant to help with extra costs while abroad and a number of our partner institutions teach through English. For more information, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/erasmus/. The University also has opportunities for students to study in a non-European country as part of their degree through the International Exchange Programme. International partners include universities and colleges in North America, Hong Kong and Japan (www.abdn.ac.uk/undergraduate/international-exchange.php). The University aims to ensure full academic recognition for study periods abroad, therefore the credits gained from study abroad will count towards the Aberdeen degree programme for students participating in both ERASMUS and the International Exchange Programme.
Work placements can also form an integral part of a degree programme and attract academic credit. Placements are available locally, nationally and internationally, lasting from a few weeks to a full year and are generally paid. Visit the Careers Service website for further placement information and to find available work placements.
Further information about the co-curriculum is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers
School of Medical Sciences - Guide to Citing and Referencing
This guide should be used to assist you when completing any work for disciplines in the School of Medical Sciences. All work should include citations at appropriate places in the text, with a complete reference list at the end of the assignment. If diagrams/ graphs/ tables are copied or adapted from other publications/ websites, the sources must also be cited in the legend for that item, and included in your reference list.
Good citing and referencing not only improves the quality of your work, but it gives credit to the authors of original work, and makes it less likely that you can be accused of plagiarism. Further guidance on writing and plagiarism may be found at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing/ . When you submit work for marking, you are declaring that YOU are the author, that you have not copied it or plagiarised any material from other sources, AND that all sources of information have been acknowledged in your text. Students may be penalised by the University if found guilty of plagiarism.
Students are warned to be careful if using websites as sources of information. These may be inaccurate and are often not peer-reviewed. You are strongly encouraged to use advanced textbooks, peer-reviewed papers or reviews as the sources of your information in your work. Students are also advised to avoid quoting chunks of text in their work. Just because you put quotation marks around some text does not mean that you have not plagiarised it. Try and explain ideas and concepts in your own words.
The referencing style used here is Harvard, similar to that recommended by the University Library (see their factsheet for further information on referencing). Students must use this style of citing and referencing for all work. Other styles are not acceptable. Marks may be deducted if students do not cite or reference properly (see specific marking schemes for details).
Citing references within the text
You must provide citations in the text at the appropriate places by putting the author’s surname and year of publication in round brackets immediately after the relevant text (author, date method).
Author, date method
Jones et al. (1999) has argued that….
Studies have produced conflicting results…..(Bloggs, 2000; MacDuff et al., 1993)
Smith stated (1990)…..and then later work confirmed this (2003)…..
Bloggs (2001) investigated…..
One author (Bloggs, 2000)
Two authors (Smith & Jones, 1982)
Three or more authors (Chesterfield et al., 1995)
If the same author(s) wrote two or more papers in the same year Thwaites et al. stated (1990a)…..and then provided further evidence (1990b)…..
N.B. “et al.” should be in italics, as should all other Latin words/phrases in your text (e.g. in vitro). There is also a full stop after “et al.”, since it is an abbreviation of “et alia” (“and others”).
Listing your references at the end of your work
Your list of references must place the surnames of the first authors in alphabetical order. List all authors of a piece of work unless there are a large number.
Format of references at the end of your work
Book - whole Rang, H.P., Dale, M.M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. 6th Ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Book – article or chapter within Johnson, D. & Smart, J.S. (1983) Advanced techniques in measuring athletic performance. In: S. Roberts, ed., Sports Science in the Laboratory. London: Macmillan, pp. 3-28.
Journal – article within Furchgott, R.F., Zawadzki, J.V. (1980) The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature. 288(5789), 373-6.
Website Department for Education and Employment (2000). Student loans: guidance on terms and conditions from April 2000. [online]. Available from: http://www.dfee.gov.uk/loan2000/index.html [Accessed 23rd March 2006]
