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This course deals with the functional neuroanatomy and neuropharmacology of the mammalian peripheral and central nervous system and with neuromuscular pharmacology. It includes functional aspects of central and peripheral neurotransmission and covers the pharmacology and modes of action of drugs used to relieve pain, to relax skeletal muscles or to treat disorders such as Huntington’s disease, anxiety, depression, manic-depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy and myasthenia gravis.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr Derek A. Scott (ext 7566) d.scott@abdn.ac.uk
Course Prerequisites: Molecules, Membranes and Cells (BM3006/SM3002)
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~bms200/Level%203%20Teaching%20Material.htm
The purpose of this course is to provide a thorough factual grounding in those aspects of Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology that are deemed to be essential if students are to make the most of their final honours year. The primary objective of students enrolled in this course should be to learn with understanding the facts that are presented to them in lectures and tutorials or that they are asked to read about in text books or review articles. The detailed course objectives are:
1. To describe current ideas about pharmacological receptors, receptor signalling and theories of drug-receptor interactions.
2. To give an overview of the structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems.
3. To describe the arrangement of the main transmitter systems in the brain and spinal cord.
4. To describe chemical neurotransmission at the neuromuscular junction and its modulation by drugs.
5. To describe chemical neurotransmission in the peripheral nervous system in health and disease and its modulation by drugs.
6. To describe chemical neurotransmission in the central nervous system in health and disease and its modulation by drugs.
7. To develop transferable skills particularly in relation to data handling and to abstract and essay writing using computers.
1. Dr D Scott. Introduction to the course/Receptors 1
An overview of the course. Properties of putative neurotransmitters.Quantal and graded responses; dose-response curves; log dose-response curves; agonists; antagonists; competitive reversible surmountable antagonism; competitive irreversible insurmountable antagonism; non-competitive antagonism; 'physiological' antagonism; 'chemical' antagonism; description of the occupancy theory of drug-receptor interactions and of the assumptions it makes; the concepts of affinity and efficacy; definitions of affinity constant and equilibrium constant; the concept of partial agonism; the concept of "spare" receptors; the evidence for 'spare' receptors.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone (Chapters 1 & 2).
2. Dr D Scott. Receptors 2
'Silent' receptors; the need for a transduction mechanism; location and chemical nature of receptors; evidence for the existence of receptors (potency; biological selectivity; chemical selectivity; stereoselectivity; selective antagonism; 'protection' of receptors; presence of binding sites; presence of the genetic material required to express receptors).
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone (Chapters 1 & 2).
3. Dr D Scott/Dr G McEwan. Review of Exam Performance. What will you do after your degree?
This is a generic lecture which is compulsory for all students reading for degrees administered by Biomedical Sciences. The Director of teaching will discuss with the class their recent examination performance and provide feedback about how students have tackled them and how they might enhance their performance in the future. We will also try and give you an idea of what specific options and careers are open to you once you have completed your degree. The emphasis will be on the fact that you are all qualified in a variety of areas, and thus, you should not limit your options to those just related to the title of your degree. Students will be encouraged to think what transferable skills they have, be given tips for applying for further courses after this degree, and to start thinking about what it is they think they might want to do with their degree.
4. Prof L. Erskine. Neuroanatomy 1
Gross structure and organisation of the brain (cerebral cortex, diencephalon, brainstem) and spinal cord. Spinal and cranial nerves. Coverings of the brain (meninges) and the ventricular system. Division into central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous system. Relevant functions of the different regions.
5. Mr M Paterson. Introduction to Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the relationships between plants and people – particularly the daily use of plants in an anthropologic context. The botanical collections of early explorers and the subsequent study of the newly introduced flora have played important roles in the development of drugs and foods for many centuries. Over the past two decades, a renewed interest in the collection of plant species and screening them for medical chemical properties has occurred. Accordingly, plants are being recognised as a potential significant source of new pharmaceuticals, therapeutics and nutrients. Industries are now interested in exploring parts of the world where plant medicine remains the predominant form of dealing with illness or where plants are used for their specific nutritional/therapeutic content. South America, for example, has an extraordinary diversity of plant species and is regarded as a treasure trove of medicinal plants. Nor should it be a surprise that a wide range of native flora has had (and does have) useful medical and nutritional applications, even if we do not always appreciate them.
During this session, we will explore why ethnobotany is of interest to medical scientists, particularly as sources of medicines and nutrients. After the initial introductory lecture, students will be given a sample of plant material from the Cruickshank Botanic Garden. They will then be given 10-15 minutes to discover all they can about the ethnobotanical importance of that plant, and then relate (briefly) their findings to the rest of the class. In addition, a range of everyday household products/medicines will be available during the teaching session, and students will be encouraged to work out what botanical constituents exist in those products, and what useful properties such substances confer on those products. At the end of this session, students should have a better understanding of why medical science is heavily reliant upon a vast range of botanical resources, and that the key to many medical problems may lie in preserving and maintaining the botanical diversity of the planet, along with recording present day indigenous knowledge.
6. Prof L. Erskine. Neuroanatomy 2
Cellular organisation of the nervous system. Types of glia (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, ependymal cells, schwann cells) and their relative functions. Blood brain barrier. Structure of neurons (soma, axon, dendrites, axon hillock, nodes of Ranvier, presynaptic terminal). Structural and functional differences between distinct neuronal cell types.
7. Dr D Scott. Autonomic Pharmacology 1
Introduction: The physiology of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic/ parasympathetic) will be briefly reviewed. The neurotransmitters, noradrenaline and acetylcholine, will be introduced in the context of their specific receptors and the peripheral effects of activation.
Cholinergic Transmission: Muscarinic receptor agonists and antagonists will be studied focussing on structure-function relationships, receptor subtype specificity and peripheral effects. (Chapters 9 & 10).
8. Dr D Scott. Autonomic Pharmacology 2 & Neuromuscular Pharmacology
Nicotinic agonists and antagonists together with receptor selectivity and structure-function relationships will be examined. Particular attention will be paid to non-depolarizing and depolarizing ganglion blockers and neuromuscular junction blockers, their mechanism of action, effects and clinical uses. Drugs affecting enhancement of release of acetylcholine acting at the presynaptic terminal, inhibiting acetylcholinesterase and inhibiting synthesis and release will also be studied. (Chapter 10).
9. Dr D Scott. Autonomic Pharmacology 3
Adrenergic transmission: The synthesis, storage, release, and uptake of noradrenaline will be studied in the context of drugs affecting these processes such as tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitors, synthetic precursors, drugs affecting "leakiness" of vesicles, indirect sympathomimetics and drugs acting on the pre-synaptic alpha-2-adrenoreceptor. (Chapter 11).
10. Dr D Scott. Autonomic Pharmacology 4
Adrenergic Transmission: Agonists for alpha- and beta-adrenoreceptor subtypes will be discussed with respect to affinity/efficacy and interaction with uptake systems and enzymes that metabolize noradrenaline. Different classes of antagonists for both alpha- and beta-adrenoreceptors and their effects/clinical uses will also be studied. (Chapter 11).
11. Dr Davies. Perception of pain
Properties of nociceptors, nociceptive pathways, types of pain (e.g. visceral, deep, referred, phantom limb), gate-control theory, action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, introduction to action of opioids. (Chapter 44, 14 & 41).
12. Dr Davies. Acetylcholine
Recapitulation of ACh role in peripheral nervous system; anatomical evidence for a central transmitter role; electrophysiological evidence for a central transmitter role; implication in Alzheimer's disease, memory, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea. (Chapters 10 & 34).
13. Dr D Scott. Epilepsy/Anticonvulsants/Muscle Relaxants
Nature of epilepsy and its neurobiology. Animals models. Classes of drugs used to treat epilepsy, mechanisms of action and pharmacological characteristics. Uses of muscle relaxants and antispasmodics in conditions other than epilepsy. (Chapter 44).
14. Dr Davies. Excitatory amino acid transmitters
Classification into NMDA, AMPA, kainate, metabotropic and AP4 receptors; cellular actions of each receptor type; physiological/pathological role for (mainly) NMDA receptors. (Chapter 33).
15. Dr R Scott. General Anaesthetics
Sought-after effects (analgesia, suppression of motor reflexes and loss of consciousness); types of anaesthetic; effects on the central nervous system at low, intermediate and high concentrations; sites of action (NB ascending reticular activating system); some cardiovascular effects; effects on axonal and synaptic transmission; theories of anaesthesia ("critical concentration" theory, critical volume theory, membrane expansion theory, hydrate theory, protein theory); evidence for these theories.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M., & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. (Chapter 36).
16. Dr D Scott. Monoamines – Affective Disorders: Depression and mania
The management of affective disorders (unipolar and bipolar depression); monoamine theory of depression; pharmacology of antidepressant drugs (tricyclic antidepressants; monoamine oxidase inhibitors; "atypical" antidepressants); important adverse reactions to these drugs including the underlying mechanisms; monoamine oxidase (types, location, role); modes of action of amphetamine; modes of action of lithium; evidence for the monoamine theory of depression; more recent theories of depression; the actions of para-chlorophenylalanine, alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine, alpha-methyldopa, disulfiram and 5,6- and 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine; the use of certain monoamine oxidase inhibitors in the management of Parkinson's disease; the action of MPTP.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone (Chapters 37 & 39).
17. Dr D Scott. Opioids
Classification of opioids; standard in vivo and in vitro bioassays; the evidence for opioid receptors (potency; chemical selectivity; stereoselectivity; selective antagonism; existence of opioid binding sites; presence of genetic material expressing the receptor protein); endogenous opioids; sites and modes of action for the production of analgesia; types of opioid receptor; non-analgesic effects of opioids; tolerance and dependence.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. (Chapter 41).
18. Dr D Scott. Monoamines - Schizophrenia
The management of schizophrenia; evidence for the role of dopamine in schizophrenia; pharmacology of dopamine antagonists; important adverse reactions to dopamine antagonists including the underlying mechanisms; selectivity of dopamine antagonists; types of dopamine receptor; the management and possible cause of Huntington's chorea.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone (Chapters 35 & 38).
19. Dr D Scott. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines
Barbiturates: chemical structure (barbitone, phenobarbitone, pentobarbitone, thiopentone); “pharmacokinetic” classification of barbiturates; effects of single administration; effects of repeated administration; modes of action; clinical uses.
Benzodiazepines: examples; comparison with barbiturates; anxiolytic effect; standard in vivo bioassays for anxiolytic effect (NB rating scales; social interaction test, elevated plus maze, “light/dark” test, conditioned emotional response test, conflict test); definition of “placebo”; sites and modes of action; GABA theory; drugs which interact with GABAA receptors (benzodiazepine agonists and inverse agonists, barbiturates, steroids); GABAA and GABAB receptor agonists and antagonists; benzodiazepine antagonists.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. (Chapter 37).
20. Dr Davies. Inhibitory amino acid transmitters
Distribution of GABA and glycine; cellular actions of GABAA, GABAB and glycine receptors. (Chapter 33).
21. Dr D Scott. Drug Tolerance and Dependence
Drug tolerance: definition; factors governing rate of onset and degree of tolerance; cross-tolerance; types of tolerance (“direct” and “indirect” pharmacodynamic tolerance, dispositional [metabolic] tolerance); mechanisms of tolerance.
Drug dependence (drug-induced): definition; withdrawal syndrome; cross-dependence; “psychological” and “physical” dependence; main drugs of dependence; factors governing degree of dependence; mechanisms of physical dependence; experimental models of drug dependence; possible link between pharmacodynamic tolerance and physical dependence; clinical management of drug dependence.
References: Rang, H.P., Dale, M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. (Chapter 43 and short sections in various chapters (see “Dependence” and “Tolerance” in index of textbook).
22. Dr Davies. Peptides in the CNS
Generalisations about synthesis, processing, co-localisation, and co-ordinated central and peripheral functions (NB identification has outstripped knowledge about function); history, receptor subtypes and clinical implications of opioid peptides. (Chapter 16).
23. Dr D Scott. Course Summary, Exam Advice & Feedback
Practical
This practical will consist of an introduction to drug testing/screening and also some natural product extraction from various natural foodstuffs or plant material. Details on assessment will be given out in the course introduction and before each student has to attend their practical. This exercise will contribute 10% towards your final written examination mark. See separate handout for further details.
Case Studies
You are required to complete 2 case study assessments on particular areas of neurophysiology or pharmacology. Each case study will contribute 10% of the continuous assessment mark and the practical 10% towards your final course mark. The content of each case study will be circulated to the class approximately 1 week before the deadline for completion. All students will have to undertake independent revision and study in order to find out the answers as you will not be able to rely on lecture notes alone. On the date of completion of a case study, the class will write their answers for the questions they have revised on pre-prepared answer sheets under exam conditions during a one hour session. At the end of that hour, the completed answer sheets will be collected for marking. Students are strongly encouraged to include as much extra reading, mechanistic detail and relevant discussion as they can during these case study assessments. Brief one word or one line answers are unlikely to gain you enough credit to pass, so you must ensure you are fully prepared for these assessments.
There is a regular programme of seminars given throughout the academic year by invited specialists from within the broad field of biomedical research.
These are usually held on Thursdays from 12noon -1pm in the IMS Building at Foresterhill (check the School or IMS websites for specific locations of seminars).
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.
Course Textbook:
Rang, H.P., Dale, M. Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. 6th Edition, Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh.
Students may also be directed to other relevant papers, reviews and textbooks by individual lecturers, and should make an effort to visit the library to find other texts to assist with their own studies.
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.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend the data handling class and all lectures and seminars and to complete all class exercises by the stated deadlines. It is vital that you tell the Course Co-ordinator if you are unable to attend a particular class. The minimum performance acceptable for the granting of a class certificate is attendance at 75% of the practical classes, and presentation of all set course work, written and oral.
Continuous Assessment (CA): this makes up 30% of the total assessment. It is based on a data handling exercise and two case studies. Marks for these two exercises are weighted as follows: Practical (10%), the two case studies (20%).
Written Examination: 70% of the total assessment is based on one 90 minute written paper. Students are expected to answer two questions of equal weighting selected from a list of four. The degree examination is held in May/June, with the re-sit examination in August. The continuous assessment mark will be considered at a student's second diet of examination.
Dr Stephen Davies
Prof Lynda Erskine
Dr Alison Jenkinson
Dr Roderick Scott
Mark Paterson, Curator, Cruickshank Botanic Gardens, (mark.paterson@abdn.ac.uk ) Dr Derek Scott (DAS), Medical Sciences (Course Co-ordinator) (d.scott@abdn.ac.uk )
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 ((Miss Stephanie Sweeney ssweeney@abdn.ac.uk ), room 2:62:3, IMS Building, Foresterhill or (Mrs Sheila Jones s.jones@abdn.ac.uk), Zoology Teaching Laboratories, Old Aberdeen 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 (Dr Derek Scott).
Convenor of the departmental student-staff liaison committee (Dr Gordon McEwan).
Adviser of studies.
School Disabilities Co-ordinator (Dr Derryck Shewan).
Staff are based at IMS, Foresterhill and we strongly encourage the use of email or telephone the School 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 and who may be at risk of losing their class certificate. 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 their office in the first instance. Depending on your reason for absence the Registry 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.
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).
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/.
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]
