Assessment and Submission Guidelines
All matters relating to assessment should be directed to the Melbourne Law School Student Centre, at: Tel +61 3 8344 4475, Fax +61 3 8344 0106, Email law-studentcentre@unimelb.edu.au
Assessment Dates/Times
Assessment due dates and times as well as the marking policy regarding word limits on assessment for each subject are stated on the assessment schedule under the Assessment and Results tab of the current students homepage on the Melbourne JD website. This schedule ensures that assessment submission dates are coordinated across all subjects undertaken by students within a semester.
Format of Research Papers
Papers should:
- have a 2cm (minimum) margin all around;
- have all pages numbered;
- include a footer with student number and subject name (do not include your name);
- have all references cited in accordance with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation which is provided to students when they commence the JD;
- include a bibliography;
- papers should be saved as single documents in MS Word, saved as .doc or .rtf
- students must refer to JD Marking Policy – word limits on assessment
Format of Take Home Examinations
Take-Home Exams should:
- have a 2cm (minimum) margin all around;
- have all pages numbered;
- have each question commence on a new page and be clearly identifiable (eg. Include Question number and title);
- include a footer with student number and subject name (do not include your name);
- have all references cited;
- exams should be saved as single documents (ie. do not save each question as a separate document) in MS Word saved as .doc or .rtf
- Students must refer to JD Marking Policy – word limits on assessment
In addition students are prohibited from undertaking joint work or engage in discussion in any form with anyone else about the examination paper.
Contact with Examiners during and after Examinations
Students are not permitted to make direct contact with examiners with regard to an examination paper once the examination has been released and before results have been posted. Once results are released, students are entitled to discuss their performance in the subject with the examiner.
Plagiarism
What is plagiarism? Put simply, plagiarism is when someone presents another person’s work as their own work. It includes using another person’s words or ideas without acknowledging the source of those words or ideas properly. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is a form of cheating that can have severe consequences at the University of Melbourne. Plagiarism constitutes an academic offence for which students will be disciplined. The penalties are severe. A finding that you are guilty of plagiarism may affect whether you can be admitted as a legal practitioner. Plagiarism - What It Is And How To Avoid It
Students should refer to the University's policy on Academic Honesty and Plagiarism. Reference should also be made to the University's regulations on Assessment (Statue 12.2) and Student Discipline (Statute 13.1).
The Law School has prepared instructions on how to avoid plagiarism which also includes examples of plagiarism. It is important that all students enrolled in the Melbourne JD read this document carefully.
The Turnitin™ submission system in Blackboard will identify many instances of plagiarism.
Submission of Assessment
All assessment must be submitted with a cover sheet to the Student Centre using Turnitin™. Turnitin™ is an online, web-based software that works by comparing electronically submitted papers to content located on the internet and proprietary databases as well as the work of other students whose papers have also been submitted into the system. This software is currently used by many universities in Australia and internationally. Students enrolled in the Melbourne JD are required to comply with the process for submitting assessment. Information about Turnitin™ is available here.
Submit your assessment through Blackboard by the due date/time indicated on the assessment schedule.
Papers must NOT be faxed, posted or submitted in hard copy to the Melbourne Law School Student Centre.
An Assessment Cover Sheet must be submitted with all forms of assessment. An electronic copy of the cover sheet must be the first page of all assessment. Insert the completed cover sheet into the front page of your assignment (e.g. by doing a select-all, then copying & pasting). Save your assignment (with the cover page at its front) in Microsoft Word or Rich Text format. When saving your assignment use your real name in the filename (e.g. johnsmith-essay.doc). Please make sure your student number is stated in your document (e.g. in the header or footer). Submit your assessment through Blackboard by the due date/time indicated on the assessment schedule. Once you have uploaded your assignment you will be shown a preview to ensure you have selected the correct document and that the cover sheet is properly inserted. When you approve the preview your online submission will be complete and you will see a receipt number which will also be emailed to you.
It is recommended you keep a copy of your Research Papers, Assignments and Take-Home Exams for your records.
Papers must not be submitted directly to the lecturer.
Collection of Take Home Examinations
Take Home Examination papers may be downloaded from the subject web page on time the date/time specified on the assessment schedule or Take Home Examination papers can be collected from the Melbourne Law School Student Centre on time the date/time specified on the assessment schedule.
Please note exams are password protected, requiring you to enter your email username and email password. You must have activated your University email address in order to download papers from the subject page. This must be done at least 24 hours prior to the time the paper is first made available. Information on setting up your University email account is available from the Melbourne Law School Student Computing website.