This course allows the student to pursue independent research on a topic of their choice in economics under the guidance of an academic economist at ANU. Usually, the essay will be quantitative in nature, although theoretical or other contributions are also possible. The student must develop a strong research question, bring evidence to bear on this question, and clearly and concisely provide detail on the research design, results, implications, and limitations. The essay will be written in the style of a journal article typical in economics and should not exceed 7,000 words.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Conduct independent and original research in economics.
2. Critically review economic literature and demonstrate a sound understanding of the strengths and limitations of existing research and where the research project fits within the field.
3. Choose and apply appropriate analytical methods to answer an important research question in economics.
4. Communicate the study’s analysis and arguments in a clear and concise style that is suitable for economics journals.
5. Deliver effective oral research presentations.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

CRAWFORD ACADEMIC SKILLS

The Crawford School of Public Policy has its own Academic Skills team dedicated to helping students to understand the academic expectations of studying at Crawford and succeed in their chosen program of study. Through individual appointments, course-embedded workshops and online resources, Crawford Academic Skills provides tailored advice to students keen to develop their academic reading, thinking, planning, writing, and presentation skills.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: Course introduction and special topic	Lecturer: Ryan Edwards and guest
2	Week 2: Empirical strategies in economics and special topic	Lecturer: Ryan Edwards and guest
3	Week 3: Data, software, and writing your proposal, and special topic	Lecturer: Ryan Edwards and guest
4	Week 4: Writing your research essay and special topic	Lecturer: Ryan Edwards and guest
5	Week 5: Presenting and discussing research and special topic	Lecturer: Ryan Edwards and guest
6	Week 6: Proposal presentations and discussant for the proposal of another student
7	Week 7: Research week	This week time is set aside for individual research work.
8	Week 8: Research week	This week time is set aside for individual research work.
9	Week 9: Research week	This week time is set aside for individual research work.
10	Week 10: Research week	This week time is set aside for individual research work.
11	Week 11: Practice presentations	There will be an optional session for students who would like feedback on their presentation.
12	Week 12: Final presentations

Tutorial Registration

NA

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Presentation of research essay proposal	5 %	24/03/2024	07/04/2024	1,2,3,5
Research proposal	5 %	28/03/2024	07/04/2024	1,2,3
Presentation of final essay	5 %	19/05/2024	27/05/2024	1,2,3,5
Replication files or other workings	5 %	03/06/2024	15/06/2024	3
Research essay	80 %	03/06/2024	28/06/2024	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Presentation of research essay proposal

Proposal presentation: oral presentation of your research question, how the current literature relates to your question and your research plan.

Duration: 5 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions. Each student is also required to provide a 2-minute comment on the proposal of another student in the format of being a discussant as a peer-to-peer learning component. Students are required to provide a copy of their proposal and presentation to their discussant with enough time for them to prepare their remarks.

Due date week 6 of IDEC8011

Assessment Task 2

Research proposal

Research proposal: describe the economic issue that your Masters Research Essay will address, specifically the question you will answer; critique the existing literature on the topic of your essay with a focus on how the literature relates specifically to your question and the relative contribution of your essay; outline your research plan, and explain and justify the approach that you intend to use to answer your research question.

Proposal length is 2 A4 pages, 1.15 spacing, 11 pt font. Focus on being clear and concise.

Due date week 6 of IDEC8011

Assessment Task 3

Presentation of final essay

Oral presentation of your final essay. This assessment is compulsory. Failing to make a final presentation will result in failing the course. The final presentation can be rescheduled due to illness and other legitimate reasons.

Duration: 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions. Each student is also required to provide a 2-minute comment on the proposal of another student in the format of being a discussant as a peer-to-peer learning component. Students are required to provide a copy of their proposal and presentation to their discussant with enough time for them to prepare their remarks.

Due date week 12 of IDEC8011

Assessment Task 4

Replication files or other workings

Submit a copy of your data and any computer code or programs written or compiled to generate your results. If you choose not to undertake a project that has an empirical component, you should discuss this component of assessment with the lecturer during the semester to determine the appropriate evidence required for your particular project. This assessment is compulsory. Failure to submit data/code will result in failing the course.

Due date: two weeks from the last day of the semester in IDEC8011.

Assessment Task 5

Research essay

Conduct original research and analysis in economics; write a research paper in the style used in leading economics journals; make an original contribution to an economic issue. The contribution may be to the public policy debate or to developing and extending economic knowledge. Students are to develop a wide range of practical research skills, such as clear and concise writing, research design and econometrics, and discussing and reviewing economics research.

Length: Maximum 7,000 words double spaced at font size 12, excluding references, tables, figures, and supplementary materials, which should be placed at the end of the manuscript.

Due date: two weeks from the last day of the semester in IDEC8011.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students