OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of this course is to give students an opportunity to engage in an independent study, with limited supervision and  guidance. This will be achieved through a program designed to expose students to the following:

       *data collection and organization
       *data analyses and statistical competence
       *data presentation and interpretation
       *quality scientific paper writing
       *erbal presentation of research proposals and findings in seminars.
       *conduct of oral examinations and job interviews

The rationale behind offering this course is to prepare students in  areas of proposal writing, research interpretation and publication. The course will be taught in a series of lectures and tutorials as well as seminars. Marks will be allocated to all seminar(s) and assignment(s) given both of which contribute to continuous assessment. Such assignments maybe given without notice. Failure of a student to submit an assignment results in that student getting no marks on that particular exercise.

 COURSE ORGANIZATION

Lectures and Tutorials    Monday  0900-1000  Seminar Room 3 (LM)
                                    Wednesday 0800-0900  Computer Rm/Sem Rm 2 (AN)
Animal Science Seminars   Wednesday 1400-1600  Seminar Room 3 (AN)                     Research                  Mon-Sun - 3 hs/wk Laboratory/ Library/ Computer Assignments Content
                          *Project report writing
                          *Communication skills (use of English)
                          *Statistics and statistical packages
                          *Data interpretation
GRADING

 Variable                                                % contribution

 Continuous assessment                                         20

 Seminar                                                              10

 Oral examination                                                  10

 Final Dissertation                                                  60

 Total                                                                 100

 Continuos Assessment
This comprises project report writing, assignments in statistics and communication skills and departmental seminars. Such assignments will  be administered by any members of the academic staff involved in the  course. In this respect, the follawing dates are important as regards  submission of components of the, research project. Students are warned that failure to submit prior to or on the required date results in the deduction of a total of 10 points for every week late.  However, this  does not apply to the Final Bound Dissertation. Failure to submit the  dissertation on 15 October' 1996 automatically means the student fails  the class and will be required to repeat the course the following year.

Component                                                              Due date

* Introduction, Review, Materials and Methods          Wed, May 29 1996

* Results and Discussion                                           Wed, Aug. 07 1996

* Completed Bound Dissertation                                 Fri, Oct. 18 1996

Seminars
In term 1, each student is required to present a 10 minute seminar on  their proposal. Presentation should consist of a brief background,  justification, objectives of study and experimental design.  At the end  of the year, each student is required give a 20 minute presentation of his/her project. The presentation will consist of a brief literature review, objectives, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusion or implications of their research.

Within the department, there are departmental seminars scheduled every  Wednesday 14:00 to 16:00  hs, unless stated otherwise. Attendance to  these seminars is COMPULSORY. They contribute to continuous assessment.
An assignment will be given after every seminar.

Oral Examination
In order to train and impart confidence in students, it is necessary  to conduct mock oral examinations. This will be carried out during the  second and third terms prior to the final examinations. The advantage of carrying out the examination at this time is that, it will assist students in their revision and the experience of the examination will still be fresh in the students' minds when the real oral examination is conducted at the end of the year.

The end of year oral examination will involve a panel of examiners which  comprises the Chairman of Department, External Examiners, Internal   Examiner and the Student's Supervisor(s). Just as the mock oral examination, this will include all the courses covered in the whole degree program, their applications to  the agricultural industry and  the student's project. The examination for each student is scheduled to last 15 minutes.

 Assignments and Dissertation
Students should submit well written project assignments within stipulated deadlines (see above).

 Project Preparation and Presentation
This is one of the most important components of the research protocol. The final research report should provide a concise, but detailed account  of how the research was conducted, results obtained and an informed interpretation and discussion of what the results mean. The final  report should not exceed 30  pages, inclusive of appendices and tables.  The report must be written in simple English and should be readable to  anyone who needs to follow the research.  To standardize reports, each  project report MUST CONFORM to guidelines as outlined in this communication.

Guidelines for Students
 Project Submission
Students must submit three copies of the project, typed double spaced.  A font with fixed character width (Courier 10 cpi) should be used. All pages, including pages on literature cited, tables, figures etc, must be numbered consecutively. The numbering of pages should be at the
top right hand corner of each page.

 Preparation of Project Report
The publication by Professor Swappenhauster, "Thesis Guidelines for the  Sciences", should be used as a general reference. However, the project  report should be presented with the following major headings:
        Abstract
        Introduction
        Objectives
        Review of Literature (Background)
        Materials and Methods (Procedures)
        Results
        Discussion
        Conclusion or Implications
        Literature Cited (References)
        Appendices

In the final project report, all major headings must be centred and highlighted (i.e. bold).

Although what follows is a general guideline as to what is expected to  be in the specific sections of the project report, it is the prerogative of the student advisor to guide the student and clarify what is appropriate for any specific project.

 Abstract
The abstract appears at the beginning of the project report, typed single spaced and must not exceed a page.  The abstract should  summarize the objective(s), experimental design or how the experiment  was conducted and the pertinent results. The abstract must conclude  with one or two sentences that highlight important conclusions.

 Introduction
The introduction follows the abstract and should not exceed 1'/2 pages.  The introduction briefly states the problem and justifies the research  and specifies the hypotheses to be tested. The objective(s) of the study  should be clearly, but concisely spelt out. Extensive discussion on relevant literature should be included in the review of literature, not  in the introduction.

 Review of Literature
This gives a comprehensive background literature to the research to be  conducted. Information should be limited to relevant literature pertaining to the study. References should be cited at all times to support specific biological concepts or statements.  Refer to the Journal of Animal Science for examples of correct referencing within text.

 Materials and Methods
Data in this section include all methodology used in conducting the research, for example, diets, animal (breed, sex, age, weight),  weighing conditions, surgical techniques, physical and chemical   analyses, measurements and statistical models employed. The data   should be presented under relevant sub-headings.

 Statistics
Although biology needs to be emphasized, the use of incorrect or inadequate statistical methods to analyze and interpret data is not  acceptable. It is recommended that students and advisors consult a statistician. The statistical model, classes, blocks, and experimental units must be clearly stated.  Mention of a statistcal package, e.g.  GLM-SAS model (SAS, 1987) without reporting the sources of variation and other relevant features of analysis is not sufficient. It is
recommended that students understand experimental design(s) used to   allow them  to make meaningful inference.

 Results
Results may be combined with discussion, i.e. Results and Discussion.  However, if the results are presented on their own section, there is no need for discussion within that section. When feasible, results should be presented in tabular form. Where results are tabulated, text should briefly explain or elaborate on tabular data, but numbers should not be  repeated extensively within the text. Statistical levels of significance, e.g., P < 0.05 should be included in data presentation in the results section.

Discussion
The discussion (which may be included with results) should interpret  the results clearly and concisely in terms of biological mechanisms  and  significance, in context with available literature. Statistical levels of significance must not be included in the discussion, nor an explanation of materials and methods.  Citations of literature should  accompany biological phenomena and explanations.

 Conclusion (or Implications)
This section summarizes the major findings of the project (in a few sentences) and indicates what the findings of the research  imply to  animal production and(or) biology.  The conclusions should also highlight further areas of research generated from the present findings.

 Literature Cited
All references cited should be arranged chronologically in text and listed in alphabetical order at the end. Examples of referencing to be used in the project report can be obtained from any recent Journal of Animal Science publication.

 Appendices
To provide advisors and examiners (internal and external) with full information, this section should contain summaries of collected and  tested data, such as measurements, and give detail on analytical procedures used (examples of statistical analyses such  as a  table of  Analysis of Variance, or student t-test must be included).

 Communication Skis
This will be a taught section of AS360 and will include tutorials. The objectives of this section are to empower students with skills in the  use of library services, computers, data interpretation, scientific writing, seminar presentation and handling  oral examinations and job interviews. This section of the course will also attempt to encourage students to participate during discussions in departmental seminars and farm visits.

The main criticism coming from the External Examiners of last year was the inadequate presentation of results, discussion and conclusion by most students. In some cases, the conclusion and abstract were totally missing from some dissertations. This was in contrast to well researched introductions, reviews as well as good procedures. In an attempt to correct this problem, supervisors of students are encouraged to remind their students that submission of Results and Discussion have been brought forward.