2019-20

Student Handbook
Version 1.0

MSc Clinical and Therapeutic

Neuroscience

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Table of Contents
1. FOREWARD ............................................................................................................................. 4
The Handbook......................................................................................................................... 4
WELCOME ............................................................................................................................... 5
KEY CONTACTS ........................................................................................................................ 6
Key dates................................................................................................................................. 7
2. COURSE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE ...................................................................................... 8
Overview ................................................................................................................................. 8
Course aims ............................................................................................................................ 8
Program Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 8
Course Structure ..................................................................................................................... 9
3. TEACHING AND LEARNING ................................................................................................... 12
Organisation of teaching and learning ................................................................................. 12
Practical classes .................................................................................................................... 13
Project rotations and allocation guidelines .......................................................................... 13
Health and safety .................................................................................................................. 13
Expectations of study and student workload ....................................................................... 13
Reading list............................................................................................................................ 15
4. ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................................................... 16
Informal (formative) assessment (coursework) ................................................................... 16
Formal (summative) assessment (coursework) .................................................................... 16
Feedback on formative and summative assessments .......................................................... 19
Good academic practice and avoiding plagiarism ................................................................ 19
5. SKILLS AND LEARNING DEVELOPMENT................................................................................. 20
Induction ............................................................................................................................... 20
Graduate studies meetings ................................................................................................... 21
Journal clubs ......................................................................................................................... 21
Opportunities to engage in departmental and neuroscience research communities ......... 21
Opportunities for skills training and development............................................................... 21
Career information and advice ............................................................................................. 21
6. STUDENT REPRESENTATION, EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK ................................................ 22
Departmental representation............................................................................................... 22
Divisional and University representation ............................................................................. 22
Opportunities to provide evaluation and feedback ............................................................. 22
7. STUDENT LIFE AND SUPPORT ............................................................................................... 22
Who to contact for help ....................................................................................................... 22
Departmental Support .......................................................................................................... 22
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 College Support .................................................................................................................... 23
Complaints and academic appeals within the Department of Psychiatry............................ 24
Complaints ............................................................................................................................ 24
Academic appeals ................................................................................................................. 25
Policies and Regulations ....................................................................................................... 25
Student Societies .................................................................................................................. 25
Oxford University Sport ........................................................................................................ 25
University Club (Graduates).................................................................................................. 25
8. FACILITIES.............................................................................................................................. 26
Oxford University Student Union ......................................................................................... 26
MSc Office ............................................................................................................................. 26
Libraries/Museums ............................................................................................................... 26
Information Technology (IT) ................................................................................................. 27
IT Services ............................................................................................................................. 27
Training ................................................................................................................................. 27
Help Centre ........................................................................................................................... 27
ANNEXE 1- STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES .................................................................................. 28
ANNEXE 2- EXAMINATION REGULATIONS ................................................................................ 30
ANNEXE 3- EXAMINATION CONVENTIONS ............................................................................... 31
ANNEXE 4 - PLAGIARISM........................................................................................................... 39
ANNEXE 5 – HEALTH ADVICE .................................................................................................... 43
ANNEXE 6 – INDUCTION AND MSC TIMETABLE ....................................................................... 46
ANNEXE 7 – DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ........................................................................... 46
ANNEXE 8 – NOTES ON POSTER PREPARATION ....................................................................... 52
ANNEXE 9 – MAPS.................................................................................................................... 52

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1. FOREWARD

The Handbook
This handbook applies to students starting the MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic
Neuroscience course in Michaelmas term 2019. The information in this handbook
may be different for students starting in others years.

The Examination Regulations relating to this course are available at

(www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs). If there is a conflict between information in this
handbook and the Examination Regulations then you should follow the Examination
Regulations. Our handbook can also be viewed on our Canvas site
https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/

If you have any concerns please contact Professor Philip Burnet, Course Director and
Director for Graduate Studies (phil.burnet@psych.ox.ac.uk) or Professor Zameel
Cader, Deputy Course Director (zam.cader@ndcn.ox.ac.uk).

The information in this handbook is accurate as at 1st October 2019, however it may
be necessary for changes to be made in certain circumstances, as explained at
www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/coursechanges webpage). If such changes are made the
department will publish a new version of this handbook together with a list of the
changes and students will be informed.

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WELCOME

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
The Department of Psychiatry is committed to the translation of scientific discovery into
benefits for patients. Our ability to study and teach brain disorders from ‘cell to patient’
is a strategic imperative of this Department, and is delivered by excellent pre-clinical
and clinical research teams. Its role is to champion its patients' interest by making basic
research applicable to the causes, the diagnosis, and the treatment of disease. The
department uses clinical and patient observation and experience to motivate and direct basic
research, where it is likely to help real life problems. It has built expertise and extensive
networks in a variety of research fields from molecular biology to brain imaging, from
epidemiology to behavior, bringing together clinicians and scientists in all our research groups,
and collaborating with leading experts in other departments and institutions.

Teaching and learning on the MSc course will engage Psychiatry’s strong links with other
Oxford University centres involved in the neurosciences including, Pharmacology, DPAG,
Experimental Psychology, NDCN and OHBA; with the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and
with the NIHR Oxford Cognitive Health Clinical Research Facility. You will benefit from small
group teaching and also from close working relationships with your Academic Advisor and
Project Supervisors. It will be intensive, but we very much hope that you will also find it
rewarding.

We wish you the very best for the coming year.

Professor John Geddes Associate Professor Philip Burnet

Head of Department Course Director

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KEY CONTACTS

Academic Team
Professor Philip Burnet, Course Director, Director of Graduate Studies (Psychiatry)
Email: phil.burnet@psych.ox.ac.uk, Tel: 618327

Professor Zameel Cader, Deputy Course Director, (Nuffield Department of Clinical

Neurology)
Email: zam.cader@ndcn.ox.ac.uk, Tel: 07824499175

Mrs Tracy Lindsey, Course Administrator and Graduate Studies Administrator

(Psychiatry)
Email: tracy.lindsey@psych.ox.ac.uk, Tel: 618209

Student Representatives
Miss Maike Van niekerk, Departmental Graduate Student Representative
Email: maike.vanniekerk@sjc.ox.ac.uk Tel: 613178

Miss Eloise Stark, Student Representative for ATHENA Swan

Email: eloise.stark@psych.ox.ac.uk Tel: 613125

One student representative for the MSc course will be elected by the MSc students at
the beginning of Michaelmas term. Students are encouraged to participate in the
governance, evaluation and development of their course of study and are consulted
on a variety of issues. A full description of the role of student representative is
available in Annexe 1.

Psychiatry Disability Lead

Mrs Philly White, HR Manager
Email: philly.white@psych.ox.ac.uk, Tel: 618204

Department Reception:
Ms Pavlina Gatou, Departmental Receptionist
Email: reception@psych.ox.ac.uk, Tel: 618200

Maps: A map of the Warneford, Old Road Campus and John Radcliffe Hospital sites
are provided in Annexe 9.

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Key dates

Michaelmas Term: Sunday 13th October – Saturday 7th December 2019

Monday 7th – Friday 11th October: Departmental and College inductions

Monday 14th October: Course begins
Friday 29th November: Submit project rotation choices
Monday 9th December: Qualifying exam*

Hilary Term: Sunday 19th January – Saturday 14th March 2020

Monday 20th January: Module 3 starts

Friday 24th January: Submit first assessed essay title for approval
Thursday 20th February (12 noon): Submit first assessed essay
Friday 21st February: Submit second assessed essay title for approval
Wednesday 19th March: Neuroscience Symposium
Thursday 26th March (12 noon): Submit second assessed essay
Thursday 2nd April (12 noon): Submit first dissertation

Trinity Term (and summer): Sunday 26th April – Saturday 15th August 2020
Monday 27th April: Module 5 starts
st
Friday 1 May: Submit third assessed essay title for approval
th
Thursday 28 May (12 noon): Submit third assessed essay
st
Monday 1 June: Submit fourth assessed essay title for approval
nd
Thursday 2 July (12 noon): Submit fourth assessed essay
th
Thursday 13 August (12 noon): Submit second dissertation

Poster viva voce: 4th September 2020.

*Resits will be held in “0th” week of Hilary Term (13th- 17th January, 2020).

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2. COURSE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE

Overview
The University Awards Framework (UAF) is an overarching description of the
qualifications and awards which the University offers. It positions those qualifications
at the appropriate level of the
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications of UK degree awarding bodies in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ) and takes into account the qualification
characteristics which form part of the Quality Code. Further details are available at:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/educationco
mmittee/documents/policyguidance/University_awards_framework_1Aug17.pdf

The full title of the award for this course is Master of Science in Clinical and
Therapeutic Neuroscience, FHEQ Level 7. It is a one year full-time course. Detailed
regulations for particular qualifications are contained with the Examination
Regulations for that award.

Course Aims
The MSc Taught Course in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience aims to provide
students with:
 a broad knowledge of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders and their
current treatments and management
 direct experience in integrative, multidisciplinary and novel pre-clinical and
clinical research investigation for treatment discovery
 an understanding to critically appraise research methods and experimental
results
 familiarity in conceptualising and designing experimental protocols and clinical
trials for drug/treatment discovery
 an opportunity to communicate research results and their clinical implications
to a wide audience

Program Outcomes
KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICAL SKILLS
Graduates from the MSc course in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience students
will be able to:
 Review the contemporary pathophysiological theories, epidemiology and
genetics of brain disorders.
 Know the principal classes of drugs and interventions used in disorders of the
central nervous system, and provide examples of the current therapeutic
needs
 Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary in vitro and in vivo modelling
of brain disorders and their limitations.
 Exhibit awareness of the drug/treatment discovery screening tools available,
and the nature of the biomarker that is relevant to each brain illness.
 Critically appraise the role that in silico, in vitro and in vivo medicinal chemistry
and pharmacology play in drug discovery and development.
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  Apply a wide range of experimental techniques, and design and execute experimental
protocols.
 Display transferable skills in human intervention studies and the analyses of
their data; knowledge of new technologies to monitor both the drug and
psychological treatments of patients.
 Implement essential statistical concepts to interpret studies and be able to
consider translation of evidence into practice.
 Engage in debate with others and be able to consider the best evidence for different
scientific hypotheses
 Develop confidence, independence and an investigative approach drug and treatment
discovery;
 Possess a clear view of the possible career paths following completion of their degree.

KEY TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Graduates will also have the ability to:
 Manage information effectively by undertaking research tasks and compiling
reviews.
 Interpret data and carry out experimental work (problem solving skills)
 Learn, manage, and undertake tasks with minimum guidance
 Reflect on own and others’ work via coursework feedback, project dissertation,
critical reviews of scientific articles and peer evaluation (self-evaluation skills)
 Communicate effectively in oral, written and poster presentations, using print
and electronic resources, reporting information and ideas clearly,
autonomously and competently
 Use a full range of software and learning resources
 Work effectively as a team member

Course Structure

MICHAELMAS TERM (MT)

The teaching in this term will be structured as follows:

Module 1: The Psychopathology, Clinical features, and Molecular Neuropathology of

Brain Disorders

Objective: To provide knowledge and understanding of psychosis, mood disorders,

dementias, neurodegenerative disorders, movement disorders, epilepsy, headache
and chronic pain, neuro-inflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis,
encephalopathies
Module 2: Pharmacological, Neurological and Psychological Treatments

Objective: To appraise conventional treatments with antidepressants, dopamine-

based therapies, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants, deep brain stimulation,
transcranial stimulation, cognitive/mindfulness therapies, and highlight their
limitations.

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Lectures
Students will be taught the current theories of the epidemiology, pathophysiology,
diagnosis and prognosis of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, and the
neuroanatomical regions affected. Fundamental knowledge of currently available
pharmacological and psychological treatments, and the structure and properties of
drugs will also be provided. There will also be a requirement to attend some lectures
provided in the MSc Pharmacology course, so that students of varied backgrounds
attain equal knowledge of neuroscience and pharmacology in preparation for the
following terms’ teaching.

Seminars and additional teaching

All students will receive seminars on ethics and neuroscience, essay writing, and
information about their project rotations. Each seminar will provide written
information and guidance for students.

HILARY TERM (HT)

The teaching in this term will be structured as follows:
Module 3: Medicinal Chemistry and Computational Modelling

Objective: To afford information on molecular structures and modelling,

pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, principles of drug discovery, molecular cell
biology underpinning drug discovery, drug metabolism, and how this knowledge with
expedite drug discovery.
Module 4: Experimental Models

Objective: To provide insight into available technologies and strategies for brain drug
discovery including: molecular and cellular phenotypes, induced pluripotent stem
cells models, single cell approaches in neurobiology, animal models, human
experimental models, target discovery and validation, genome engineering.
Lectures
The first module will focus on medicinal chemistry, the power of computational
biology in this field, and the limitations of these strategies. The second module will
evaluate current methods to establish disease models, their limitations and synergies.

Seminars, additional teaching and journal club

All students will be provided instruction on dissertation writing and preparation of
posters. In preparation for analyses of project data, students will also receive teaching
in basic statistics. Students will also attend a journal club to critically appraise a
research article on the topics covered this term.

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Practical classes
Students will be taught with interactive computer-based teaching aids, how X-ray
diffraction data can be interpreted to provide detailed protein structures for drug
discovery (1 class, 3 hours). Another class will show students how to set up a cell-based
assay (1 class, 3 hours).

Research project rotation

Students complete two 12 week laboratory/clinical placements during the year. They
visit research labs/groups in their first term and select their first and provisional
second project towards the end of the first term in consultation with the Organising
Committee (the second project should then be confirmed early in the third term). The
projects cover a very wide range of topics ranging from molecular to cognitive studies.
The list of available projects varies from year to year; typically, experimental
approaches include molecular methods, in vitro and in vivo measurements fMRI, EEG,
MEG and behavioural testing in animals and in humans, including studies in patients.
In addition, purely computational projects are usually available.

TRINITY TERM (TT)

The teaching in this term will be structured as follows:
Module 5: Bioassays and Biomarkers

Objective: High throughput/high content/phenotypic screening in drug discovery,

protein arrays, biomarkers and screening, brain imaging approaches, acquisition and
management of ‘big data’, ethics.
Module 6: Clinical Trials, Mobile Technology and Digital Health
Objective: Neuroscience and ethics, ethical governance, principles and design of
clinical trials, data management and analysis, trial monitoring, mobile technology for
patient monitoring, current advances in digital health.

Lectures
The first module will examine the process of establishing drug screening assays and
subsequent assay requirements for moving from hit to lead compounds and proof of
concept experiments. The science of biomarkers, particularly brain imaging in
psychiatric and neurological disorders will also be covered. The final module will focus
on conventional and novel human intervention studies, their management and their
limitations.

Seminars and journal club

All students will receive seminars on an example of how computational modelling in
psychology, and the laws governing clinical trials. Students will attend a journal club to
critically appraise a research article on the topics covered this term.

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Practical classes
Students will be taught with interactive computer-based teaching aids, how MRI data
can be analysed and interpreted (1 class, 3 hours). The same teaching methods will be
used to provide knowledge of clinical trial data analyses (1 class, 3 hours).

Research project rotation

Students complete their second 12 week research placement during this term.

3. TEACHING AND LEARNING

Organisation of teaching and learning

The MSc course will be delivered through a range of methods, including lectures,
seminars, student presentations, practical classes, research projects, and self-directed
learning and study. Each of the modules will be comprise of a series of lectures, with
accompanying seminars and, in some cases, practical sessions that involve assessing
and interpreting archive empirical data, and applying the concepts and methods
learned during the lectures. These various teaching approaches therefore allow
students to develop their conceptual, analytical, and communication skills that are
essential in a research career. The provision of these teaching and learning elements
will be administered from the Department of Psychiatry and will be delivered by
teaching staff therein, and from the departments of Pharmacology, Nuffield
Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and research Centres within the Nuffield
Department of Medicine.

A detailed timetable (Michaelmas Term only) is available in Annexe 9. In addition to

the course teaching, students are expected to attend the Tuesday morning Psychiatry
Departmental seminars given by internal and external specialists in neuroscience and
mental health, and engage in other established activities that run for Psychiatry
students studying for an MSc by and a DPhil.

Early in the course, students will attend a departmental career talk where a
representative from Career Services goes through the career decision process, gives
ideas for career outside academia and provides an overview on how the Careers
Service can support students. Students will also have the opportunity to meet invited
speakers directly from pharmaceutical companies.

Students will be encouraged to attend a one-to-one session with the Careers Service
to improve their CV, to write a successful personal statement and to practice interview
skills.

If you have any issues with teaching or supervision please raise these as soon as
possible with the Director of Graduate Studies (Professor Philip Burnet) so that they
can be addressed promptly.

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Practical classes
These classes will assist in the acquisition of analytical skills required for the processing
of structural biology, brain imaging and clinical trial data. These abilities are crucial for
engaging in the early and final stages of drug/treatment discovery, where initial
molecular modelling biomarkers and clinical outcomes are key for validating novel
interventions. Students will be taught, therefore, how to analyse X-ray diffraction,
brain imaging and clinical trial data, and how to set up a cell-based assay. Although
these classes are not assessed, it is compulsory for all students to attend them.

Project rotations and allocation guidelines

The research projects are intended to provide training and experience in hypothesis-
driven academic laboratory and clinical research. It is important that students’ work is
discussed regularly with their supervisor. Students should arrange weekly meetings to
discuss progress and planning of experiments.

Project supervisors will be happy to provide guidance and feedback on the 6,000 word
Dissertations (see Summative assessment section). In addition to supervisors, help
may also be received from others within the research group (postdoctoral scientists
and PhD students).

At the start of Michaelmas Term, all candidates will receive a list of projects, and the
names and contact information of supervisors offering the placements. Students will
be expected to discuss their preferred projects with the appropriate supervisor, and
list their top three. These choices will then be submitted to the Course Director by
week 8 of Michaelmas Term. If more than 1 student is interested in the same project,
results on the qualifying exam will be taken into account before the final allocation will
be made and announced by the beginning of the Hilary Term. A seminar early in the
Michaelmas Term will provide students with general information on choosing projects
and approaching supervisors, and who to approach for advice.

Health and safety

There will be a general health and safety induction in the first week of Michaelmas
term during which guidelines in relation to safety in the work place, laboratory and
clinical settings will be provided. Good laboratory and clinical practice will also be
reviewed. Students are expected to adhere to these guidelines at all times while
attending the course.

At the start of their project rotations in laboratories, students will be provided with
the necessary personal protective equipment where necessary (eg a laboratory coat,
safety glasses) and will be briefed on safety prior to the commencement of work.

Expectations of study and student workload

All students are required to complete all course assessments which include an exam,
four essays, two dissertations and an oral poster presentation. If students fail to
complete assessment without good reason, they are permitted one resit but the
mark from this re-sit is capped at the pass mark. Failure of any resit, through poor

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academic performance or through non-attendance at an examination/non-
submission of an assignment, will result in failure of the degree as a whole.
Late submission of written assignments will be penalised as set out in the Examination
Conventions, and may result in failure of the assessment unit. If there are any
extenuating circumstance regarding your examination or assessment that need to be
taken into account at any point during your studies, then you should inform your
College and the Course Director as soon as you become aware of the mitigating
circumstance. We expect students to be on time to all scheduled classes.

This is a full-time one-year course. Students are expected to work for about 44-46
weeks in Oxford, and to spend about 20-25 hours per week on independent reading
and work on essays and journal presentations. Typically, there will be no more than
15hours per week of contact time with teaching staff for every term. Note that
students are expected to study around material covered in lectures in their own time.
Use of lecture material in examinations and other assessed coursework will allow
students to achieve ‘pass’ grades but will not provide them with a ’merit’ or
‘distinction’, for which they will need additional reading and study. Students will have
free time allocated within the timetable and they should use it wisely.

From January until the end of August students will be working on two projects in
designated laboratories/facilities. The project supervisors will make clear what the
specific expectations are while working in their team in terms of hours, weekly
meetings and responsibilities. The number of hours students spend working on their
project vary depending on the project. Typically, students work no more than 8 hours
every day (Monday to Friday) until completion of their project. However, a project
might involve out of hours work (evenings and weekends) under supervision and
following approval from the Department.

Student responsibilities

1) Attend all lectures, seminars, tutorials, journal clubs, practical classes, and the
departmental seminars during term time. The University has a clear policy on the
recording of lectures and other formal teaching sessions. The full policy is available
at:
https://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/educationc
ommittee/documents/policyguidance/Policy_on_the_recording_of_lectures_and_ot
her_formal_teaching_sessions_by_students.pdf

2) Do not use mobile phones during classes/practical sessions. Phones should be kept
on a silent mode, but students can leave the room if they have an urgent telephone
call.

3) Students are responsible for their own academic progress. This means that we
expect a certain degree of independence. Repeated unexplained absence is
considered unacceptable. Illnesses should be reported to the Course Director as soon
as possible. More than 3 days of absence due to illness should be accompanied by a
certificate from the College nurse or a medical doctor.

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4) Students are expected to identify their own academic weaknesses and be proactive
in dealing with these. This might mean consulting the assigned Academic Advisor or
the Course Director for advice and opportunities for further training, or seek support
in relation to heavy workload and other difficulties arising during the course (see
7.STUDENT LIFE AND SUPPORT below).

5) The University recommends that full-time graduate students on a taught course

(such as a Master’s degree) do not undertake more than eight hours paid work each
week while studying. For more information, refer to:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/edc/policiesandguidance/policyonpaidwork.

Reading list

Reviews:

 Pankevich DE, Altevogt BM, Dunlop J, Gage FH, Hyman SE (2014). Improving
and accelerating drug development for nervous system disorders. Neuron.
84:546-53.
 Wang Z, Wang SN, Xu TY, Miao ZW, Su DF, Miao CY (2017). Organoid
technology for brain and therapeutics research. CNS Neurosci Ther. 23: 771-
778.
 Huang W, Whittaker K, Zhang H, Wu J, Zhu SW, Huang RP (2018). Integration
of Antibody Array Technology into Drug Discovery and Development. Assay
Drug Dev Technol. 16:74-95.
 Tae WS, Ham BJ, Pyun SB, Kang SH, Kim BJ (2018). Current Clinical
Applications of Diffusion-Tensor Imaging in Neurological Disorders. J Clin
Neurol. 14: 129-140
 Pasternak O, Kelly S, Sydnor VJ, Shenton ME (2018). Advances in
microstructural diffusion neuroimaging for psychiatric disorders. Neuroimage.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.04.051
 Chinner A, Blane J, Lancaster C, Hinds C, Koychev I (2018). Digital technologies
for the assessment of cognition: a clinical review. Evid Based Ment Health.
21:67-71.

Suggested text books (available in the Department of Psychiatry):

 Basic principles of Drug Discovery and Development, by BE Blass, Academic

Press, 2015.
 Neurobiology of Brain Disorders: Biological Basis of Neurological and
Psychiatric Disorders, Edited by MJ Zigmond, JT Coyle, LP Rowland, Academic
Press, (2014)

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4. ASSESSMENT

Informal (formative) assessment (coursework)

Formative assessment does not form part of the final mark of the degree but is
intended to foster development and improvement within an ongoing activity and is
considered an integrative part of learning and teaching throughout the course. The
following sections describe opportunities for formative assessment in the course.

ESSAYS IN MICHAELMAS TERM

A 3,000 word essay on a topic based on the Michaelmas Term material, chosen by the
student and approved by assigned Academic Advisor will be informally assessed and
feedback given. A short seminar on how to write an essay will be provided prior to this
assignment. This seminar will also provide detailed instructions on how to upload all
assessed work onto the WebLearn site.

In general, students are expected to use the essays to explore topics in some depth
and encourage individual analysis and thought. Students should spend time
researching background for essays and provide a detailed reference list. Essays should
begin with a broad introduction informing readers of the aims for the rest of the essay.
The work should be organised with the main essay in headings and subheadings and
include diagrams for clarity. Appropriate citation of relevant scientific literature is
compulsory, and discussions of considerations for future development in the
conclusion of the essay, are strongly advised. Citations and the alphabetical list of
references should be in the style of the Journal of Neuroscience (see References section
under ‘Preparing a manuscript’ in: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/information-
authors#preparing_a_manuscript).

Formal (summative) assessment (coursework)

EXAMS
The Qualifying exam is an assessment of the basic understanding of psychiatric and
neurological disorders and their current treatment/management in the form of a
computer-based ‘best answer question’ exam.

ESSAYS IN HILARY AND TRINITY TERMS

Students will be required to submit an essay of no more than 3,000 words with
references, on a topic from each of the modules covered in the second and third terms
(four essays in total between them contributing 25% of the final degree mark).
Candidates will propose their own essay titles, which will be subject to approval by the
Organising Committee. Candidates must submit their proposed titles based on the
material covered in the corresponding lecture module by deadlines determined by the
Organising Committee (see Key dates, p8 and Examination Conventions, p32).
Candidates must submit a word count with their work. Citations and referencing styles
should be as stated for formative essays (see above: Essays in Michaelmas Term).
Bibliographies, tables, appendices and references are not included in the word count.
Footnotes and endnotes are included. All students are required to complete the
16
Declaration of Authorship as part of this course work (Annexe 7). All essays must be submitted
electronically onto the WebLearn site.
Written feedback from the examiners, which will detail the strengths and weaknesses
of the essay, will be given to students as soon as possible after submission. Essay
marks, however, will only be released with the final grade at the end of the course.

RESEARCH PROJECT DISSERTATIONS

Students will be required to complete two 12 week projects, one in the second and
one in the third term, in parallel with ongoing lectures and written assignments.
The projects can be laboratory-based, and/or in a clinical setting. The topic will be
chosen through consultation with the supervisors offering the projects and the
students who will receive a list of projects at the beginning of Michaelmas term, and a
seminar detailing this part of the course. The MSc Organising Committee will ensure
that the number of projects available will exceed the number of projects required (40),
with the aim that all students are allocated placements in areas they would prefer to
develop.
Some supervisors will offer more than one project. Project dissertations should not
exceed 6,000 words (excluding tables, appendices, references), and are in general to
be written up in traditional journal format to include:
 An accurate and concise title that describes the work
 Introduction and background
 Methods, Materials, Participants
 Results
 Discussion
 References
However, students may need to modify the dissertation structure according to the
study design, and this should be discussed with their supervisor at an early stage. All
citations and list of references must be in the style that is required for essays (p17).

Supervisors are expected to ensure all students receive formal inductions into the
research facility, including local health and safety requirements, and guarantee
additional technical support from their own research group. Throughout the project,
supervisors should discuss with students their ongoing experiments, as well as provide
feedback on drafts of the students’ dissertations and presentations (oral and poster).
Both students and supervisors must make an informal supervision agreement at the
earliest opportunity. Supervisors will be sent information on their expectations and
responsibilities in the call for projects and when finalising student allocations. All
students are required to complete the Declaration of Authorship as part of this course
work (Annexe 7).

Written feedback of the first dissertation will be provided so that candidates can
improve when writing their second project report. Candidates should contact their

17
Academic Advisor if they wish to discuss the comments. Marks for projects will only
be released with the final grade at the end of the course.

POSTER AND VIVA VOCE

Students will be required to give a poster presentation of their second research project
to examiners (5% of the final mark). Posters must be posted in the designated room
by 3rd September 2020. Posters should be A0 in size (portrait) and the department will
cover printing costs. A seminar on how to make a poster will be given in the
Michaelmas Term, and written guidelines on the structure and data presentation is
provided in Annexe 9.

Students will be asked to give a brief oral presentation to the examiners of about 5
minutes in length while standing in front of their poster. They will then answer
questions from the examiners on the poster and on other aspects of the course for
about 10 minutes.

MARKING CRITERIA
The marking of all course work will evaluate:
 Breadth and depth of knowledge of the content covered in the course
 Understanding and command of appropriate practical and analytical skills
 Logical, critical discussion and reasoning
 Clear presentation with appropriate use of literature reviews, including correct
referencing.

FINAL MARK
The final mark for the course is determined by the students’ results in the following
assessments: Four extended essays (contributing 25%), two dissertations (each
contributing 35%), and oral presentation (5%). Although formative assessments and
the qualifying exam are compulsory, they will not contribute to the final degree grade.
Marks for assessments (which contribute to your final grade) are only available at the
end of the course. A final combined grade of 50-64% constitutes a ‘Pass’; Marks of 65-
69% will be awarded a ‘Merit’; an overall mark of 70% or above will be noted as a
‘Distinction’.

Immediately after the viva voce, the Board of Examiners will hold a meeting and decide
upon the final grades for the award of MSc. They will then announce official results.

EXAMINATION CONVENTIONS
The examination conventions are the formal record of the specific assessment
standards for the course to which they apply. They set out how your examined work
will be marked and how the resulting marks will be used to arrive at a final result and
classification of your award. They include information on: marking scales, marking and
classification criteria, scaling of marks, progression, resits, and use of viva voce
examinations, penalties for late submission, and penalties for over-length work. The
full version of the exam conventions for this course is available in Annexe 3.
18
The final version might be revised prior to examinations and students will be informed
and provided with the most-updated version. We strongly advise students to
familiarize themselves with the standards governing marking schemes and other key
sources of information relating to exams.

Information on (a) the standards of conduct expected in examinations and (b) what to
do if you would like examiners to be aware of any factors that may have affected your
performance before or during an examination (such as illness, accident or
bereavement) are available on the Oxford Students website
(www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/exams/guidance).

Feedback on formative and summative assessments

Formative assessment
Written feedback on two essays will be provided in the first term. The purpose of
formative assessment is to:
• provide guidance to those for whom extended pieces of writing are unfamiliar forms
of assessment;
• indicate areas of strength and weakness in relation to the assessment task;
• provide students with an indication of the expectations and standards towards which
they should be working.

Summative assessment
Feedback on summative assessment will be provided as final marks by the examination
board and released at the end of the course. In addition, written feedback will be
provided on dissertations. More generic feedback is also available to students through
examiners’ reports from previous years (see below under Examiners, not available for
2019-20 as this is the first year the MSc is running).

Good academic practice and avoiding plagiarism

The University definition states that: “plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or
ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work
without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in
manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may
be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. Under the regulations for examinations,
intentional or reckless plagiarism is a disciplinary offence which may incur severe
penalties, including failure of your degree or expulsion from the university”.
Students will attend a session on “How to write essays” early in Michaelmas Term
which will include guidance on referencing.

In addition, students should consult the ANNEXE 4 on Plagiarism and

http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills for good academic and
referencing practice.

19
Entering for University examinations
Students are advised to refer to the University website for further information
relating to entering for their University examinations.
www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/exams

Examination dates
A qualifying, computer-based ‘best-answer question’ examination will take place on Monday
9th December at 10am in the Medical Sciences Division Teaching Centre.

A final poster-based viva voce examination will take place on Friday 4th December from
9.30am, in the MSc room in the Department of Psychiatry.

Sitting your examination

Information on (a) the standards of conduct expected in examinations and (b) what to do if
you would like examiners to be aware of any circumstances that may have affected your
performance before or during an examination (such as illness, accident or bereavement) are
available on the Oxford Students website
(www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/exams/guidance).

EXAMINERS
Coursework forming part of the formal assessment for the degree of an MSc will be assessed
by a Board of Examiners comprising of a Chair, two internal (University of Oxford) examiners
and one external (non-University of Oxford) examiner. Current examiners and their contact
details are available in the exam conventions for the course. Students are strictly prohibited
from contacting examiners directly. If candidates are unhappy with any aspect of their
assessment they may make a complaint or appeal (see 7. STUDENT LIFE AND SUPPORT)

5. SKILLS AND LEARNING DEVELOPMENT

The MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience Course is dedicated to professional
development and aims to provide transferable skills for a career in scientific research.
Throughout the course, students have the opportunity to attend formal sessions,
participate in activities and interactive discussions to improve their skills in the
following areas:

1. Presentation skills
2. Career planning, assessing personal skills and values, curricula vitae and
interview techniques
3. Exploitation of science
4. Ethical and social issues in science and clinical practise.

Induction
A detailed induction programme to introduce student to the University and the
department takes place during 0th week, Monday 7th to Friday 11th October 2019.
Activities throughout the week are arranged separately by college, department and
Division.

20
Graduate studies meetings
Every term students studying for an MSc (by Research) or a DPhil, attend two meetings
with the Director of Graduate Studies and the graduate team. Student enrolled onto
the MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience course are also required to attend
these. The meetings allow students to present their research and develop their
presentations skills through formative feedback from their peers and the graduate
team. Speakers are also invited to these sessions so that students can hear from
inspiring, eminent individuals working in their field so as to better understand how the
topics discussed in the course can translate into practice.

Journal clubs
In Hilary and Trinity terms, journal clubs will be organised, chaired by senior members
of staff in the Department. In the journal club, two students will each discuss a recent
peer-reviewed high-quality publication on a topic relevant to their research interests.
Guided by the chairperson, students will appraise and critique all aspects of the
research, and reflect on and evaluate current evidence. Through the Journal Club
series, students will familiarise themselves with controversies and gaps in existing
knowledge and will develop skills to enable them to conduct good research in their
project rotations.

Opportunities to engage in departmental and neuroscience research

communities
In addition to attending the departmental seminars that are held on Tuesday mornings (9.30-
10.30am), students are invited to attend lectures given by internal and external speakers
during the University term time, which are held in the departments affiliated with the
course, and within the Oxford Neuroscience community.

All students are also invited to the ‘Psychiatry Away day’ which takes place all day on 23rd
January 2020 at the Richard Doll building, and to the Neuroscience Symposium on 19th
March 2020, at the Mathematics Institute, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road.

Opportunities for skills training and development

The Medical Science Division (MSD) offer a skill training program in various areas that
are relevant to post-graduate students. Students are encouraged to choose and attend
at least ONE of the courses offered throughout the academic year. For details of the
courses and booking information, you can check at:
https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/skillstraining

Creativity and team work are integral components of the learning undertaken during
research projects. Time management and learning skills are developed as part of the
structured timetable of examination and coursework submission throughout the year.
Further information on academic skills development can be found at:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills?wssl=1

Career information and advice

The University Careers Service offers an extensive range of support for students and more
detailed information is available at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/life/experience?wssl=1
and www.careers.ox.ac.uk.
21
6. STUDENT REPRESENTATION, EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK

Departmental representation
One student representative will be elected by the MSc students at the beginning of
Michaelmas term. Students are encouraged to participate in the governance,
evaluation and development of their course of study and are consulted on a variety of
issues. A full description of the role of student representative is available in Annex 1.
Details of the elected representative will be added to the MSc Canvas site.

Divisional and University representation

The MSc student representative will also be invited to attend the divisional Graduate
Joint Consultative Committee, which brings together Masters and DPhil students from
across the Medical Sciences Division. Student representatives sitting on the Divisional
Board are selected through a process organised by the Oxford University Student
Union (Oxford SU). Details can be found on the Oxford SU website along with
information about student representation at the University level.

Opportunities to provide evaluation and feedback

Students are provided with a course evaluation form to provide feedback on all aspects
of time-tabled activities for the course, at the end of each module. The summary
report of student evaluations/feedback compiled by the course Organising Committee
is reviewed by the Psychiatry Graduate Studies Committee which includes a student
representative from the MSc course. The student member will also communicate
additional views of the students to the Committee when necessary.

Additionally, Oxford students on full-time and part-time matriculated courses are

surveyed once per year on all aspects of their course (learning, living, pastoral support,
college) through the Student Barometer. Previous results can be viewed by students,
staff and the general public at: www.ox.ac.uk/students/life/feedback.

7. STUDENT LIFE AND SUPPORT

Who to contact for help
At the beginning of the course, induction sessions will be held with to discuss course
expectations, time-tabling, staff availability, practical facilities and resources. An
induction pack will also be provided to all students prior to the induction session.

Departmental Support
The Head of Department, Professor John Geddes, holds overall responsibility for the
course.

The Course Director and Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Philip Burnet and
Deputy Course Director, Professor Zam Cader provide advice and support when
necessary.

22
The Course Director Professor Philip Burnet, and the Deputy Course Director,
Professor Zameel Cader, are responsible for the academic management of the
course and its development, the academic student support and oversight of the
delivery of the course.

The graduate studies team, Mrs Tracy Lindsey and Miss Lily Simmons are
responsible for overseeing the administrative processes, liaising with the Medical
Sciences Division, the Examination Schools and the Graduate Admissions and Funding
Office.

A Project Supervisor will be allocated according to where it is agreed the student will
spend their second and third terms on their research project. During the first term, the
students should make contact with potential supervisors either in person or by email.
The project supervisor will provide advice and support on the chosen project, as well
as academic direction on dissertations. Project Supervisors can read drafts of the
project right up and discuss with the student.

An Academic Advisor who is a member of the academic staff within the departments
of Psychiatry or Clinical Neurosciences, will be assigned to each student at the
beginning of Michaelmas Term. The role as an Academic Advisor is to support and
guide students through the academic aspects of the MSc course. They will advise
on/approve suitable topics for the formative essays, which they will mark and provide
feedback to students. The will also advise on study skills, careers and choice of
projects. However, they will not read drafts of summative essays or dissertations.

During the first term, students will meet their Academic Advisor in weekly or
fortnightly meetings of variable length. In the second term, students are expected to
be more independent and so meetings may become less frequent. Ultimately
however, meeting frequency and duration will be determined by your needs and
agreed with your academic advisor

Academic Advisors are the students’ first port of call for any difficulties that may arise
during the course. They will be able to provide advice on a suitable course of action. If
any difficulties arise which students feel are unsuitable for discussion with their
Academic Advisor please contact the Course Director, Prof Phil Burnet (see also
Complaints and academic appeals within the Department of Psychiatry, below). The
Course Director will also meet each student individually once every term to discuss
progress and support so that any issues can be identified and dealt with swiftly.

College Support
Every college has their own systems of support for students. The college handbook or
website should be consulted for more information on who to contact and what
support is available through college. Details of the wide range of sources of support
are available more widely in the University are available from the Oxford Students
website (www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare), including in relation to mental and physical
health and disability. All colleges provide library and IT facilities, accommodation,
welfare support, and sports and social events. Graduate students benefit from the
Middle Common Room (MCR) in their college – both a physical space and an
organisation, it provides social events, advice, and a link to the graduate community.
23
Each college will have a Tutor for Graduates or Senior Tutor whose role includes
general oversight of all graduate members of the college, although students’ academic
studies will be directed by their department or faculty. Each graduate student has a
college adviser, a senior member of the college’s staff who will be able to offer support
and advice.

Complaints and academic appeals within the Department of Psychiatry

The University, the Medical Sciences Division and the Department of Psychiatry all
hope that provision made for students at all stages of their course of study will make
the need for complaints (about that provision) or appeals (against the outcomes of any
form of assessment) infrequent.

Where such a need arises, an informal discussion with the person immediately
responsible for the issue that you wish to complain about (and who may not be one of
the individuals identified below) is often the simplest way to achieve a satisfactory
resolution.

Many sources of advice are available from colleges, faculties/departments and bodies
like the Counselling Service or the Oxford SU Student Advice Service, which have
extensive experience in advising students. You may wish to take advice from one of
those sources before pursuing your complaint.

General areas of concern about provision affecting students as a whole should be

raised through Joint Consultative Committees or via student representation on the
faculty/department’s committees.

Complaints
If your concern or complaint relates to teaching or other provision made by the
faculty/department, then you should raise it with the Director of Graduate Studies
(Professor Philip Burnet) as appropriate. Complaints about departmental facilities
should be made to the Departmental administrator (Mrs Moira Westwood). If you feel
unable to approach one of those individuals, you may contact the Head of Department
(Professor John Geddes). The officer concerned will attempt to resolve your
concern/complaint informally.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may take your concern further by making
a formal complaint to the Proctors under the University Student Complaints Procedure
(https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/complaints).

If your concern or complaint relates to teaching or other provision made by your

college, you should raise it either with your tutor or with one of the college officers,
Senior Tutor, Tutor for Graduates (as appropriate). Your college will also be able to
explain how to take your complaint further if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of
its consideration.
24
Academic appeals
An academic appeal is an appeal against the decision of an academic body (e.g. boards
of examiners, transfer and confirmation decisions etc.), on grounds such as procedural
error or evidence of bias. There is no right of appeal against academic judgement.

If you have any concerns about your assessment process or outcome it is advisable to
discuss these first informally with your subject or college tutor, Senior Tutor, course
director, director of studies, academic advisor or college or departmental
administrator as appropriate. They will be able to explain the assessment process that
was undertaken and may be able to address your concerns. Queries must not be raised
directly with the examiners.

If you still have concerns you can make a formal appeal to the Proctors who will
consider appeals under the University Academic Appeals Procedure
(https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/complaints).

Policies and Regulations

The University has a wide range of policies and regulations that apply to students.
These are easily accessible through the A-Z of University regulations, codes of conduct
and policies available on the
Oxford Students website www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/regulations/a-z.

Student Societies
The University welcomes the contribution made to student life by clubs, societies and
other organisations. There are over 200 clubs and societies covering a wide range of
interests available for students to join or attend. www.ox.ac.uk/students/life/clubs

Oxford University Sport

Oxford has 85 University sports clubs, as well as countless college teams and
recreational opportunities. Many colleges have their own pitches and facilities, while
Oxford University Sport on Iffley Road offers a swimming pool, gym, sports hall, racket
sport courts and more. Further information can be found at following website
www.sport.ox.ac.uk.

University Club (Graduates)

The University Club is located on Mansfield Road and offers graduates a range of
sporting facilities including a gym, football and cricket pitches and social spaces such
as a bar, cafe and restaurant.
www.club.ox.ac.uk

25
8. FACILITIES

Oxford University Student Union

All postgraduate students are members of the Oxford Student Union (Oxford SU) , and
most graduate common rooms (MCR/GCR) are also affiliated to the Student Union.
The Oxford Student Union also provides a diverse range of services for postgraduate
students and to graduate Common Rooms, including representation on several
University committees, and publications tailored to their concerns and needs, such as
the Graduate Guide, the Student Parent Handbook and the Living Out Guide.

MSc Office
All students enrolled on the MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience course will be
based in a dedicated open-plan office in the Department of Psychiatry. Students are
welcome to use this space during the day, before and after their classes for self-study.
The room contains printing facilities and photocopying facilities are available in the
main department. There is a café within the main hospital which students are able to
use which serves hot and cold food. Students are encouraged to use the Common
Room and kitchen area. We kindly ask students to keep the MSc Office tidy and
ensure all dirty cups are removed and placed in the dishwashers.

Libraries/Museums
The Bodleian Libraries, the world-renowned group of libraries of the University of
Oxford, form a global powerhouse for research and learning, offering an unrivalled
range of collections and services from ancient Egyptian fragments of papyrus to
cutting-edge digital technologies. The Libraries offer over 11 million printed items and
over 70,000 e-journals, in addition to a choice of study spaces for graduates, from
quiet study areas to meeting rooms for group discussion work.

The following libraries will be of specific relevance to MSc students:

 The Cairns Library, is the largest branch of the Health Care Libraries and is
situated in the John Radcliffe Hospital. Students will receive further
information during their induction week and further details can be accessed at
www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/medicine.
 The Radcliffe Science Library is the main science reference library of Oxford
University. It supports the teaching and research needs of the science
departments across the University. The Library subscribes to many journals
published overseas, most of which are in English. It holds a large collection of
books and journals in the biological sciences, computing science, experimental
psychology, history of science, mathematics, medicine and the physical
sciences. There is excellent provision of scientific reference books,
bibliographies, dictionaries and encyclopaedias. Scientific doctoral theses
submitted for degrees at Oxford are deposited in the library. There is also a
considerable amount of historical material, especially from the 19th century.
Further details are available at www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/rsl.

26
Further information on all the libraries and museums available to graduate students
in Oxford can be found at the following website -
www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/why-oxford/museums-andlibraries

Information Technology (IT)

All MSc students will be provided with a laptop and will be given access to a remote
desktop connection for the duration of their MSc studies. This will provide access to a
variety of software required to support their studies which will involve several
departments.

Individual colleges will also have IT facilities but arrangements for access vary between
colleges and students should consult their colleges for further information. If you have
any department IT issues, MSc students can contact the Psychiatry IT team at the
following email address: help@IMSU.ox.ac.uk In the first week students will be
required to complete mandatory information security training
www.infosec.ox.ac.uk/module

IT Services
The University IT Services Department (www.it.ox.ac.uk) offers a wide range of
services to support the work of staff, students and academics. They can provide help
with a range of matters from getting online to finding course resources in
WebLearn/Canvas or even obtaining discounted software. They also run the award
winning Mobile Oxford app (m.ox.ac.uk) which helps students with everything from
how to locate a book in their nearest library, to timetables for local buses.

Training
The IT Learning Programme (ITLP) offers over 200 different IT courses open to all staff,
academics and students at the University. You'll find IT courses to help with your
studies, research, administration and planning, or pick up the IT skills you need for
your future career, www.it.ox.ac.uk/do/training-and-facilities

Help Centre
IT Services Help Centre is the initial point of contact for all front-line user support
services. The Help
Centre is located on the ground floor at 13 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6NN, or visit
the following website: help.it.ox.ac.uk/helpcentre/index

27
ANNEXE 1- STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES
Student Representatives are expected to provide feedback to the Psychiatry Graduate
Studies Committee at meetings convened at the end of each term.

The Department of Psychiatry encourages students to participate in the governance,

evaluation and development of their course of study and students should be consulted
on such matters as:

 course delivery and design

 student support, including advice, guidance, facilities, training, and study skills
 student feedback
 appropriate approaches to individual student concerns
 changes in regulations
 review of examiners’ reports

Duties of the Student Representative

The MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience will invite the student body to
identify a representative to:

1. Act as the focus for feedback from students

 encourage high response rates to evaluation questionnaires
 summarise key points raised from the report of student feedback compiled by
the Organising Committee
 bring to Course Director’s attention matters not covered in evaluation
processes

2. Participate in Course Committee meetings

 comment on completed modules/units
 advise on plans for future modules/units
 comment on revising the course (changes in regulations, course delivery and
design)

3. Liaise with student representatives from other programmes/courses, in particular

those who are members of the Departmental Committees.

4. Act as a focus for communications from the University or Department on matters

relating to the course.

5. Report back to the students on their course the results of any representations made.
In addition, students will be directed to the course website on Canvas for uploaded
student feedback reports, and minutes from departmental and divisional.

Student Peer Support

Student Peer Supporters are available in colleges and departments to talk with
students informally about anything that is of concern. All Peer Supporters have been

28
carefully selected and trained to take up this role and receive ongoing support and
supervision from the University Counselling
Service.

The Peer Support Programme was developed in recognition of the essential role
students play in supporting and encouraging one another on a day-to-day basis
throughout their time at university. Students are likely to look to each other first for
help in thinking through issues and for emotional support, but there are times when
this can leave friends feeling out of their depth, unsure how best to help but anxious
about seeking advice for fear of betraying trust.

The Programme seeks to better equip students for this role, enabling them to feel
more confident in supporting their peers and more aware of the professional support
networks available to them.
Since its launch it has been embraced by an Oxford University review as an integral
part of its welfare provision.
www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/counselling/peersupport

29
ANNEXE 2- EXAMINATION REGULATIONS

The Examination Regulations relating to this course are available at

(http://goo.gl/xzMKuh). If there is a conflict between information in this handbook and
the Examination Regulations then you should follow the Examination Regulations. If
you have any concerns please contact Professor Philip Burnet

The information in this handbook is accurate as at September 2019, however it may

be necessary for changes to be made in certain circumstances, as explained at the
University of Oxford postgraduate webpage (www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/coursechanges).
If such changes are made, the department will publish a new version of this handbook
together with a list of the changes and students will be informed.

The University has a wide range of policies and regulations that apply to students.
These are easily accessible through the A-Z of University regulations, codes of conduct
and policies available on the Oxford Students website
www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/regulations/a-z

30
ANNEXE 3- EXAMINATION CONVENTIONS

MSc taught Course in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience

1. Introduction
These Examination Conventions apply to the Master of Science by Coursework in Clinical and
Therapeutic Neuroscience 2019-20 and have been approved by the Medical Sciences Division,
Audit Sub-Committee on behalf of the Medical Sciences Board. Examination conventions are
the University’s formal record of the specific assessment standards for the courses to which
they apply. They set out how examined work will be marked and how the resulting marks will
be used to arrive at a final result and classification of an award.
Examination regulations for this course can be found at University of Oxford, Examination
Regulations. https://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/

2. Paper-specific conventions
2.1 The qualifying paper (computer marked) is a computer-based examination consisting of
multiple-choice questions to be answered in 3 hours. A pass is a mark of 50% or over and it
does not contribute to the final mark but performance on this paper will be taken into
consideration where candidates are at the borderline between two degree classifications (e.g.
Merit/Distinction). The Qualifying exam is an assessment of the students’ basic understanding
of brain disorders and their therapies. This paper must be passed in the first sitting, 9th week
of Michaelmas Term 2019, or at the re-sit, 0th week of Hilary Term 2020, in order for candidates
to be awarded the MSc degree.

2.2 The extended essays (double-marked) are written coursework assignments critically
appraising the role of disease models, bioassays and biomarkers, medicinal chemistry,
computational modelling, clinical trials and digital health in drug/treatment discovery. The
extended essay is designed to test the students’ knowledge and awareness of the state-of-
the-art strategies and tools that are available to implement the discovery of novel treatments.
There will be four extended essays in total between them contributing 25% of the final degree
mark, and each essay will be equally weighted.

Candidates will propose their own essay titles, which will be subject to approval by the
Organising Committee. Candidates must submit their proposed titles based on the material
covered in the corresponding lecture module by deadlines determined by the Organising
Committee (see below, and Key dates in course Handbook, p8)

In general, students are expected to use the essays to explore topics in some depth and
encourage individual analysis and thought. Students should spend time researching
background for essays and provide a detailed reference list. Essays should begin with a broad
introduction informing readers of the aims for the rest of the essay. The work should be
organised with the main essay in headings and subheadings and include diagrams for clarity.
Appropriate citation of relevant scientific literature is compulsory, and discussions of
considerations for future development in the conclusion of the essay, are strongly advised.
Citations and the alphabetical list of references should be in the style of the Journal of
Neuroscience (see References section under ‘Preparing a manuscript’ in:
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/information-authors#preparing_a_manuscript). All
essays must be submitted electronically onto the WebLearn site, as instructed in the
Michaelmas Term.

31
The submission dates for the extended essay titles and completed work are as follows:
Submit first assessed essay title for approval - Friday 24th January
First essay – Thursday 20th February, 12 noon
Submit second assessed essay title for approval - Friday 21st February
Second essay – Thursday 26th March, 12 noon
Submit third assessed essay title for approval - Friday 1st May
Third essay – Thursday 28th May, 12 noon
Submit fourth assessed essay title for approval - Monday 1st June
Fourth essay - Thursday 2nd July, 12 noon

2.3 The dissertations (double-marked) are reports of two 12-week project rotations that
provide students with a thorough appreciation of pre-clinical and clinical research. Students
are required to complete two dissertations as part of the course work. Details regarding this
submission can be found in the course handbook and include a declaration of authorship. Each
dissertation shall not exceed 6,000 words (excluding bibliography, appendices and figure
legends). Examiners expect a minimum word count of 5,000. The number of words must be
stated on the front of the final document. The dissertation should be arranged in the format
of a published paper, including Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. Both
dissertations are marked out of 100% and each contributes 35% towards the final mark. All
citations and list of references must be in the style that is required for essays (p17 of course
Handbook).

All dissertations must be submitted electronically onto the WebLearn site, as instructed for
essays. The submission dates for the dissertations are as follows:

First dissertation –Thursday 2nd April, 12 noon

Second dissertation –Thursday 13th August, 12 noon
2.4 The poster presentation and viva consists normally of a 15-minute session where students
explain their results of their second project in 5 minutes and are questioned about the subject
of the dissertation and general aspects of the course for the remaining 10 minutes. Candidates
are scored individually out of 100%. The poster presentation and viva contribute 5% to the
final mark. The poster presentation and viva will be held on Friday, 4th September 2020.

3. Marking conventions

3.1 University scale for standardized expression of agreed final marks

Agreed final marks for individual papers will be expressed using the following scale:

70-100 Distinction
65-69 Merit
50-64 Pass
0-49 Fail

3.2 Qualitative criteria for different types of assessment

70%-100% (Distinction)
Project dissertations will be graded with Distinction when signs of originality are obvious at all
levels of planning, analysis and interpretation. It is not expected that the study should have
been conceived by the candidate. The dissertation should be clearly presented and show a
depth of understanding of the field.

32
The introduction should present clearly the rationale for the scientific study and the discussion
should provide a reasoned, integrative account of the scientific results. Students should also
propose how their study could be further developed in the future.
Essays graded 70 or above will show comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the
topic, and also original and creative analysis, argument and synthesis.

65%-69% (Merit)
Very good knowledge and understanding, together with some elements of original and
creative analysis, argument and synthesis. An essay or project of this standard should also
have been carefully conducted and analyzed. However, there is less of a requirement for
originality.
For the dissertation, the introduction and discussion should show a good understanding of the
field and contain some evaluation of the experimental material, even if that evaluation is not
original. There should be no major errors in the conduct or analysis of the experimental data.
Essays should be well constructed and include analysis of the experimental data based upon a
clear understanding of the primary literature.

60%-64% (High Pass)

Very good knowledge and understanding of subject matter. An essay or project of this
standard should show some evidence of careful attempts to conduct and analyze the material.
Some inadequacies may be apparent in presentation or analysis, but the conclusions should
be sound.
For essays, there may be over-reliance on review articles and lack of accurate synthesis of
primary sources.

50%-59% (Pass)
Demonstrates core knowledge and understanding of the key features of the subject.
For dissertation projects, the write up may be inadequate in one of the following areas: an
inadequate presentation of the purpose of the study, an inadequate description of the
methods, inadequately labelled traces or diagrams, an inappropriate analysis, errors in the
analysis, or a discussion that fails to interpret the results correctly. These problems will be
taken as evidence of weakness in basic scientific skills, but they should not be so serious that
they call into question the major conclusions from the experiment.
For an essay, lack of analysis and evidence of wider reading of primary literature would be
signs of a weaker piece of work.

0%-49% (Fail)
Very poor knowledge of the subject matter.
There will be evidence of carelessness in conducting and analysing the project.
For essays, a lack of reference to data obtained from primary literature and failure to show
signs of understanding of the major issues within the chosen topic would be grounds for
awarding this mark.
Work of this grade is not initially marked as a failure, but is one which indicates that the
Examiners will focus on these deficiencies during the viva voce exam. A non-satisfactory mark
which is not redeemed during the viva voce examination will be marked as a fail and will
require re-writing in the case of the project dissertation and re-examination. For failed essays
a new topic is required for reassessment.

3.3 Verification and reconciliation of marks

Rules governing the verification and reconciliation of marks follow the guidance set out by the
University and the Medical Science Division. All written assessments are double-blind marked
(i.e. are marked independently by two examiners or assessors). In the first instance, each
marker independently awards a percentage for the piece of work.

33
The two marks are then compared. If the marks are within 5% and do not cross a grade
boundary, an average is taken. If the marks differ by 5% or more, or cross a grade boundary,
the examiners will discuss the assessment and agree on a mark. If agreement cannot be
obtained, then the Chair of Examiners will make a final decision having taken specialist advice
from a third marker, if necessary. The External Examiner will only be asked to act as an arbiter
in cases where the internal markers are unable to resolve a discrepancy. The external
examiner sees a range (poor, mid-range, and top) of example assignments to ensure accurate
marking.

4. Penalties for late and non-submission of work

Procedures for the late or non-submission of all material are clearly set out in the Examination
Regulations, Section 1: Regulations for the Conduct of University Examinations, Part 14, Late
Submission, Non-submission, Non-appearance and Withdrawal from Examinations
(http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/2019-20/rftcoue-p14ls-n-snawfromexam/).
Candidates are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with these regulations.

As stated in the Examination Regulations, Section 1: Regulations for the Conduct of University
Examinations, Part 14, Late Submission, Non-submission, Non-appearance and Withdrawal
from Examinations, if a candidate ‘fails to submit a thesis (or other exercise), the candidate
will be deemed to have failed the paper as defined in 14.3(1) unless a successful submission
under Part 14 has been made’.

The scale of penalties agreed by the Medical Sciences Division in relation to late submission of
assessed items is set out below. Details of the circumstances in which such penalties might
apply can be found in the Examination Regulations (Regulations for the Conduct of University
Examinations, Part 14.)

1. If a candidate submits late, but on the prescribed date of submission, the

examiners shall mark the submitted work and impose the following academic
penalty:

5 points (marks) will be deducted from the candidate’s final agreed mark for the
assessment, on the University’s 100-point marking scale.

The Proctors will also charge candidates a late submission fee (but this may be
waived by them if it appears reasonable to do so).

2. If a candidate submits after the prescribed date of submission and without prior
authorisation, the Proctors may give the examiners permission to apply the
following academic penalties.

Such penalties will be applied regardless of whether or not the piece of work is
submitted over a weekend, public holiday, or fixed closure day etc. after the
deadline:

≤ 24 hours late: 5 points (marks) will be deducted from the candidate’s final agreed
mark for the assessment, on the University’s 100-point marking scale;

34
 > 24 hours and ≤ 48 hours late: 10 points (marks) will be deducted from the
candidate’s final agreed mark for the assessment, on the University’s 100-point
marking scale;

> 48 hours and ≤ 72 hours late: 20 points (marks) will be deducted from the
candidate’s final agreed mark for the assessment, on the University’s 100-point
marking scale;

> 72 hours late: the submission will automatically be deemed a non-submission and
will result in failure of the assessment unit with any re-sit capped at the pass mark.

Candidates are advised to contact their course director for advice as soon as
possible, in particular if there may be a valid reason for late submission1.

The Proctors will also charge candidates a late submission fee (but this may be
waived by them if it appears reasonable to do so).

3. When late submission (≤ 72 hours late) results in failure of an assessment unit

following the application of an academic penalty, this will be treated as a fail as a
result of poor academic performance, with re-sit arrangements as set out in Section
8 of the Examination Conventions.

4. Where a submission is deemed a non-submission (> 72 hours late), as set out in

Section 8 of the Examination Conventions, the mark for the re-sit of the assessment
unit will be capped at the pass mark.

5. Penalties resulting from over-length work

The Medical Sciences Board has agreed the following tariff of marks to be deducted for over-
length work:

≤ 5% over word 5 marks will be deducted from the candidate’s final agreed mark for
limit the assessment, on the University’s 100-point marking scale.

>5% and ≤ 10% 10 marks will be deducted from the candidate’s final agreed mark for
over word limit the assessment, on the University’s 100-point marking scale.

>10% and ≤ 20% 20 marks will be deducted from the candidate’s final agreed mark for
over word limit the assessment, on the University’s 100-point marking scale.

> 20% over word the candidate will be awarded zero marks (a fail) for the assessment
limit concerned.

1
A valid reason for late submission could include mitigating circumstances, such as an acute illness or
a bereavement.
35
Where a penalty for over-length work results in failure of an assessment item, this will be
treated as an academic fail of the assessment item. The policy on resits is set out in Section 8
of the Examination Conventions.

5. Penalties resulting from poor academic practice and plagiarism

The Examination Board shall deal wholly with cases of poor academic practice where
the material under review is small and does not exceed 10% of the whole.

Assessors should mark work on its academic merit with the board responsible for
deducting marks for derivative or poor referencing.

Determined by the extent of poor academic practice, the board shall deduct between
1% and 10% of the marks available for cases of poor referencing where material is
widely available factual information or a technical description that could not be
paraphrased easily; where passage(s) draw on a variety of sources, either verbatim or
derivative, in patchwork fashion (and examiners consider that this represents poor
academic practice rather than an attempt to deceive); where some attempt has been
made to provide references, however incomplete (e.g. footnotes but no quotation
marks, Harvard-style references at the end of a paragraph, inclusion in bibliography);
or where passage(s) are ‘grey literature’ i.e. a web source with no clear owner.

If a student has previously had marks deducted for poor academic practice or has been
referred to the Proctors for suspected plagiarism the case must always be referred to
the Proctors. Also, where the deduction of marks results in failure of the assessment
and of the programme the case must be referred to the Proctors.

In addition, any more serious cases of poor academic practice than described above
should also always be referred to the Proctors.

The University regards poor academic practice and plagiarism in formal assessments as a
serious matter. The University’s approach to the prevention and management of plagiarism
is set out on the Oxford Student Website.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiarism?wssl=1

Procedures for handling cases of poor academic practice and plagiarism in taught degree
examinations are available in the Policy and Guidance for examiners and others involved in
University examinations. https://academic.admin.ox.ac.uk/examiners

7. Penalties for non-attendance at the qualifying examination or poster presentation/viva

voce

Failure to attend an examination will result in the failure of the assessment. The mark for any
resit of the assessment will be capped at a pass (50%).

8. Resits

Where any assessment unit is failed at the first attempt, the candidate will be entitled to one
further attempt (a re-sit) of the failed assessment.

Where a candidate has failed an assessment unit as a result of poor academic performance
the mark for the resit of the assessment unit will be capped at a pass (50%).
36
A candidate who fails one or more of the four summative essays at the first attempt due to
poor academic performance, or who fails the qualifying paper, a dissertation, or the poster
presentation/viva at the first attempt due to poor academic performance, will not be eligible
for the award of distinction or merit.

Where a candidate has failed an assessment unit as a result of non-submitting an assessment

item or as a result of non-attendance at a timed examination the mark for the resit of the
assessment unit will be capped at a pass (50%).

A candidate who fails any assessment unit as a result of non-submitting an assessment item
or as a result of non-attendance at a timed examination will not be eligible for the award of
Merit/Distinction in the degree overall.

Failure of any resit will result in failure of the whole degree.

Timings of resit opportunities for each assessment unit are as follows:

 Qualifying paper- resit 13th January, 2020
 Extended essays- submission of new essay title for approval, 12th October 2020
(Beginning of Michaelmas Term of following academic year); submission of essay, 3 rd
December 2020 (End of Michaelmas Term of following academic year)
 Dissertations- resubmissions, 3rd December, 2020 (End of Michaelmas Term of
following academic year)
 Poster presentation and viva voce- resit 4th December, 2020 (End of Michaelmas Term
of following academic year)

9. Mitigating Circumstances

Where a candidate or candidates have made a submission, under Part 13 of the regulations
for Conduct of University Examinations, that unforeseen factors may have had an impact on
their performance in an examination, a subset of the board will meet to discuss the individual
application and band the seriousness of each application on a scale 1-3 with 1 indicating minor
impact, 2 indicating moderate impact, and 3 indicating very serious impact. When reaching
this decision, examiners will take into consideration the severity and the relevance of the
circumstances, and the strength of the evidence. Examiners will also note whether all or a
subset of papers were affected, being aware that it is possible for circumstances to have
different levels of impact on different papers. The banding information will be used at the final
board of examiners meeting to adjudicate on the merits of candidates. Further information on
the procedure is provided in the Policy and Guidance for examiners and others involved in
University examinations. https://academic.admin.ox.ac.uk/examiners

10. Progression Rules and Classification Conventions

A mark of 50% or above is required for all summative assessments (at either the first attempt
or resit) for the final degree to be awarded. Marks for each element will be weighted as
follows: essays (6.25% each), dissertations (35% each), poster presentation and viva voce (5%).
It is expected that the viva voce will resolve any borderline marks. However, borderline grades
achieved after the viva voce will be discussed by the Board of Examiners who will consider
where the majority of that student’s marks lie (including the qualifying examination) relative
to the grade boundary.

37
Candidates who fail any one of their summative assessments at both the first attempt and the
resit will not be eligible for the award of the degree. Candidates in such circumstances can
either withdraw from the course at that point, or if preferred can continue to attend the
course, but will be awarded a Fail grade at the end of the course.

11. Details of Examiners and Rules on Communicating with Examiners

The Board of Examiners are:

Chair: Dr Kate Saunders, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford

Internal Examiner:
Internal Examiner: Dr Kate Saunders, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford
External Examiner: Professor Mitul Mehta, Kings College, London.

Candidates should not under any circumstances seek to make contact with individual internal
or external examiners.

38
ANNEXE 4 - PLAGIARISM

Excerpts from “Academic good practice, a practical guide”

(http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiarism) are presented below:

1. Definition
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their
consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and
unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this
definition.

Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. Under the regulations for

examinations, intentional or reckless plagiarism is a disciplinary offence. The necessity to
acknowledge others’ work or ideas applies not only to text, but also to other media, such as
computer code, illustrations, graphs etc. It applies equally to published text and data drawn
from books and journals, and to unpublished text and data, whether from lectures, theses or
other students’ essays. You must also attribute text, data, or other resources downloaded
from websites.

The best way of avoiding plagiarism, however, is to learn and employ the principles of good
academic practice from the beginning of your university career. Avoiding plagiarism is not
simply a matter of making sure your references are all correct, or changing enough words so
the examiner will not notice your paraphrase; it is about deploying your academic skills to
make your work as good as it can be.

2. Why does plagiarism matter?

Plagiarism is a breach of academic integrity. It is a principle of intellectual honesty that all
members of the academic community should acknowledge their debt to the originators of
the ideas, words, and data which form the basis for their own work. Passing off another’s
work as your own is not only poor scholarship, but also means that you have failed to
complete the learning process. Plagiarism is unethical and can have serious consequences for
your future career; it also undermines the standards of your institution and of the degrees it
issues.

3. Forms of plagiarism
 Verbatim (word for word) quotation without clear acknowledgement. Quotations
must always be identified as such by the use of either quotation marks or indentation,
and with full referencing of the sources cited. It must always be apparent to the reader
which parts are your own independent work and where you have drawn on someone
else’s ideas and language.
 Cutting and pasting from the Internet without clear acknowledgement. Information
derived from the Internet must be adequately referenced and included in the
bibliography. It is important to evaluate carefully all material found on the Internet, as
it is less likely to have been through the same process of scholarly peer review as
published sources.
 Paraphrasing. Copying someone’s work but altering a few words and changing their
order, or closely following the structure of their argument, is plagiarism because you
are deriving your words and ideas from their work without giving due
acknowledgement. You must ensure that you do not create the misleading impression
that the paraphrased wording or the sequence of ideas are entirely your own. It is
better to write a brief summary of the author’s overall argument in your own words,
indicating that you are doing so, than to paraphrase particular sections of his or her
39
 writing. This will ensure you have a genuine grasp of the argument and will avoid the
difficulty of paraphrasing without plagiarising.
 Collusion. This can involve unauthorised collaboration between students, failure to
attribute assistance received, or failure to follow precisely regulations on group work
projects. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are entirely clear about the extent
of collaboration permitted, and which parts of the work must be your own.
 Inaccurate citation. It is important to cite correctly, according to the conventions of
your discipline. Additionally, you should not include anything in your references or
bibliography that you have not actually consulted. If you cannot gain access to a
primary source you must make it clear in your citation that your knowledge of the
work has been derived from a secondary text (for example, Bradshaw, D. Title of Book,
discussed in Wilson, E., Title of Book (London, 2004), p. 189).
 Failure to acknowledge assistance. You must clearly acknowledge all assistance which
has contributed to the production of your work, such as advice from fellow students,
laboratory technicians, and other external sources. This need not apply to the
assistance provided by your tutor or supervisor, or to ordinary proofreading, but it is
necessary to acknowledge other guidance which leads to substantive changes of
content or approach.
 Use of material written by professional agencies or other persons. You should neither
make use of professional agencies in the production of your work nor submit material
which has been written for you even with the consent of the person who has written
it. It is vital to your intellectual training and development that you should undertake
the research process unaided.
 Auto-plagiarism. You must not submit work for assessment that you have already
submitted (partially or in full) to fulfil the requirements of another degree course or
examination.

4. Why should you avoid plagiarism?

There are many reasons to avoid plagiarism. You have come to university to learn to
know and speak your own mind, not merely to reproduce the opinions of others. At
first it may seem very difficult to develop your own views, and you will probably find
yourself paraphrasing the writings of others as you attempt to understand and assimilate
their arguments. However it is important that you learn to develop your own voice. You are
not necessarily expected to become an original thinker, but you are expected to be an
independent one - by learning to assess critically the work of others, weigh up differing
arguments and draw your own conclusions.

5. Does this mean that I shouldn’t use the work of other authors?
On the contrary, it is vital that you situate your writing within the intellectual debates
of your discipline. Academic essays almost always involve the use and discussion of
material written by others, and, with due acknowledgement and proper referencing,
this is clearly distinguishable from plagiarism. The knowledge in your discipline has
developed cumulatively as a result of years of research, innovation and debate. You
need to give credit to the authors of the ideas and observations you cite. This will help
strengthen your argument by making clear the basis on which you make it.
Furthermore, good citation practice gives your reader the opportunity to follow up
your references, or check the validity of your interpretation.

6. Does every statement in my essay have to be backed up with references?

You may feel that including the citation for every point you make will interrupt the
flow of your essay and make it look very unoriginal. At least initially, this may
40
sometimes be inevitable. However, by employing good citation practice from the start,
you will learn to avoid errors such as close paraphrasing or inadequately referenced
quotation. It is important to understand the reasons behind the need for transparency
of source use. All academic texts, even student essays, are multi-voiced, which means
they are filled with references to other texts. Rather than attempting to synthesise
these voices into one narrative account, you should make it clear whose interpretation
or argument you are employing at any one time - whose ‘voice’ is speaking.

If you are substantially indebted to a particular argument in the formulation of your

own, you should make this clear both in footnotes and in the body of your text
according to the agreed conventions of the discipline, before going on to describe how
your own views develop or diverge from this influence. On the other hand, it is not
necessary to give references for facts that are common knowledge in your discipline.
If you are unsure as to whether something is considered to be common knowledge or
not, it is safer to cite it anyway and seek clarification. You do need to document facts
that are not generally known and ideas that are interpretations of facts.

7. Unintentional plagiarism
Not all cases of plagiarism arise from a deliberate intention to cheat. Sometimes students may
omit to take down citation details when taking notes, or they may be genuinely ignorant of
referencing conventions. However, these excuses offer no sure protection against a charge of
plagiarism. Even in cases where the plagiarism is found to have been neither intentional nor
reckless, there may still be an academic penalty for poor practice.

It is your responsibility to find out the prevailing referencing conventions in your discipline, to
take adequate notes, and to avoid close paraphrasing. If you are offered induction sessions on
plagiarism and study skills, you should attend. Together with the advice contained in your
subject handbook, these will help you learn how to avoid common errors. If you are
undertaking a project or dissertation you should ensure that you have information on
plagiarism and collusion. If ever in doubt about referencing, paraphrasing or plagiarism, you
have only to ask your tutor.

8. What happens if you are thought to have plagiarised?

The University regards plagiarism in examinations as a serious matter. Cases will be
investigated and penalties may range from deduction of marks to expulsion from the
University, depending on the seriousness of the occurrence. Even if plagiarism is
inadvertent, it can result in a penalty. The forms of plagiarism listed above are all
potentially disciplinary offences in the context of formal assessment requirements.

The regulations regarding conduct in examinations apply equally to the ‘submission

and assessment of a thesis, dissertation, essay, or other coursework not undertaken
in formal examination conditions but which counts towards or constitutes the work
for a degree or other academic award’. Additionally, this includes the transfer and
confirmation of status exercises undertaken by graduate students. Cases of suspected
plagiarism in assessed work are investigated under the disciplinary regulations
concerning conduct in examinations. Intentional plagiarism in this context means that
you understood that you were breaching the regulations and did so intending to gain
advantage in the examination. Reckless, in this context, means that you understood or
could be expected to have understood (even if you did not specifically consider it) that
your work might breach the regulations, but you took no action to avoid doing so.
41
Intentional or reckless plagiarism may incur severe penalties, including failure of your
degree or expulsion from the university.

If plagiarism is suspected in a piece of work submitted for assessment in an

examination, the matter will be referred to the Proctors. They will thoroughly
investigate the claim and call the student concerned for interview. If at this point there
is no evidence of a breach of the regulations, no further disciplinary action will be taken
although there may still be an academic penalty. However, if it is concluded that a
breach of the regulations may have occurred, the Proctors will refer the case to the
Student Disciplinary Panel. More information on disciplinary procedures and appeals
is available from Student Conduct.

If you are suspected of plagiarism your College Secretary/Academic Administrator and

subject tutor will support you through the process and arrange for a member of
Congregation to accompany you to all hearings. They will be able to advise you what
to expect during the investigation and how best to make your case. The Oxford SU
Student Advice Service can also provide useful information and support.

Borrowing essays from other students to adapt and submit as your own is plagiarism,
and will develop none of these necessary skills, holding back your academic
development. Students who lend essays for this purpose are doing their peers no
favours.

42
ANNEXE 5 – HEALTH ADVICE

Registration with a medical doctor

Student health is primarily a college responsibility and all colleges will already have an
arrangement with a particular NHS doctor known as “the college doctor”. Students are
free to choose any other practitioner, if they prefer, but most students find that the
most convenient arrangement is to register with the college doctor. All students
should register with a doctor in Oxford as, in the eyes of the Department of Health,
you are deemed to be a resident in the city during your studies. At any practice it is
normally possible for students to choose to consult either a male or a female doctor.
For minor cases of sickness you are generally able to consult and obtain treatment
from a college nurse. The University does not endorse any one local medical practice.

Hospital treatment and primary care health services

All doctor-patient relationships are completely confidential. It is possible for the
college doctor to liaise with other health practitioners and to obtain information about
individual students medical history if, for example, a student has a long-term health
condition.

If students are not entitled to free National Health Service (NHS) treatment then they
may still register with the college doctor as a private patient, however, it is advisable
to take out appropriate private healthcare insurance for this.

Students from Britain, the European community and any country with reciprocal
health arrangements are eligible for free treatment under the NHS. Students in full-
time education and under the age of 19 may also be exempt from most NHS charges.
Some students may be entitled to help with charges on the grounds of low income.
However international students who applied for their visa after 6 April 2015, may be
required to pay the immigration health charge in order to access NHS treatment.
Information on the entitlement of international students to treatment under the NHS
is available on the UKCISA website www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Living-in-
the-UK/Health-and-healthcare.

For more information on healthcare, including dentistry and ophthalmic treatment,

please visit the University health services website;
www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/health/services or contact Department of Health,
Room 4W04b Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UE. Tel: 0113 2545819 or email:
overseasvisitors@dh.gsi.gov.uk.

Dental and ophthalmic treatment

Students who need either routine or emergency dental treatment should seek the
advice of their college doctor or nurse, as many colleges have special arrangements
with particular dentists. Colleges do not normally have a special arrangement with
opticians, so you should feel free to register with one of your choice. If you have a
visual problem which requires specialised attention, you will be referred to the
hospital eye service.

43
Medical emergencies and useful contacts
Treatment in cases of emergency only can be obtained at the Accident and Emergency
Service of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington. Hospital emergency services
should be warned in advance if possible so that they know to expect you. When
someone cannot be moved, ring 999 and ask for the Ambulance Service.

Student Counselling Service

The University has a professionally staffed and confidential Student Counselling
Service for assistance with personal, emotional, social and academic problems. The
Service is available free to all matriculated undergraduate and graduate members of
the University.

The Student Counselling Service is available throughout the year except for Christmas
and Easter, although reception hours are usually reduced outside of term time. It is
open on weekdays from
9.00am to 5.00pm. Occasionally later appointments can be arranged. Appointments
can be made by visiting the office at 3 Worcester Street or phone 01865 270300 or
email counselling@admin.ox.ac.uk.

All students are reminded that contacting the Student Counselling Service using email
cannot be guaranteed to be entirely confidential. An appointment will be made for as
soon as possible but the waiting time for a first appointment can be longer than five
working days at busy periods such as the beginning of Michaelmas and Hilary Terms.
The Student Counselling Service is not designed to be an emergency service. Anyone
who feels in a state of “crisis” should contact a doctor.

Health & Safety

It is the policy of the University, and the responsibility of the Council, to adopt all
reasonably practical measures:
 to secure the health, safety and welfare of all employees at places of work
under the
University’s control and elsewhere when performing their duties
 to protect students and other persons who are lawfully on University
premises against risk
to their health or safety which might arise out of activities in those places
 to maintain safe plant, machinery and equipment and a safe and healthy
place of work

Students with disabilities

It is important that students make the University aware of any disabilities they have
so that we are able to give the best advice about the full range of support available.
Disability is defined in the Equality Act (2010) as any physical or mental impairment
which has a substantial and long-term (12 months or more) adverse effect on a
student’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, including study.
This can include dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, mental health
conditions such as depression or anxiety, physical or sensory impairments, long term
health conditions such as Cancer or HIV and Autism spectrum conditions, including
Asperger’s syndrome.
44
Students can disclose a disability at any time by contacting the Disability Advisory
Service (details below). The Disability Advisory Service will then be able to discuss
specific requirements in more detail and support students to access relevant funding,
support and reasonable adjustments based on their assessed need. Whilst the
University already makes anticipatory reasonable adjustments where possible, please
note that some support arrangements can take time to implement. It is therefore
advised that students contact the Disability Advisory Service as soon as possible,
ideally at or approaching the start of a course.

The Disability Advisory Service can be contacted by Email: disability@admin.ox.ac.uk

or Telephone: 01865 280459. Further information can also be found on the Disability
Advisory Service Website:
www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/disability

Fitness to study
The University has established a common framework across departments, faculties
and colleges for cases where questions arise as to whether a student is fit to study or
to return to study after a period of leave for medical, psychological, or emotional
problems. Most such cases are dealt with under college procedures but there is also a
Fitness to Study Panel, to which serious and difficult fitness to study cases can be
referred if all other normal procedures at college or University level have been
exhausted or are inappropriate. www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/fitness-to-study

45
ANNEXE 6 – INDUCTION AND MICHAELMAS TERM TIMETABLE

MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience

Induction Programme Timetable

Monday 7th October 2019

12.00 noon Welcome lunch for all Postgraduate Students to be held in the
Common Room within the Department of Psychiatry. An opportunity to
meet with other postgraduate students and supervisors within the
department.

Tuesday 8th October 2019

10.00am Meet for coffee and pastries in the Common Room within the
Department of Psychiatry.

10.30am Welcome Induction Meeting with Professor Phil Burnet, Course

Director, and Professor Zam Cader, Deputy Course Director to be held
in the Seminar Room in the Department of Psychiatry.

11.30am Tour of Department and Warneford Hospital site.

12.00 noon Break for lunch.

1.00pm MSc Course Information given by Professor Phil

Burnet, Course Director, to be held in the MSc Course Student
Room within the Department.

Thursday 10th October 2019

4.30pm Medical Sciences Graduate School Welcome Event to be in

Tingewick Hall within the John Radcliffe Hospital.

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MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience: Michaelmas Term 2019

(NB: please note these lectures are subject to change, students will be informed of
changes via email

Module 1 (Week 1-5)

The Psychopathology, Clinical Features and Molecular Neuropathology of Brain

Disorders.

NAME LECTURE TITLES DATE, TIME, VENUE

Paul Harrison Alzheimer’s disease and other 14th Oct 2019
dementias 9.00am -10.15am
Seminar Room
Phil Cowen Clinical features of mood 14th Oct 2019
disorders 10.30am – 11.45am
Seminar Room
Liliana MinichielloTypes of receptor (ion 15th Oct
channels, GPCRs, Tyrosine 10.30am – 11.30am
Kinase, Steroid receptors) Seminar room
Charles Newton 1. Neuropsychiatric co-morbidity 16th Oct 2019
of Epilepsy 9.00am-10.15am
Seminar Room
Rebecca Park Eating disorders 16th Oct 2019
10.30am-11.45am
Seminar Room
Anke Ehlers Post-traumatic Stress Disorder 16th Oct 2019
2.00pm-3.15pm
or 3.30pm-4.45pm
Seminar Room
Kate Saunders 1) Bipolar disorder and mania 21st Oct 2019
2) Personality disorder (1) 9.00am-10.15am
(2) 10.30am-11.45am
Seminar Room
Tommas Ellender Introduction to the anatomy 22nd October
and function of the CNS 10.00am – 11.00am
Seminar room
Belinda Lennox Clinical features of psychotic 23rd Oct 2019
disorders 9.00am-10.15am
Seminar Room
Daniel Whiting Forensic psychiatry 23rd Oct 2019
10.30am- 11.45am
Seminar Room
Klaus Ebmeier cC Psychiatry in old age 23rd Oct 2019
2.00pm-3.15pm
Seminar Room
Esther Becker Disorders of the Cerebellum
Andrea Nemeth Huntington’s Disease

Kevin Talbot The molecular pathogenesis of

motor neuron degeneration in
ALS and SMA
George Tofaris Parkinson’s Disease

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 Zameel Cader Migraine and Primary
Headache Disorders

David Bennet Neuropathic Pain

Gabriele de Luca Multiple sclerosis and neuro-
inflammation
Sarosh Irani Concepts from antibody
mediated diseases of the CNS
and encephalopathies
Arjune Sen Epilepsy

Lectures held in NDCN; MSc Pharmacology lectures held in Dept. Pharmacology

Highlighted lectures maybe attended by MSc Pharmacology students

Module 2 (Week 5-8)

Pharmacological, Neurological and Psychological Treatments.
NAME LECTURE TITLES DATE, TIME, VENUE
Anke Ehlers PTSD- treatments 11th Nov 2019
9.00am-10.15am
Seminar Room
Kate Saunders Lithium and anticonvulsants 11th Nov 2019
2.00pm-3.15pm
Seminar Room
Beata Godlewska Treatments for depression 11th Nov 2019
3.30pm-4.45pm
Seminar Room
Alan Stein Perinatal mental health and child 12th Nov 2019
development: understanding 10.45pm-12.00pm
mechanisms Seminar Room
Catherine Harmer Antidepressants and how they work 13th Nov 2019
(1) 9.00am-10.15am
(2) 10.30am-11.45am
Seminar Room
Belinda Lennox Current treatment and management of 18th Nov 2019
first episode psychosis and schizophrenia 2.15pm-3.30pm
Seminar Room
Michael Browning Computational approaches to treatment 18th Nov 2019
development 10.30am-11.45am
Seminar Room
Morten Neuromodulation and deep brain 20th Nov 2019
Kringelbach stimulation: progress and challenges 9.00am-10.15am
Seminar Room
Jacinta O’Shea Transcranial stimulation 20th Nov 2019
10.30am-11.45am
Seminar Room
Rupert McShane Stimulatory therapies and glutamatergic 20th Nov 2019
antagonists in depression and dementia 3.30pm-4.45pm
Seminar Room
Willem Kuyken Mindfulness therapies 25th Nov 2019
9.00am-10.15am
Seminar Room
Arjune Sen Pharmacotherapies in epilepsy
48
 Zameel Cader Pharmacogenomics and precision
medicine in CNS disorders
Kevin Talbot Therapeutic developments in motor
neuron disorders
Gabriele de Luca Disease modification in musculosclerosis
Michele Hu Current and emerging treatments for
movement disorders
Alex Green Neuromodulatory treatments of
movement disorders
David Bennet Challenges of translating targets to
therapies in neuropathic pain

Qualifying Exam - Monday 9th December 2019 at 10.00am

To be held in the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre

49
ANNEXE 7 – DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

MSC IN CLINICAL AND THERAPEUTIC NEUROSCIENCE

This certificate should be completed and uploaded with both your Essays and Project
Dissertations.

Name (in capitals): Candidate Number:

College (in capitals): Supervisor:

Title of (Essay/Dissertation) (in capitals):

Word Count: ____________

I have read and understood the University’s disciplinary regulations concerning

conduct in examinations and, in particular, the regulations on plagiarism (The
University Student Handbook Section 8.8; available at
□
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/student-handbook).

I have read and understood the Education Committee’s information and guidance on
academic good practice and plagiarism at
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills?wssl=1. □
The dissertation I am submitting is entirely my own work except where otherwise
indicated.
□
It has not been submitted, either partially or in full, either for this Honour School or
degree of this University (except where the Special Regulations for the subject permit
this), or for a qualification at any other institution □
I have clearly indicated the presence of all material I have quoted from other sources,
including any diagrams, charts, tables or graphs.
□
I have clearly indicated the presence of all paraphrased material with appropriate
references.
□
I have acknowledged appropriately any assistance I have received in addition to that
provided by my supervisor. □
I have not copied from the work of any other candidate.
□
I have not used the services of any agency in the preparation of this dissertation in
accordance with Statute XI on University Discipline:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/352-051a.shtml
□

50
I agree to retain an electronic copy of this work until the publication of my final
examination result. □
I agree to make any such electronic copy available to the examiners should it be
necessary to confirm my word count or to check for plagiarism. □

Candidate’s signature: …………………………….. Date: …………………….

Supervisor’s signature: ……………………………. Date: …………………….

51
ANNEXE 9 – NOTES ON POSTER PREPARATION
A poster session is a presentation of the results of your research project that can be
described graphically. You can present materials such as photographs, graphs, charts
and/or tables on a display board along with written summaries of your work. Poster
sessions facilitate informal discussions between presenters and their audience.
Ideally, a well-constructed poster will be self-explanatory and free you from
answering obvious questions so that you are available to supplement and discuss
particular points of interest.
Successful poster presentations are those that achieve both coverage and clarity.
Examples of the standard of posters are available from the Organizing Committee. A
display board with a surface area sufficient for an A0 sized poster will be provided
together with materials for hanging the poster. You may find it useful to have on hand
paper and suitable drawing materials to assist in your explanations to observers.
Poster sessions are an innovative and challenging way for you to present your data
and new ideas. Posters should be A0 portrait (not landscape).

Plan
The best posters generally follow the guidelines of a published paper, with sections
such as Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion/Conclusions/Significance.
However, you will have to present this information in much less space than you might
like.

Coverage
Have you provided all the obvious information? Will a casual observer walk away
understanding your major findings after a quick look over your material? Will a more
careful reader learn enough to ask for further information?

Clarity
Keep it simple. Is the sequence of information evident? Indicate the ordering of your
material with numbers, letters or arrows, when necessary. Is the content being
communicated clearly? Place your major points on the poster and save the non-
essential, but interesting sidelights for informal discussion. Be selective. Your final
conclusions or summary should leave observers focused on a concise statement of
your most important findings.

Title
Keep the same title as your dissertation. Each poster display should include a lettered
sign giving the title and the name(s) of the presenter(s) and the names of the individual
supervising the project. The laboratory where the work was carried out should also be
included.

Introduction
This section should start with your general research objectives, then provide a few
lines about the context of your work, and end with a clear statement of the hypotheses
or predictions that you tested
52
Materials
Unless your material relates directly to methodology (e.g., a new way of collecting
urine samples from uncooperative subjects), you should strive to keep your methods
section brief. Give us the bare essentials about the subjects, study site, and protocol.
Don't be so brief that we can't figure out what you did, but do give some thought to
what is really relevant to your results.

Developing the content of your presentation.

Extensive, imaginative use of captioned illustrations, photographs, graphs or other
types of visually appealing material is the point of a poster presentation. Please do not
simply mount the text of your research project as a "poster." It will not be effective
in this medium. Try to keep text to a minimum. Lettering needs to be large enough to
read from several feet away. The best presentations make just one point, loudly and
clearly. You might have tested two or three closely related hypotheses, but they should
all revolve around the same single point. We can't help you in defining your central
message, but we encourage you to spend some time thinking about it and putting it
into words. This will be helpful not only in assembling your poster but also in talking
to colleagues. Do your best to develop a summary of your work that you can state in
25 words or less, preferably words that non experts use.

Displaying Results
 testosterone levels were elevated during periods of territorial behaviour in the
breeding season but not during the non-breeding season
 administration of testosterone during the breeding season increased territorial
aggression
 administration of a testosterone antagonist decreased territorial aggression
 testosterone levels were negatively correlated with the PHA response
 there is a causal relationship between testosterone and territorial behaviour in
the breeding season
 elevated testosterone carries the cost of poor immune function

If these bullet statements are in big, bold letters, your audience will know within 60
seconds what you set out to do, how you did it, what you found, and how it fits in to
the larger picture. You can use additional text to fill in a little detail, but remember
that you will also be there to answer questions, so you might find that this outline
format is all you need.

What is the central message of your Discussion and Conclusions?

This is a big one because it is really your take-home message (the most important part of the
poster). What is the dramatic finding that you want your audience to remember? And why
should they care? This is very important, because your colleagues will want to learn not only
about what you did but also about why it is significant. Be prepared to address this issue,
briefly in your poster and in greater depth when talking with your colleagues.

Acknowledgements
These are auxiliary sections that often appear in the lower left corner of a poster.
"Acknowledgements" is your opportunity to thank the people who have helped you.
53
Font
Choose a type-face that is easy to read, such as Times New Roman, Arial or Courier.
Studies show that text written in all capital letters is hard to follow; it is better to use
bold print than all caps, though you are then limited on making those bold-type
statements that will stand out from the rest of your text. Many people find that a
"serif" script is easier to follow than something "sans serif." Use the same type-face
throughout your poster.
You will probably use a variety of font sizes. Your title and authors' names, running along
the top of your poster, should be huge, no less than 72 point. The title of each section
of your paper should also be large, perhaps 60 point. Your bullet statements (or however
you choose to make these important points) should really stand out - try 48 point or
larger. Additional text should be no smaller than 24. You can get away with 18 for
sections like Acknowledgements and References Cited, but don't go any smaller than
that.

Graphic images
Graphic images can be helpful in your Introduction in the form of flow charts. If you
are trying to present the notion that several variables interact (e.g., some of the ideas
presented in the examples above), then a good flow chart might be just the thing.
Graphics are most important in the Results section. A picture really can replace a lot
of words, and a good graph will be understood far more readily than a description of
that same information. On the other hand, be careful about how much you pack into
that graph. You might be tempted to compile all of your data into one mega-histogram,
with ten different variables for each of your sixteen individual subjects across three
months of testing, all stacked up in various colours and elaborate shadings and
splashed across three dimensions, but please take pity on your audience. Try to keep
it simple.
First of all, think about what type of graph is best for the type of data you are
presenting. You have access to the latest version of Prism analysis software, which can
also be used for its graph-making capabilities.
Most importantly you should include the statistical test you used to analyse your data,
(including n=) in your legends.

Use of colour
Colour is very helpful in presenting your results. For example, three lines of colour
representing different measures will be far easier to follow than three lines that are all black
and differentiated only by little squares or circles. So colour is good, but use some restraint.
Your computer might encourage you to assemble a graph with 13 different data sets, each in
a different colour, with coloured titles and subtitles, coloured axis titles, a very colourful
legend, and a faint map of the world in the background.

54
This might seem like a great way to capture your audience's attention, but the final
product will look like Walt Disney designed your poster. Better to keep it simple.
Hopefully your data will be accommodated by two or three colours. Choose colours
that are bold and clear, and use them consistently throughout. Thus, if one graph
presents "success vs. failure" for one trial, and another graph "success vs. failure" for
another trial, then keep using that same red vs. blue for all of these graphs. Skip to a
different pair of colours if you move on to "male vs. female." If you can keep it to a few
basic colours, you might use the same colours in your poster board for an aesthetically
pleasing ensemble. Bear in mind that some of your audience may be red-green colour-
blind; this might affect your choice of colour scheme. Using distinctly different symbols
for lines or data points that you are showing in different colours will help these folks
out! Also keep in mind that colours that are opposite one another on the colour wheel
(like blue and yellow) are considered complementary (they go well together and are
easy to distinguish). While your data sets will be most effective in colour, make the rest
of your graph (e.g., the titles, axes, labels, etc.) in basic black. Follow the same rules
described earlier for font sizes; make sure things are easy to read.
Be sure to have all of your axes clearly labelled and a good legend in place. Titles and
subtitles should be brief but descriptive so that your reader knows immediately what
this graph presents.

Images
Images always catch the eye and also serve to inform your audience immediately
about your project. Your methods section can also be enhanced with photos,
especially if you have used some new apparatus. Photos break up the monotony of
text and graphs, resulting in a more balanced and aesthetically pleasing display.
However, this will only be true if your photos are of high quality. Choose images that
are clear (rather than out-of-focus), of good colour and contrast (rather than too light
or dark), and easy to make out.
As you are developing your visual aids, continue to ask for feedback from your friends
and colleagues. They are likely to come up with good questions, ideas that hadn't
occurred to you, suggestions on more effective turns of phrase or use of graphics. They
may also spot grammar and spelling errors. Developing any sort of presentation is an
iterative process. Allow plenty of time to make your poster over a number of times. Most
importantly, do not leave it to print at the last minute.

Peer review
Throughout the entire process, we encourage you to discuss your developing poster
with your lab colleagues.
You will be asked to give a "walk-through" at the viva. This should be a 5-10 minute
summary of everything in your poster. Practice this just as you would practice if you
were giving a talk. Feedback from your peers and mentor would be especially helpful.

55
ANNEXE 10 – MAPS

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY, WARNEFORD HOSPITAL

Headington, Oxford. OX3 7JX

NUFFIELD DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE, JOHN RADCLIFFE HOSPITAL

Level 5 & 6 of the West Wing, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford. OX3 9DU

56
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY, OXFORD
Mansfield Road, Oxford. OX1 3QT

57