LAWS8026 Chap.13 Planning and Writing the Research Essay
Planning and Writing the Research Essay
Eighty per cent of the grade rests on the research essay plan and the research essay, both on one topic and both submitted through Turnitin.
This chapter follows the course's sample plan through its five parts, shows how to state a proposition with its strongest objection, reproduces the plan and essay marking criteria, explains exactly what the word limits count, and sets out the format, citation, late submission and generative AI rules that can cost marks before the argument is read.
The chapter treats the plan as the essay's foundation rather than a separate task. The sample plan's parts, title, aims and scope, proposition, research approach and outline, each have a job, and the proposition carries most weight because it turns a topic into an argument.
The marking criteria for the plan and the essay are reproduced side by side, showing that the plan is judged on what it proposes and the essay on what it delivers. Practical rules follow: AGLC footnotes with pinpoints, no bibliography, a Word file named with the topic number, text only, and a word count that includes discursive footnotes, headings and numbering.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Plan and essay on the same topic
- 02
The five parts of the sample plan
- 03
Stating a proposition with an objection
- 04
The plan and essay marking criteria
- 05
What the word limits count
- 06
Format, AGLC citation and integrity rules
Worked example · free
Check a draft against the word limit
- +1Subtract all footnote words from the total: 6,040 minus 900 is 5,140.
- +1Add back the discursive footnote words, which count: 5,140 plus 250 is 5,390.
- +1Exclude the 650 citation words, which do not count.
- +1Compare 5,390 with the 6,000 limit.
Key terms
- Research proposition
- A research proposition is the position an essay argues, with its reasons and tentative conclusion.
- AGLC
- AGLC is the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, the referencing style the course requires.
- Pinpoint citation
- A pinpoint citation identifies the exact page or paragraph supporting a proposition.
- Discursive footnote
- A discursive footnote contains commentary rather than only a citation, and counts towards the word limit.
- Short extension
- A short extension is a brief extension available for the plan but not for the essay under the Moodle table.
- Marking rubric
- A marking rubric is the published list of criteria against which a piece of work is assessed.
- Proposition paragraph
- A proposition paragraph states the essay's position, its main reasons, the strongest objection and the planned response.
Planning and Writing the Research Essay FAQ
Must I follow the sample plan's headings?
No. The course says the sample is only a guide and that a plan that handles the key components in its own structure and words will earn more than one copying the prompts without real thinking. What matters is scope, proposition, sources and outline.
Does a bibliography count towards the word limit?
The course says not to add a bibliography at all. Referencing is done in footnotes using the AGLC, and citations in footnotes are excluded from the count, while discursive footnote text, headings and numbering are included.
Can I change my topic after the plan?
No. The course information states that the plan and essay must be on the same topic and that once the plan is submitted the chosen topic cannot change, so choose carefully before submitting the plan.
How strict is the 6,000-word limit?
Strict. The course says the limit is applied with no leeway and that work over the limit is penalised under the Faculty of Law and Justice assessment procedure in force at submission. Count discursive footnotes, headings and numbering, but not footnote citations.
Should I write the plan in the first or third person?
Either is acceptable. The sample plan allows both but asks you to stay consistent, because switching between them makes the plan harder to follow and reads as less polished.
Assessment move
Write the proposition paragraph first, before the rest of the plan, and test it against the four questions in the sample plan. Keep a running word count that separates citations from discursive footnotes. A week before the deadline, read the draft once against each rubric criterion and once against the format list.
Book time for the submission itself: the course recommends allowing at least 20 minutes and makes you responsible for a working internet connection at the deadline. After submitting the plan, keep its proposition visible while you draft the essay.
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