Anatomy Project Guidelines for Students

1. Objectives

The objectives of the Anatomy Project are to demonstrate students‟ abilities to:
1. define the aims of their project,
2. plan and organize the project,
3. apply practical skills in the performance of the project, and
4. write a brief and relevant report about the project.

Students should discuss their project and the availability of required materials with their
designated supervisors before starting on the project. The students are expected to show initiative
on their part and not wait till they are chased by their tutors. Infact, marks are given partly by the
tutor who will assess the student/s initiative, work and final project.

2. Planning the Project

Careful planning is an essential prerequisite to the success of the project. It is essential to define
very clearly what the project intends to demonstrate or achieve. It is also necessary to plan the
steps involved before beginning the project, particularly if this is a dissection, where there is no
opportunity to replace damaged structures. It is recommended to use an atlas of anatomy to help
plan the dissection. When performing a dissection the student must know exactly where and
how to locate the structures and go directly to them. Please note that Mr Peter Bentley Brown,
lab officer has the list of the body parts which have been assigned to each student – please refer
to him (email: peter.bentley-brown@um.edu.mt). It will NOT be possible to change the body
part which has been assigned, without prior written approval from the Head of
Department of Anatomy, following full justification.
Projects performed by two or more students

A project in which two, three or four students participate would be expected to include two, three
or four times respectively the amount of effort that would normally be expected from a project
being performed by one student. Such a project might be one that includes a lot of work such as
an elaborate dissection, or a series of dissections. When assessing a project the number of
students as well as the quality of the project be considered. It must be demonstrated that all
members of the group participated equally, and in fact, each student will need to produce their
own individual written report on the dissection project. A peer-assessment form will also need to
be filled out by each of the individual students forming part of the group, where they outline their
contribution and report on the contribution of their colleagues. This will be taken in
consideration during assessment. Infact, members of the same group may get different
individual marks on the same project depending on their individual contribution and
commitment with the rest of the team, and interaction with the tutor.

General Notes for a Dissection Project

1. Read up about your project before an initial planned meeting with your tutor.
2. Read the Anatomy and more importantly read about dissecting the area in question from
a dissector, such as Grant‟s or Cunningham‟s dissectors which actually describe how to
prepare such specimens. The library has a number of copies of Grants and some older
dissectors which are good guides too.
3. Prepare a planned dissection method and bring this to your tutor for him/her to discuss
and modify with you as best needed for your project.
4. Before beginning dissection:
a) consider the method of storage of your specimen and get the appropriate container
in the case of body parts;
b) read up the general chapter on dissection in one of the dissector manuals
mentioned above.
5. Once dissecting, use the basic principle of blunt dissection – using a finger, the blunt
edge of a scalpel handle or scissors to separate out different tissue planes. This allows
one to separate out structures without cutting across planes and destroying normal
anatomical architecture. Never use a scalpel to cut without separating out planes, except
for the initial skin incision.
6. Remember to keep fine structures in your specimen moist – covered with moist cotton
wool or rags – since they are likely to dry out especially if stored in the fridge.
7. Caring for your project: You are ultimately responsible for your dissection project (and
not the lab technicians, although of course you can ask them for help and advise). Please
note that other students may be also working on another part of the same body that has
been assigned to you, so if you do not care for your project, you will not only ruin your
work, but also that of other students. The Head of Department, examiners and even the
external examiner will inspect the dissection projects during the June exam period, and
marked accordingly.
Writing up the Dissection Project

The write–up should be brief and informative. This should not normally exceed 2000 words. For
references, use Refworks. Make sure you book and attend a tutorial at the University of Malta
Library so you learn how to use it. The referencing style must be in Vancouver style.The number
of pictures included should be appropriate to the material demonstrated.
It should include the following sections:
1. Aims - a clear general statement of what your project is intended to show or to achieve;
2. Methods – these should be stated very briefly if standard methods were used. The use of
special techniques e.g. preparation of corrosion cast should be briefly outlined, with
appropriate references. (Do not give full descriptions of methods that can be found in the
literature!). New methods or modifications should be described in sufficient detail so that
they can be reproduced by others.
3. Results - This is the main part of the write-up. It should describe exactly what you have
shown. No more, no less! Reviews related to your topic are not normally required, but if
they are included as in library-based projects, they should be appropriately referenced.
Pictures of dissections etc. should be clearly and adequately labelled. Only authentic
pictures and diagrams should be included.
4. Clinical Relevance – In this section the students are expected to either present clinical
cases, or discuss clinical relevant material related to their project.

Format

Use the font „Times New Roman‟ size 12, line spacing 1.5, justified, printed on one side only

Printing and Binding

A hard bound copy is to be presented before the deadline to the secretaries‟ office. The cover
must be black with gold-lettering. On the front, there must be the title of the project, name and
surname of the student/s and the year of study . On the spine, there must be the title and the year
of study.

Infringement of Copyright and Plagiarism

Your attention is drawn to the fact that unauthorized reproduction of figures or text from
textbooks, journals, internet or other sources constitutes an infringement of copyright.
Furthermore, the inclusion of text or parts thereof, and of figures that were not the author‟s work
in the write-up constitutes plagiarism. Both these offences will not only invalidate your
presentation but may also be subject to further action being taken. Prior to submission, all written
projects will be uploaded on Turnitin on the University of Malta website.
Writing up a Literature Review

Each student must write a minimum of 4000 words, not including abstract, abbreviations and
figures. If in the group there are 2 or more students, each student must write an individual
chapter which has a minimum of 4000 words. There must be a title page, a summary/abstract for
the whole project, table of contents, list of figures and list of tables, and references at the end.
For references, use Refworks. Make sure you book and attend a tutorial at the University of
Malta Library so you learn how to use it. The referencing style must be in Vancouver style.

Time of Submission

All projects should be submitted before the Easter holidays, with the deadline being Friday 12th
April 2019. It is suggested that whenever possible, students should try and finish much of their
actual practical work before the scholastic year re-commences, though this is not an official
requirement. Please note that it takes up to a week to get a hard bound copy printed, so do not
leave till the last minute! Late submissions, after the start of the Easter holidays, will NOT
be assessed.

Assessment and Marking

This will be based on three main criteria:

1. Quality of project in terms of presentation, originality & complexity,
2. Clear exposition of aims, methods and results,
3. Style & length of write-up.

Marks are given partly by the tutor who will assess the student/s initiative, work and final
project. Another examiner will give marks based on the final project only. An external examiner
will then assess the projects with the highest marks and have the final say on order of merit.
Prizes are given to the 3 top-ranking dissection projects.

General Information

The Anatomy Projects will be catalogued in order to make them available to future students in
Electronic Format. For this purpose, you are kindly asked to submit in addition to your hard
bound project, a soft-copy of your project in a pen-drive containing the information in the format
below. The soft-copy of your final project will be submitted on Turnitin.

1. A file named “Write-up” containing a soft copy of your write-up or script.

2. A folder named “Selected Pictures” containing 4 pictures that best illustrate your project
from different aspects.
3. A folder named “Other Pictures” containing all other pictures or presentations relevant to
your project.

Keep a soft copy of ALL material you submit to the Anatomy Department.