Policy on Grading and Procedures

McGill Academic Integrity website

All students have the right to see any written work which they have submitted for grading, including final exams. The Department staff are encouraged to discuss examination questions with students with a view to informing them about appropriate ways of answering particular questions, but the staff are not obliged to discuss any individual student's answers. When a staff member is willing to go over a student's paper with him or her, it should be understood that no change in the student's mark can be based on such a review. The purpose of such a review is to provide useful feedback to the student; changes in mark (except in the case of errors) can be made only through the reread procedure.

If a student is dissatisfied, and feels that his or her final course grade is lower than deserved, the student may request a reread at the Associate Dean's Office. If the Associate Dean approves the request, he will ask the Chairman of the Department to appoint another examiner to read the student's final exam. Only those parts of an examination that have remained in the instructor's custody since the examination was written can be reread. The mark given by the new examiner will stand whether it is higher or lower than the original mark.

If a student feels that a grade on his or her term work (midterm exam and/or paper) is lower than deserved, the student is encouraged to discuss this with the professor of the course. If the student is still dissatisfied, he or she may request a reread of the midterm exam and/or paper from the Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Psychology. Detailed information as to this process can be obtained from the Undergraduate Program Director and from the Chief Academic Advisor. Please note that when a reread is requested, the mark given by the second examiner will stand, whether it is higher or lower than the original mark.

Further information on this topic is available in the Handbook on Student Rights and Responsibilities available at the Office of the Dean of Students, in the Brown Student Services Building.

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Information About Plagiarism and The Ethics of Submitting Papers

Any written assignment (essays, take-home exams, term papers, etc...) submitted by a student must not be deceptive regarding the abilities, knowledge, or amount of work contributed by the student.

There are many ways that this rule can be violated. Among them are: 

a.    A friend helps the student with the paper. This is not necessarily a violation if the professor is informed of the fact.

 b.    The student submits the same essay to two or more courses without the consent of the instructors. 

c.    The student makes use of direct quotations from other sources, without both labelling them as quotations and citing the source. 

d.    The student paraphrases a closely reasoned argument of an author without acknowledging that he or she has done so. (Clearly, all our knowledge is derived from somewhere, but detailed arguments from clearly identifiable sources must be acknowledged.)

 e.    Outright plagiarism. Large sections of the paper are simply copied from other sources, and are not acknowledged as quotations. "Other sources" often include essays written by other students or sold by unscrupulous organizations. Quoting from such papers is perfectly legitimate if quotation marks are used and the source is cited. It is only the deceptive use of such materials that is a violation. Such a violation will be taken very seriously. However, these violations are rare, and most students do not submit such papers. For information on procedures and penalties, see the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures  available from the offices of the Associate Deans of Arts and of Sciences.

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Dalbir Bindra Undergraduate Computer Laboratory

The Laboratory consists of a General Access Lab and a Teaching Lab.

The General Access Laboratory is located in Room N4/19 of the Stewart Biological Sciences Building. This lab provides word processing, statistical and spreadsheet programs on a variety of I.B.M. compatible PC’s and Macintosh computers. All of the computers are connected to the Departments computer network and provide e-mail and internet access. Laser printing is available at a minimum charge.

The lab is open to all Psychology and Biology students and is open 9:00 to 4:30 Monday to Thursday and 9:00 to 3:00 on Friday. The departments Systems Manager (Mehrdad Khosraviani, W8/6C), and Computer Lab Technician (Morris Eichler, W8/9), are responsible for the day to day operation of the Lab.  the lab 

The Teaching Lab is located in Room N7/1, and consists of 10 Macintosh computers running commercial and locally developed programs and as well provides internet and laser printing access for laboratory courses.

Psychology students also have access to the Biology-Psychology Computer laboratory located in Room N4/17. This lab has 39 networked PC’s providing services for both laboratory courses and scheduled general access for word processing and statistical work. Laser printing is as well available at a minimal charge.

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Volunteer Participation in Experiments

Experiments to study human behaviour and mental processes are always in progress in the Psychology Department. Researchers in this department who are concerned with human behaviour study topics such as social interactions, interpersonal relations, personality, drug addiction, language comprehension, memory, reading and reading disability, speech perception, typing, visual perception and audition, and the like. Student projects cover an even broader range of topics. In order to conduct research, the Department relies upon the voluntary participation of students in experiments. Most experiments are simple, brief, and non-deceptive. The use of human subjects is very carefully monitored by individual faculty members and by various university ethics committees. All studies are run in accordance with the ethical principles established by the American and Canadian Psychological Associations. Any experiment you participate in will be harmless; there are no exceptions to this. You are free to leave any experiment at any time during the procedure. You are entitled to ask any question and receive a forthright answer. Participants are "debriefed" as to the purpose of an experiment. Some experiments are fun or informative; sometimes you can get paid.

 If you are asked to participate in a study, you are free to refuse. However, we recommend that you agree to participate for two reasons:

First, participating in an experiment will be useful to you as a psychology student. You will gain a better understanding of how psychological research actually proceeds from participation in experiments that are directly related to the subject matter of courses you are taking. You can also get ideas for your own research projects.

Second, being in an experiment will be useful to others. It is only through the voluntary cooperation of the students that we are able to engage in psychological research. Thus, your participation will be helpful to faculty members and graduate students in pursuing their studies. Often you will be helping fellow students who are running experiments for their own courses. Of course, you may some day be the experimenter seeking volunteers for your own research.

In order to enhance the educational experience of participating in experiments, at McGill we have attempted to integrate these experiences into the core curriculum of U1 students. This is part of a broader effort to increase the research component of our core courses. In the core courses you may be expected to have some research experience either by participating in experiments, observing experiments (demonstration), or by reading empirical reports of classic and contemporary studies in psychology, and subsequently writing a brief report about the research. You will never be required to participate in an experiment. If you are registered in a psychology course, an experimenter may telephone you or post a notice at your class or conference. Questions regarding research participation may be directed to the Subject Pool Committee, Department of Psychology or by telephoning 398-6105. Information is also available on the department’s web site at www.psych.mcgill.ca.

We hope that you recognize the essential role that you play in the conducting of psychological research here at McGill and urge you to participate.