Student plagiarism and difficulties with writing have been widely investigated in the literature, but there has been less research on staff perspectives. A Joint Information Services Committee (JISC)-funded questionnaire (n=80) and focus group study investigated the views of lecturers, librarians and study advisors at a UK post-92 university, looking at their perceptions of writing and plagiarism with a focus on first year undergraduates. The data reveal that staff in different roles employed contrasting discourses surrounding academic writing, the curriculum and the locus of responsibility for development. This paper will argue that the 'literacies' perspective shown by support staff leads to a more distributed view of responsibility for plagiarism prevention. In contrast, a 'study skills' paradigm as shown by lecturers views writing development as extracurricular and remedial, places a symbolic moral value on plagiarism as a signifier for falling standards. Implications for practice arising from the study are discussed.

A simple relationship between VHI-10 and NOMS rating does not exist. Patients with mild vocal dysfunction have a less direct relationship between their NOMS ratings and the VHI-10. These findings provide insight into the interpretation of patient-perceived and clinician-rated measures of vocal function and may allow for better management of expectations and patient counseling in the treatment of voice disorders.

Secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) placement in patients with severe limitations in neck extension is challenging. Visualization of the hypopharynx with traditional rigid endoscopy may not be possible. We report using the C-MAC (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) video laryngoscope to successfully place a secondary TEP in patient with severe radiation fibrosis at a tertiary referral center. A 59-year-old male with severe radiation fibrosis of the neck underwent total laryngectomy for a nonfunctioning larynx. His primary TEP dislodged in the early postoperative period and the patient requested secondary TEP and voice prosthesis. The result was a successful, properly positioned, placement of a secondary TEP. Videolaryngoscopy should be included in the surgeon's armamentarium of techniques to effectively and safely perform secondary TEP in anatomically difficult patients.

In line with Edinburgh Napier University's commitment to enhancing undergraduates' first-year experience (FYE), the aim of this qualitative research project was to examine the development of expectations, learning experiences and study attitudes of new psychology students over their first semester, with a view to informing the design of an intervention to support this transitional process. Support already existed in various forms, but departmental staff wished to establish a more targeted, consistent approach across programmes. Using an action research approach, data collected took the form of students' written reflections, elicited by means of open-ended questionnaires as part of normal induction activities at the start of both first and second semesters. Responses were obtained from two cohorts of first-year psychology students: the 2008-2009 cohort completed the Semester 2 questionnaire only, while the 2009-2010 cohort completed both Semester 1 and Semester 2 questionnaires. Responses were subjected to thematic analysis. Building on the common FYE theme of 'mismatch' between student and staff expectations, in this study the 'psychological contract' was applied as a theoretical framework for interpretation of findings. The Semester 1 questionnaire data showed realistic expectations but lacked in-depth reflection. The Semester 2 questionnaire responses on 'experiences' of the first semester showed a predominant concern with time-and self-management. However, evidence of good study habits, and metacognitive awareness of learning, were scarce, suggesting disparity between student and staff expectations. Interpretation of the data provided a rationale for a first-year intervention, implemented with the 2010-2011 cohort, aimed at 'closing the gap' by means of developing appropriate student psychological contracts.

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