WRITING POSTGRADUATE COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Transcription

1 WRITING POSTGRADUATE COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

2 Goals for this class Students will learn about: the steps to effective assignment writing

3 What types of written assignments might you encounter in your postgraduate coursework? Annotated bibliography Article critique Business report Case study Essay Journal article Literature review Position paper Research proposal Reflective journal Scientific/technical report

4 In this class we are going to focus on essays and reports (another seminar looks specifically at literature reviews)

5 Assignment Writing Timeline Start Date Due Date Analyse the question Research resources Read critically Write first draft Final version Generate ideas Plan Revise & re-draft 5

6 Step 1: Analyse the question On your copy of the example assignment highlight/underline/circle the key instruction words: the main verbs what you are asked to do the main context words (nouns) what you are asked to focus your activity upon

7 Understanding the task It is important to be very clear about what we are being asked to do, eg: identify describe explain analyse critique compare discuss review evaluate See Eden Skills (2007).

8 Step 2: Generate ideas Identify what you already know and what you need to find out about Plan your research key words/phrases; places where the sources may be found Form study groups [learning communities] to discuss key points in assignment question, deepen understanding, clarify misconceptions, etc.

9 Library research Step 3: Research resources, read critically Who is the liaison librarian for your discipline? What are the key databases and journals for your discipline/topic? What workshops are available to help you?

10 Reading critically Organise the sequence of readings to gain an overview before plunging into in-depth reading on particular points Ask yourself what you expect to learn from each book/chapter/paper: do you need this reading? Take notes on the content: clarify understanding Take notes on your critical response: critically analyse all aspects of the text Record your overall critical evaluation

11 SQ3R system Survey: Scan title/headings/subheadings/summaries/ contents page. Look for the parts of the reading that you really need. Question: What questions (in relation to your assignment task) do you want your reading to answer? Read: Active reading/take notes/any more questions? Recall: Do you understand the main issues? Can you paraphrase/bullet point them in your own words? Do you need to reread anything? Review: Have you noted all the main points? Have you answered your questions? Don t forget to record the full reference for the source.

12 Note-taking: The three-column system Full referencing information Headings/ themes Detailed notes on content for each theme, including quotes (with page numbers) Reactions, insights, comments, ideas, cross-references And any further questions that emerge (University of Wollongong, 2012)

13 Step 4: Plan Everyone lies somewhere on the continuum between these two opposites: Engineers: prepare a detailed outline or blueprint. Sculptors: prefer the form to emerge from the writing gradually and organically. There is no single correct approach to writing an assignment. Nevertheless at the postgraduate level, writing tasks are complex - some form of planning is almost essential.

14 Types of essays Sturm s (2012) typology: Expository, point first, deductive stakes its claim at the outset, and then sets out to prove it. most academic essays are of this form Exploratory, point last, inductive arrives at its claim as an end-point academic essays in art and design are often of this form

15 Expository essay plan Introduction Body (= 80%+ of the whole work) Conclusion Introduction: context, purpose, plan Conclusion: sum up key points made in the work, show the purpose has been achieved Body: A specific plan is still needed to create a logical structure for the essay body one which fits the given task and the required word count.

16 Essay body planning steps 1. Identify all the content to be included eg mindmaps, flowcharts, post-it notes. 2. Outline the headings/themes to be used in the essay in a logical sequence to represent the structure (with subheadings/subthemes?) 3. Outline the details, eg paragraph topics

17 Exercise 2. Planning the assignment Take the second example assignment, create an outline for the essay, using the grid provided. Consider your word budget : the number of words you will commit to each section of the essay.

18 Scientific/technical report plan AIMRaD format very widely used: Abstract Introduction (incl. past research/literature) Method Results, and Discussion [Conclusion]

19 Business report structure Two styles/formats (deductive more common) Deductive report format Title page Executive summary Table of contents Introduction Conclusions Recommendations Discussion References Appendices Inductive report format Title page Executive summary Table of contents Introduction Discussion Conclusions Recommendations References Appendices 19

20 Deductive format is used for the busy person and if the material is not controversial (Emerson, 2000, p.28). Inductive format is used to convince others by reading your arguments first before getting to the findings of the report. It is usually used when conclusions are likely to be unpopular (Emerson, 2000, p.28).

21 Step 5: Write the first draft Major assumption ahead! In what follows I m assuming you will manage your time to permit you to go through several drafts of your assignment.

22 First draft focus is on composition getting essay content together Getting your ideas, readings, memories, notes, etc into coherent words is the hardest task, so don t clutter that task with other issues. You do no not have to worry about style, grammar, punctuation ( yet!)

23 Step 6: Revise and re-draft The following slides set out a revising process (Matthews, Bowen, & Matthews, 2000) which allows you focus on a limited range of issues at any one time. You are consciously addressing certain aspects of your writing at each stage, rather than simply looking for mistakes. This is much more effective than attempting to address everything from content and structure to grammar and punctuation in one reading.

24 A. Revise content Does the essay/chapter address the central issues suggested by the title? Has sufficient space been given to the most important points? Has all the information that is relevant to the essay/chapter been included? Has anything been omitted Are there gaps? Is anything irrelevant? Is there any repetition? Is the main line of argument clear? Or is it lost in a sea of detail? Is the essay/chapter topic covered in sufficient depth and detail? Are claims made cautiously and supported by evidence?

25 B. Revise structure Is the text in an appropriate structure or format? Is there a clear introduction and conclusion to the essay/chapter and, where necessary, to each major subsection? Are ideas and themes presented in a logical sequence? Do the paragraph divisions match the organisation of individual points? Should any paragraphs be joined or split?

26 C. Revise style Are ideas linked? Do sentences flow? Is it clear how each paragraph links to the previous/next paragraph? Is the style appropriate for academic writing at the postgraduate level? Is the text concise? Is the style clear and readable (sentence/paragraph length)? Is the text formal and serious in tone? Is it free of slang and colloquialisms? Is there any plagiarism? Are references correct?

27 D. Revise word choice Is the language clear and straightforward? Is there anything the reader will find confusing? Is technical vocabulary used correctly? Are abbreviations explained? E. Check the grammar F. Check the punctuation G. Obtain (and consider carefully) comments from supervisor, friends, colleagues

28 Referencing SLC website: AUT library website: All about EndNote free software download, workshops, notes, etc, at

29 Final thoughts: Good writers are good readers! Pay attention to the style of the writers you are reading, and learn from the good writers. Look at the structure of the entire work Be aware of the particular style that your discipline follows

30 Acknowledgement Thank you to the lecturers who have given permission for their assignments to be used by the SLC for this assignment writing workshop.

31 References Eden Skills. (2007). Task words. Retrieved from Emerson, L. (2012). Writing guidelines for business students (5 th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning. Matthews, J., Bowen, J., & Matthews, R. (2000). Successful scientific writing: A step-by-step guide for the biological and medical sciences (2 nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Sturm, S. (2012). Terra (in)cognita: Mapping academic writing. TEXT: Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, 16(2). Retrieved from University of Wollongong. (2000). Notetaking: The Cornell method. Retrieved on July 29,2013, from