Task
You are required to research, analyse, discuss and provide recommendations on the following topic, through the writing of an academic style report.
Topic: ‘Plagiarism consequences in tertiary education and how they can be minimised'.
Expected outcome
You are required to conform to the appropriate standards for academic writing in your report by illustrating the following features:
• You have adopted a point of argument.
• Each section of your report is clearly defined and demonstrates your research into the topic.
• Your report is 1500 words in length.
• You have included in your report a Title Page, Abstract, Table of Contents, Introduction, Body, Conclusion and Recommendations.
• You have referenced all material cited in your report (in the form of a Reference List), as well as material sourced although not referred to (in the form of a Bibliography).
• Minimum 5 academic references
The process
The following section breaks the process of report writing into a number of sequential steps. You should aim to spread these steps over three to four weeks. In particular you need to allow adequate time to obtain library materials. This time allows you to properly consider the questions, to conduct some research into the topic and to leave the tasks alone for a day or two, so that you can return to it with a fresh mind. Such rests are particularly important between spells of writing.
Step 1: Analyse the question
This assessment task has adopted the approach of posing the question where particular key words that direct you to the task (such as research, analyse, discuss) have been used. You should also note any key technical terms used (such as ‘plagiarism'). If you are unfamiliar with them, look up their meaning in a dictionary and keep notes.
Step 2: Develop your plan
Once you have fully identified with the topic, you need to begin to ‘brainstorm' your ideas. It is here that discussion with your lecturer is a legitimate aid and will be of most use in helping you to formulate your own ideas. Make sure you have the question constantly in mind as it is easy to drift away from the question and to write about something you think, rather than what is being asked.
You should be looking to group your ideas into section headings and paragraphs. You should also be considering what types of evidence, information and lines of argument you need to develop into your report.
Step 3: Researching
Your plan should guide your search for information. The references and resource materials provided will also form a foundation for your research.
You should commence with topics, key words and some ideas of statistics and/or other data that you are seeking to support your discussion. Be sure to keep clear notes and the full bibliographic details of each source consulted. This information should be recorded in a notebook or exercise book kept especially for this purpose.
Step 4: Writing a rough draft
Always allow sufficient time to write at least one, preferably two drafts, of your report before you produce the final copy for submission. Be aware of technical accuracy and citation of all sources used. Be sure you are answering the question. Use sub-headings and avoid using personal pronouns and subjectivity (e.g., I think¼, We believe¼). Instead, be impersonal and objective (e.g., A common belief is¼). Use sentences and paragraphs to arrange your ideas and arguments.
In your second draft you should pay special attention to the formalities of style and expression. Ask someone to read your first draft report and take note where your points are unclear, where your expression is verbose with care at this point being important. Identify and eliminate colloquialisms, abbreviations, spelling errors, grammatical errors. Report writing is a formal presentation of your written work.
Step 5: Final presentation check list
The final step that you need to go through is to check that you have not missed any important points requiring discussion. You will not be able to write a satisfactory report from your prescribed textbook alone, so you need to become familiar with the CSU Library and their searching systems.
Be aware of the ease of plagiarising information. All sources must be acknowledged, correctly cited and fully referenced. The best way to make sure that you have all the information you need is to record as you progress with the full details of the information you collect.