Academic Writing CM4203 Quiz

Academic Writing CM4203

• The course is taught by Dr. Caoilfhionn Ní Bheacháin
• Topics include compiling references in the UL Harvard style and using source quotes.

Research Skills Review

• If you use an opinion or idea from an article and rephrase it in your essay, you need to reference the article.
• If you state a historical fact like World War II dates, you need to reference a source.
• If you use an image found online, reference it.

Turnitin Report Review

• Pulsar: The word pulsar refers to a number of extremely dense objects that emit regular pulses of polarized radiation (mostly radio waves). They were first observed in 1967.
• Color and Emotion: Colors can evoke diverse emotions like happiness or sadness, and influence how people perceive objects or ideas.

Library Skills

• Differentiate and identify sources within a bibliography.
• Recognize different referencing systems.
• Locate books and journal articles.
• Perform keyword searches.
• Begin by finding 'one good article'.

Databases

• UL Library: https://www.ul.ie/library
• Web of Science: https://www-webofscience-com.glucksman.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/basic-search

Keywords

• Use keywords for literature searches, especially if you have a general idea of the topic.

• Brainstorm your topic by breaking sentences into core words.

• Think of synonyms or related words to your core words.

• Example topic: "The economic cost of absenteeism in the workplace".

  • Core Terms: Costs, Absenteeism, Work
  • Related Terms: Expenditure, Employees, Industry, Economy, Illness, Employers, Finance, Sick leave, Personnel

• Example topic: "Marketing to children in popular culture".

  • Core Terms: Marketing, Children, Popular culture
  • Related Terms: Advertising, Youth, Film, Television, Consumer behaviour, Pre-teens, Pre-schoolers, Cartoons

Research Questions and Topics

• Topic examples: Work-life balance in Ireland; Emotional intelligence and managers.
• Refine topic titles for a more focused essay.
• Generate relevant keywords for effective searches.

Starting with "One Good Article"

• This approach introduces you to suitable theories and research methods for the topic.
• It enables search expansion using bibliography and citations/time-cited sources.

Bibliography Information

• Author's last name and initials.
• Publication year.
• Title of work (with subtitles if any).
• Edition (if not the first).
• Location of Publisher.
• Name of Publisher.
• Journal name, volume number, part number, and page numbers (for journal articles).
• Web or email address (for electronic sources) and the date of access.

Finding Reference Elements

• Books: Cover, spine, and reverse of the title page.
• Articles: Journal cover and table of contents.
• Websites: Top and bottom of the page, logos, and web address.

Using a Source

• Keep thorough records, labeling notes and references.
• Properly reference information from identifiable sources, excluding general knowledge.

Presenting Titles

• Underlined/italics: Books, Plays (e.g., Macbeth), Long poems, Journals, Newspapers (e.g., The Irish Times), Films (e.g., The Godfather, The Queen).

Presenting Bibliography: Book

• Author(s) name(s), initial(s). (year of publication) Title of Book: Subtitle (if any), ed. [if not 1st edition], Place of publication: Publisher.
• Example: Abegg, M. J., Flint, P., & Ulrich, E. (1999). The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: the oldest known Bible. San Francisco: Harper.

Presenting Bibliography: Journal Article

• Author(s) name, initial(s). (year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Journal, Volume (Issue number), [or] date/month of publication, page number(s).
• Example: Eagleton, T. (2000) 'The Radicalism of William Thompson', The Irish Review, 26 (3) 80-88.

Summary and Quotes

• Understand the author's point and apply it to your topic critically. Critical analysis and appropriate application receive the best marks.

Rules for Quoting

• Quote only necessary or striking material.
• Construct your own sentences to fit quotations smoothly.
• Announce quotations in preceding words.
• Always respond to the quoted material.

Rules for Short Quotes

• Enclose short quotes (under 20 words) in quotation marks within your text, followed by the citation.
• Example: Society has developed a "boundary-free culture", which has affected our food consumption (Critser 2003, p.31).

Rules for Long Quotes

• Indent longer quotes into a separate paragraph in a smaller font.
• Cite the author and date in brackets at the right margin of the page.

Reference List Example

• Example: Critser, G. (2003) Fat Land, London: Allan Lane.

Reviewing Relevant Literature

• Common deficiencies include excluding landmark studies, using outdated literature and/or including irrelevant material.

Embarking on a Research Project

• Consider the need for primary research, appropriate secondary literature types, delimiting studies by factors like time, place, type of text, people, age, etc.
• Address how to gather these sources.
• Project examples include Ireland and the Economic War (1930s), Limerick's 2014 City of Culture, and McDonald's and globalization.

Summary

• Covers research and academic writing skills.
• Includes key terms (e.g., plagiarism, source, referencing).
• Addresses critical skills for referencing, identifying various source types, creating keywords, and formatting quotes/in-text citations.
• Encourages use of Cite It Right and online UL library resources.