Research Paper Structure and Ethics Quiz

End-of-Module Exam - Research Techniques

• The exam is 100% (90 minutes)
• Research Techniques section is worth 40 points
• Requires answering questions (multiple choice, gap-fill)
• Topics include: Referencing, citations, quotations, plagiarism, paper structure, paragraph structure, qualitative and quantitative research, academic language.
• A data commentary of 150-180 words is required.
• 20 minutes for the data commentary and 20 minutes for the rest of the section.

Common Text Components

• Citations: Referencing sources using citation (e.g., "According to Tamura et al. (2009)") including abbreviations, italics (for foreign words or emphasis), and brackets (for extra information) are used in research papers.
• Abbreviations: Using abbreviations for convenience (e.g., DHA for docosahexaenoic acid) is common.
• Italics: Highlighting words from other languages or adding emphasis using italics.
• Brackets: Using brackets to provide additional information or clarification (e.g., "short-chain fatty acids").

Referencing, Citations, and Quotations (Week 1, Week 2)

• References to sources, using citations, are crucial to avoid plagiarism.
• Citations and quotations should demonstrate understanding and show the source.
• Summarization and quotation are both acceptable for referencing. Summary and citation use your own words while still acknowledging the original author. Quotations use an author's exact words, but still need a citation.
• Citations, according to APA style, show source credit.
• A reference list is needed to include all citations

Avoiding Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is copying information from a source without giving credit to the original author.
• Using an author's exact words requires quotation marks and a reference.
• You must use your own words when writing a summary of source material but still provide the source (citation)

Summarizing and Paraphrasing

• Summarizing condenses the main points from longer passages into a shorter version in your own words.
• Paraphrasing rewrites a passage using different words, but keeping the same meaning.
• Both summarizing and paraphrasing are essential for accurately presenting a source's information without plagiarism.

Compiling a Reference List

• Citations are linked to a reference list at the end of the work.
• The reference list provides complete details of the sources used for the research.

Evaluating Credibility of Sources (Week 4)

• Evaluate if sources are credible based on timeliness, authority, audience, and relevance in the research paper.
• Timeliness (how recent the data is), authority (who published it), audience (who is the intended reader) and relevance (how related is it to the topic) are vital aspects when citing sources.

Perspective (Week 1)

• Select important information and see if it relates directly to your paper's topic.
• Opinions are not allowed in many academic papers, only factual information and evidence.
• Identify the information that supports your analysis.
• Evaluate if the source materials' information is credible, from an academic journal or a reliable online source.

Paper Structure (Week 1)

• Title Page: Includes the title, student's name, module title, and number.
• Table of Contents: Lists all sections (eg. Introduction, Theoretical Framework, Results) and pages where they appear.
• List of Figures/ Tables: If present, lists the figures/tables by title and page number.
• Introduction: Introduces the topic.
• Theoretical Framework: Includes a literature review, (looking into prior research), that provides context.
• Methodology: How the research was conducted, methods, data collection procedures
• Results: Presents the findings (data).
• Discussion: Analyzes the results in light of the literature review.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the research and points towards future research.
• List of References: Includes full citations of all sources cited in the paper.
• Appendices: Supplementary data that is related to the main points in the paper, but isn't crucial.

Summarizing and Paraphrasing (Week 5)

• Summarizing condenses the main points of a text.
• Paraphrasing rewrites a passage into a new text.
• Follow these steps for effective note taking summarizing and or paraphrasing: read the text carefully, mark key points, make notes of key points using your own words when summarizing, rewrite the summary into your own words.

Plagiarism (Week 4)

• Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own.
• Sources need to appropriately cited otherwise it considered plagiarism.
• Using other people's ideas may be considered as well.
• Use 4 or 5 sources for research proposals (according to the text).

Avoiding Plagiarism (Week 5)

• Use quotation marks and cite the sources when you use direct quotes from other people.
• If your own words are based on their ideas, still cite their sources.
• In academic work, thoughts and words are considered the creator's personal property, this needs to cited in academic work.
• There are different levels of plagiarism (copying words, summary and/or paraphrasing, and ideas).

Plagiarism (Recognition and Evaluation)

• Plagiarism involves taking words or ideas from a source without properly citing the author.
• Rephrasing someone's ideas with different words or changing the order or structure of the original text does not automatically remove or prevent plagiarism. Still need to provide proper citation.
• Use 4 - 5 appropriate and relevant sources (usually books, scholarly journals, or credible websites).
• Clearly distinguish your own ideas from those of others.

Data Commentary (Week 1, 2 and 7)

• In the data commentary, it important to analyze and interpret the data to provide a brief summary of the topic.
• Interpret and evaluate the context of your data.
• Analyze the figures.
• Use proper academic language and grammar.

Research Methods (Week 2)

• Qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to collect different kinds of data.
• Qualitative data focuses on personal accounts and detailed descriptions of people, concepts, events, or situations (often expressed in words).
• Quantitative data uses measurable data and is numerical.

Paragraph Structure (Week 6)

• A paragraph is a section of text focused on a single idea.
• Paragraphs are usually made up of several sentences grouped together.

Argument and Discussion (Week 12)

• An argument could be analyzing different views and opinions related to a certain topic, or providing facts and evidence in an opposing view.
• Use objective terms in discussion.
• Avoid personal phrases (eg. "In my opinion"), and instead focus on discussing facts, evidence and other writers' ideas.

Academic Language and Style (Week 2 and 7)

• Use formal, objective, and academic language (avoid slang, idioms, or colloquialisms).
• Avoid casual language.
• Be precise with your word choice and avoid vague or ambiguous terms that need extra explanation or that can easily be misunderstood.
• Avoid repetition.
• Pay attention to the instruction words in tasks.

Use of Visuals (Week 11)

• Use images (maps, tables graphs, charts) to visual data.
• Use proper titles to show the data the image is representing to inform the readers.
• Avoid repeating data, but use words for visual representation to provide an interpretation and explain the data's relationship to the topic.

Reference Verbs (Week 8)

• Reference verbs introduce the views of other writers.
• These verbs convey the different actions a writer might take when stating a particular idea (e.g., “argue” "claim" "consider").

Conjunctions (Week 13)

• Conjunctions are words or phrases that connect parts of a sentence or ideas in different parts of a text(eg. addition, time, result, reason, and opposition )
• Understanding these is important for improving the flow and structure of your writing.

Prepositions

• Prepositions describe relationships between words or parts of a text.
• Example include "to," "from," "on," "in", etc.
• Be mindful of when and where to use prepositions.

Test your knowledge on the essential components of research papers and dissertations. This quiz covers sections like literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and the important distinctions regarding plagiarism and academic integrity. Perfect for students aiming to improve their writing and research skills.