Top 10 Assignment Referencing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 Top 10 Assignment Referencing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

Here are the ten most popular questions I got from students, and these are the answers:

NO. 1: WHEN IS A REFERENCE REQUIRED?

When you:

• quote (use someone else’s exact words) 
• copy (use figures, tables or structure) 
• paraphrase (convert someone else’s ideas to your own words)
• summarise (use a brief account of someone else’s ideas) 

NO. 2: WHY SHOULD YOU REFERENCE?

References enhance writing and assist the reader by: 

• showing the breadth of research 
• strengthening academic argument
• showing the reader the source of information 
• allowing the reader to consult sources independently 
• allowing the reader to verify data

By using references appropriately, you will avoid plagiarism, which is falsely claiming someone else’s words or ideas as your own

NO. 3: WHAT ARE THE WAYS TO CITE?

a) Author Prominent Citation

Using the author’s surname as part of the sentence with the date and all the required detail in parentheses (round brackets): 

Example: Cowie (1996, p. 91) has argued that ‘socialism rejected the liberal ideals of individualism and competition’. 

a) Information Prominent Citation

The other way of citing references gives prominence to the information, with all the required referencing details in parentheses: 

Example: It has been argued that ‘socialism rejected the liberal ideals of individualism and competition’ (Cowie 1996, p. 91). 

NO. 4: SHOULD YOU PARAPHRASE OR USE QUOTATIONS?

a) Paraphrasing preferred

A general rule in academic circles is that no more than 10% of an assignment should be in the form of direct quotations. Therefore, paraphrasing is highly recommended.

b) Quotations 

Quotations should be used sparingly, selected carefully, used in context, integrated into your text, and reproduced exactly (including the words, spelling, punctuation, capitalisation and paragraphing of the original writer. A quotation is used if a misinterpretation would result from a change to the words or a major argument needs to be recorded as evidence 

NO. 5: WHAT IS PARAPHRASING?

Paraphrasing means to restate accurately and succinctly something you have read. Be sure to write this in your own words as far as possible. 

If your work does not refer to specific ideas on particular pages of a resource but to general themes mentioned throughout the resource, page numbers need not be shown. 

Two common approaches of paraphrasing:

a) General Theme 

Studies (Tanner 1999) indicate that the economic structure today is far more unpredictable and unstable than it was thirty years ago. 

b) Specific Idea 

Tanner (1999, p. 22) claims that the introduction of the GST in the Australian economic structure has not impacted the price of fuels. 

NO. 6: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REFERENCE LIST AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY?

The reference list only indicates sources cited in the text of your assignment. 

A bibliography uses the same format as a reference list but it includes all material consulted in the preparation of your assignment. 

A reference list and a bibliography can be prepared separately.

NO. 7: HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE REFERENCE LIST?

The reference list includes full details of all the sources which you cited in the text of your assignment. 

The reference list is entitled REFERENCES or REFERENCE LIST. 

• This is to be written in uppercase, and in bold and centred. 
• Headings are neither underlined nor punctuated. 
• Present the reference list using single line spacing and hanging indent for each entry.
• Insert a blank line between each entry. 
• Arrange the reference list alphabetically and place as the final page of your assignment. Do not use numbers, letters or bullet points to begin each entry. Any reference that starts with a number (e.g. 7:30 Report) precedes the alphabetical listing and is listed numerically.

For a book, the following elements should be presented in this order: 

• author’s surname and initials 
• year of publication 
• title of book (in italics) 
• the edition (e.g. 4th edn) if not the original publication 
• publisher 
• place of publication 

Example:

NO. 8: IS THE REFERENCE FOR A JOURNAL DIFFERENT FROM A BOOK?

For a journal article, the following elements should be presented in this order: 

• author’s surname and initials 
• year of publication 
• title of the article in single quotation marks 
• title of journal or periodical in italics 
• volume number where applicable 
• issue number or another identifier where applicable 
• page number(s) 

NO. 9: SIR, WHAT IF?

• IF there is more than one author of a publication, maintain the order of their names as they appear on the title page of the publication, even if they are not in alphabetical order on the title page. 
• IF a reference has no author, list it alphabetically according to the sponsoring body e.g. UNESCO
• IF there are two or more references by the same author, then list them in order of publication date with the oldest work first. 
• IF references by the same author have been published in the same year, then list them alphabetically according to the title and add the letter ‘a’ after the first date, and ‘b’ after the second date (e.g. 1993a, 1993b). 

NO. 10: WHAT ABOUT WEBSITES (ELECTRONIC SOURCES)?

Before you use any website as a reference, be mindful of evaluating the QUALITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS of any electronic information on the web you wish to use in an academic assignment. Reliable sources generally include: 

• Refereed articles in online journals 
• Articles from databases selected by the university 
• Articles published by universities, government departments, business organizations, reputable lobby groups. 

a) Document on the World Wide Web (dated and author or sponsor given) 

IN-TEXT REFERENCING

Brown (1994) noted that …

MODEL TO FOLLOW IN THE REFERENCE LIST 

Brown, H. 1994, Citing Computer References, URL: http://neal.ctstateu.edu/history/cite.html, (accessed 3 January 2021).

b) Document on the World Wide Web (author or sponsor given but not dated) 

IN-TEXT REFERENCING
Adherence to the five food groups (Jones n.d.)  

MODEL TO FOLLOW IN THE REFERENCE LIST 

Brown, H. 1994, Citing Jones, P. n.d., Five Food Groups, URL: http://www.food.com.au/5foodgroups/sustenance.html, (accessed 3 January 2021).

c) Document on the World Wide Web (no author/sponsor and no date) 

IN-TEXT REFERENCING
As stated in Guidelines for Citing References and Electronic Sources of Information (n.d.),...

MODEL TO FOLLOW IN THE REFERENCE LIST

Guidelines for Citing References and Electronic, Sources of Information URL: http://www.eliz.tased.edu.au/refs.html, (accessed 3 January 2021).

 NOTE: 

• Always check the validity of a site that has no author or sponsor. The use of such sites is discouraged.
• There are no page numbers allocated to web site documents. However, it is important to indicate this by using n.p. in intext referencing. This shows the reader that the page number has not been forgotten, but rather that it is non-existent. This is ONLY valid for websites!

I hope the above has covered all the area you need to work on your references and avoid plagiarism. 

In the end, Choesay "whatever style of referencing you follow, please remember to remain consistent throughout your work". You will be fine!

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References:
How to Acknowledge What You Have Read: Abbreviations n.d.,URL: www.lib.monash.edu.au/vl/cite/cite l l.htm (accessed 3 February 2021)

Day 6 of Malaysia Movement Control Order (MCO)

Day 6 of Malaysia Movement Control Order (MCO)

Today is a Monday and surprisingly I don't feel the Monday Blues. The feeling is weird because last month after the Chinese New Year, many of us were saying the next holidays will be in May. No more holidays in March and April....as if we can't wait for the next holidays...

But suddenly this morning, I started to miss my work life. I miss going to work, meeting my colleagues and go to my class to meet my fellow students. Come to think about it, today is just Day 6... come on!

Anyway, I managed to set up a virtual tutorial session with my degree students just now using the CourseNetworking ClassCast-BigBlueButton features. Glad that I can still continue my teaching work at home during the MCO period. I am so happy to see my students participate in the tutorial activities as if we were having a face-to-face session (better than F2F actually).

Just hope the MCO will end soon, containment of the coronavirus can be successful and everyone can go back to their normal life. We must stay positive and continue to do what we can despite the damages and restrictions caused by Covid-19.

Choe says "Stay at Home"!

Top 5 Weaknesses in Students' Answers

As an examiner, I would like to point out some of the most common weaknesses in students' answers that can be avoided. These are the top 10 weaknesses in students' answers:

1. Fail to plan and prepare for the answer
The reason of showing the marks allocation on each of the exam question is to allow the student to plan for their answer. A question with 10 marks will need more points or depth of discussion as compare to question with 2 marks which requires brief explanation. The length of the answer may varies according to the marks allocated. This will reflect on time management too (this is why many students always complain that they do not have enough time to complete their answers in the final exam).

2. Do not pay attention to the question verbs
All examiner who set exam questions need to comply with the Bloom's taxonomy according to the level of the paper. Various verbs can be used to assess different level of intellectual which requires different answers. Failing to provide what the question verbs require will result in poor answer. For example, lower level verb like 'define' is just to give meaning of a term whereas 'discuss' is to examine in detail by using arguments for and against.

3. Writing down all you know
Some student do not bother with the scope of the question asked but rather look at a few keywords in the questions. With that, they will provide the answers based on what they know about these few keywords and give long lists or writing down all they know about a the subject area,  without caring whether it is relevant or not. Hence, the student may thought that they have answered all the questions completely and did a good job in the exam but will not get the marks as they are forcing irrelevancies into answers. (Hey! examiners do read your answers before awarding marks. We don't just look at quantity but 'QUALITY' of your answer).

4. Repeating and duplicating the same answer
Please note that when examiners set the question paper, they will have to map out the question according to course learning outcomes. Which mean that each question in an exam paper will be assessing on a specific topic. Each question will not overlap with another or repeat the same topic or area. Therefore, if a student is repeating the same answer/material in different parts of answers, it shows that there are limited knowledge and understanding of the course; mainly focusing too narrowly on one area.

5. Only theories and concepts
In social science, students are taught to be practical and able to apply what they learn at real working environment. Although the fundamentals and principles which covers theories and concepts are important, most of the exam questions would assess on the application or practicality of the learned theories and concepts. This make more sense to have essay or case study questions in the exam. As stated in Weaknesses No.2, many exam questions with more marks allocated requires student to not just to state the theories or concepts by to apply them with illustration or examples.

There you go, the five most common weaknesses that I think can be improved. With this feedback, I look forward to see better exam answers from my own students.

To all learners, all the best!

Gen-Y Mindset: What a 'Waste'

Teaching the Gen-Y allows me to observe their behavior and understand how they think. I personally find that it is important to study their attitude towards assignments or work. This could explain why many companies have been questioning about the quality of work from Gen-Y.

I gave an assignment to my students this semester where they have to form a group of 5 and identify a company of their choice for examining the marketing strategies. After a week, they came back to me with a company they have chosen.

Everything looks fine but not until I asked them how many companies they have selected as alternatives before they make their decision to choose one of it. The answer given by almost all the groups.... one. Basically, they don't have any alternatives but decided on a company that they know and thought it is the only company that is the best for the assignment.

So, what is the reason and why don't they look for more alternatives before making a choice? I want to know why. The answer I got from them are:

"We thought this company we "know" is the best.
No time.
We want to focus on one company"

From their feedback, I learned that they do not like choices when it comes to a task or assignments. They find that it is a waste of their time and effort if the companies that they investigated were not chosen. Meaning to say that if given a choice, the students do not see it as an advantage but more work is needed to identify the alternatives. They are lack inquiry skills and do not see the benefits of the exploratory approach in the learning process.

In life, we need to make a lot of decisions to solve our everyday problems; and we always have many choices/alternatives to solve a problem. While we explore alternatives, we learn and improve our skills in making a decision. Nothing is a waste if we keep exploring the alternatives/choices; even if it is not the best choice for solving the current problem it can be used for the future.

Learning is a process. If one only focuses on the goals and ignores the process of achieving the goals, then it is really "WASTED"!

Spell Check is Important

I always tell others to check the spelling when writing in exam or for the assignment; and this is why spell check is important: