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DIMENSIONS International College: Academic Writing Tips

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The threshold to your academic success begins with the acquisition of excellent report writing skills. Albeit the module handbook provides necessary guidance for your assessment requirements, scoring well for your assignments requires mindful planning, critical thinking skills and well-thought structuring on your part.

So, here comes the big question. What are the characteristics of a good report?

     1. Preparation
In order to attain a clearer understanding and perspective of your assignment, it is important to make complete use of the required readings and extra references.

     2. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is an act of fraud and a wrongful appropriation in the academic writing context. When crafting your report, attempt to digest and paraphrase the research into your own words.

     3. Comparing Sources
First off, note down the essential points from as many sources as possible. Next, compare the methodologies between different authors as there are bound to be similarities and differences in their interpretations. Finally, sort the arguments for each perspective in a balanced approach as this will produce a strong and valid conclusion.

     4. Paragraphing
It is highly cardinal to paragraph your sentences accurately and appropriately. If the paragraphs are too short, the content will tend to look blotchy and fragmented, hindering the presentation of the report.

     5. Referencing and Citation
As long as an assertion is made – regardless whether it is a quotation, idea, empirical research, theory or concept – providing evidences to support your claims is certainly indispensable.

5.1   Direct Quotations
When it comes to direct quotations, citing the sources accurately is a principal ground rule. The necessary components of an in-text citation are the author, date of publication, and the page number. These are two examples of in-text citations for direct quotations:

  • “The discourse of modernity opened up the space or field and thus made and, indeed, still makes possible the construction of sociology.” (Piet, 2000: 1).
  • As Piet (2000: 1) tells us, “The discourse of modernity opened up the space or field and thus made and, indeed, still makes possible the construction of sociology.”
5.2   Indirect Quotations
Indirect quotations come into the picture when you wish to indicate an idea or concept without lifting directly from the source. These are two examples of in-text citations for indirect quotations:

  • With accordance to Piet (2000), the construction of sociology is made possible through the discourse of modernity.
  • The construction of sociology is made possible through the discourse of modernity (Piet, 2000).
Now that you have picked up the essential approaches to develop and enhance your academic writing skills, you are good to go!

Friendly Reminder: Don’t forget to attach an assignment cover sheet (e.g. DIMENSIONS' assignment cover sheet) as it is vital to format and present your report in a neat and orderly fashion. Professionalism is a value that should never be compromised!

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