//This is a presentation which Cheryl Cliffe and I presented at the inaugural Mercian Collaboration Conference on Tuesday 12th September, covering trust and academic writing which contains some surprising and illuminating findings.
Do They Trust Us, Do We Trust Them by Daren Mansfield on Scribd
//On this blog we’re always keen to recommend useful information to guide students onto better study, and these links about critical thinking from Plymouth and Oxford Brookes universities offer some useful advice. I found Plymouth’s insightful because their description / explanation / analysis formula could be applied in order to construct paragraphs, determining a particular topic. I also appreciated an Oxford Brookes student being evaluated on finding different sources of information such as Wikipedia (‘anyone can contribute to Wikipedia – so the site is not an authoritative source of information’), stressing the need to track down original sources (re: newspapers, esp. tabloids), whilst acknowledging the relevance of using peer-reviewed articles and authoritative government research. Oxford Brookes’ analysis of a good student assignment illustrates effective practice in actually using research to its best effect, in terms of objectively weighing the evidence, deploying a questioning / sceptical approach, as well as noting informed conclusions, potential solutions,and identifying areas of future research. Such advice is reassuring ground for optimism for any scholar wishing to breathe new life into critical thinking.
//When carrying out a literature search you may be wondering where to start. Often students start making notes and this automatically becomes their essay, but if you adopt a systematic approach to research then your study experience will be a whole lot easier. If your essay is constructed from notes then you may not be aware of themed paragraphs and a logical argument or thread, and you might encounter a problem with structure. I would recommend the following approach when carrying out a literature review so you are properly organised and thorough:
1. carry out database research (see library.lincoln.ac.uk)
2. read abstract before saving document
3. compile list of keywords
4. consider themes for potential paragraphs
5. read articles and take notes
6. consider and reflect upon potential arguments
7. start drafting main body of your essay under themed headings
8. delete headings if necessary.
//An exciting new service for advice on academic writing has recently started in the Library with staff able to advise on a range of writing skills from grammar to structuring an assignment. Please email us at aws@lincoln.ac.uk to arrange a 1-1 appointment and bring along a draft assignment. To support this initiative there is a new libguide about the Academic Writing Support available at guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/c.php?g=133466 complete with informative tabs. You can drop into any of our sessions in the Learning Development room at the end of the ground floor of the Library during the times listed below:
Running from left to right, our team consists of Judith Elkin, myself (Daren Mansfield) and Cheryl Cliffe.
//I have added subtitles to the screencast video I recorded yesterday about report writing structure, which is a clever facility available on YouTube (select the CC icon once you play the video). I hope to record another screencast video on writing reports nearer the end of February. Please note that this video does not include a literature review, but the previous post does.
//
This is a re-recording of the report writing structure presentation, which includes a literature review slide.
//Do you need 1-1 help with finding information such as company accounts, accessing scholarly articles or searching journal databases?
Or would you like help with essay writing, presentation skills, referencing, exam preparation and revision techniques or advice on your dissertation research?
Why not come to our drop-in session held every Wednesday morning from 9.30-11.30 on the ground floor of the Business & Law building, opposite Starbucks? No need to book an appointment.
Martin Osborne & Daren Mansfield
(Academic Subject Librarians for the Business School)
//Richard Galletly’s (an Academic English Lecturer at Aston University) excellent overview of writing an effective essay to discuss and critically evaluate different motivation theories is well worth watching. He also offers written and verbal feedback on a student’s essay on the banking crisis which is useful and answers many frequently asked questions in the process. Richard refers to Andy Gillet’s 2009 Inside Track to Successful Academic Writing book as inspiration for his video, which is available on YouTube.
//An exciting new service for advice on academic writing has recently started in the Library with staff able to advise on a range of writing skills from grammar to structuring an assignment. Please email us at aws@lincoln.ac.uk to arrange a 1-1 appointment and bring along a draft assignment. To support this initiative there is a new libguide about the Academic Writing Support available at guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/c.php?g=133466 complete with informative tabs. You can drop into any of our sessions in the Learning Development room at the end of the ground floor of the Library during the times listed below:
Running from left to right, our team consists of Judith Elkin, myself (Daren Mansfield) and Cheryl Cliffe.
//The English Language Centre will be running their drop-ins for international students in the Learning Development room on the ground floor of the Library every Friday during August from 12.30-14.00.
//Do you need any help with your research (finding quality journal articles, searching relevant databases, etc) or Harvard Referencing? Why not come along to our drop-in session based opposite Starbucks on the ground floor of the Business & Law building. We are happy to see you.
//This PowerPoint presentation about the Library was delivered during Freshers’ Week 2013.
//For all those struggling with maths and stats Laura Pearson, the MASH Tutor and Centre Manager, has designed a new online guide to help you: http://guides.library.lincoln.ac.uk/mash.
////It was one of the Eureka! moments, when reading study skills books over the summer, I found simple formulas to write well-crafted essays. These formulas can be employed to structure the skeleton of an essay. It may sound simplistic but you can build on it by weaving scholarly material into your assignment, and may be the secret of your academic success. These slides are uploaded from an essay writing workshop presented earlier today, referring in part, to Stephen Bailey’s brilliant Academic Writing for International Students of Business available at 808.06665 bai on the second floor of the GCW .