DR CHAN MEI YUITEXT 8712

BLOCK A, ROOM 018

BBI 3417 WRITING RESEARCH REPORTS

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FIRST THINGS FIRSTAttendance ruleCourse outlineText bookAssessmentPlagiarismTurnitinLecture/ discussion/ writing - Be ready for

all three at all timesCollect research articles as you go

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FIRST THINGS FIRSTGrammar – be responsibleRemember writing process cycle – practice

what you have learntYOUR CHALLENGE: A research article fit to

be presented at conferences or published

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AVOIDING PLAGIARISMA grave offence in academic writing(What is the gravest offence?)Remember:

Cite all sources of information used in your writing

General information is exemptedAvoid lifting expressions and strings of words

from the source text when summarising or paraphrasing.

Avoid following too closely the information structure or arrangement of the source text when paraphrasing.

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http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/definition.html

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http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/definition.html

This tutorial is divided into sections: The Indiana University Definition Overview: when and how to give credit;

recommendations; decision flowchart Plagiarism Cases: links to Web sites describing real

plagiarism cases Examples: word-for-word and paraphrasing

plagiarism -- 5 examples each Practice with feedback: identifying plagiarism -- 10

items Test: if you pass, you can print a confirmation

certificate Resources: Web sites, books, dictionary links,

references

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DO THE TEST AND PRINT OUT THE CONFIRMATION CERTIFICATE

HAND IN YOUR CONFIRMATION CERTIFICATE to your tutor (by the end of Week 2)

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www.turnitin.comClass ID: 3699224Password: distanceGo to www.turnitin.com. Click create

account. Go to ‘New Students Start Here’. Follow the instructions to enrol yourself into the class using the Class ID and enrolment password.

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www.turnitin.comTO SUBMIT PAPER FOR SCANNINGClick on your class name. Click on assignment

name (i.e. thesis drafts or research paper drafts). Click submit paper. Your paper should be in word document.

Wait for the report to be generated. Look for similarities indicated and rewrite your drafts.

You can submit your drafts as many times as you need to, before the due date, which is two(2) weeks before the start of the final examination week.

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www.turnitin.comLEARN ABOUT PLAGIARISMGo to http://www.plagiarism.org. Read

materials about plagiarism to educate yourself about plagiarism.

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TYPICAL SECTIONS OF A RESEARCH REPORT

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LABELLING OF SECTIONS MAY VARY

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LABELLING OF SECTIONS MAY VARY

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BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH PROCESSWHAT INTERESTS YOU?WHAT BURNING QUESTION NEEDS TO BE

ANSWERED?HOW CAN YOUR RESEARCH MAKE A

DIFFERENCE?READ RELATED RESEARCH (JOURNAL

ARTICLES, THESIS, REPORTS)READ RELATED RESEARCH (JOURNAL

ARTICLES, THESIS, REPORTS)READ RELATED RESEARCH (JOURNAL

ARTICLES, THESIS, REPORTS)PJJ/CMY/SEM 2, 2010-2011/ BBI341714

SEARCHING FOR READING MATERIALLibrary – books, journals, theses, project papersElectronic databases (free for UPM users)

EbscohostEmeraldOrganization StudiesDiscourse and CommunicationBusiness Communication QuarterlySpringer JournalsSage Journals???

Electronic thesesUMI Proquest Digital dissertations(free abstracts,

pay for full theses)University repositories – free access

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SEARCHING FOR READING MATERIALFree journals

Asian EFL journalFindArticlesOthers

JournalsSubscriptionPay per article

SEE YOUR LIBRARY ADVISORS TO FIND WHAT OTHER ELECTRONIC JOURNAL DATABASES THE UNIVERSITY HAS SUBSCRIBED TO.

LOOK FOR PEER-REVIEWED/REFEREED JOURNALS

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SEARCHING FOR READING MATERIALWebsites

Websites of respectable organisations/ identity can be ascertainedE.g. World Health Organisation (WHO)The British CouncilGovernment websitesetc

NOTBlogs Forum commentsDoubtful organisations e.g Society of

Geniuses on EarthPJJ/CMY/SEM 2, 2010-2011/ BBI341717

•ASK YOURSELF WHETHER THE RESEARCH IS WORTH DOING•BE A DEVIL’S ADVOCATE - --- SAY ‘SO WHAT?’•MAKE USE OF WHATEVER YOU HAVE READ FROM THE LITERATURE TO JUSTIFY YOUR CHOICE OF TOPIC•WRITE ONE OR MORE RESEARCH QUESTION(S)•DECIDE ON YOUR RESEARCH METHOD

BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH

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Stating purpose of the study

ObjectivesResearch questionsHypotheses

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Objectives – research orientationThe aim of the study/research/investigation

was to …The study aimed to …The objectives of the study were to …The purpose of the study was to …In this study, we sought to …The overall objective of the study was to …Subject-verb agreementObjectives --- are/were

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Objectives – report orientationThe aim of the report/thesis/ paper is to …In this paper, we argue for …The purpose of this report is to ….

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ObjectivesThe aim of the investigation was to …describe

music preferences among secondary school students.

The study sought to …investigate the English language learning needs of in-service teachers in vernacular schools in Malaysia.

The objective of this thesis is to …compare the language identity of migrant workers in Malaysia and Singapore.

The purpose of the present paper is to …examine the attitude of students in rural schools towards English lessons in school.

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ObjectivesIn this study, we examined …the relationship

between language attitude, home language, and ethnicity among undergraduates in Malaysian universities.

The overall objective of the thesis is to …explore the negotiation of consensus in small group communication.

The objective of the research was to find out teachers’ perception of the effectiveness of the teach of Science and Math in English policy.

The present paper investigates the problems faced by teachers in implementing the teaching of Science and Math in English policy.

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Research questionsWhat is the effect of narrative writing of

traumatic experience on psychological healing?What are the expressions of negative feelings

used in narrative writing of the group with post-traumatic experience compared with the control group?

What is the frequency and intensity of the negative and positive expressions used in narrative writing of traumatic experience?

Is there a significant difference in the healing process of the group who underwent narrative writing of traumatic experience?

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HypothesesNull hypothesis: Ho

The rate of psychological healing is the same for children who underwent narrative writing of traumatic experience and the control group.

ORThere is no significant difference between the

rate of psychological healing for children who underwent narrative writing of traumatic experience and the control group.

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HypothesesAlternative hypothesis: Ha

The rates of psychological healing between children who underwent narrative writing of traumatic experience and the control group are significantly different.

ORThere is a significant difference between the

rate of psychological healing of children who underwent narrative writing of traumatic experience and the control group

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Purpose of the studyLet’s try writing statements of the purpose of a study.

I am interested to look at the reading habits of students in rural area. It is important to know how many books, magazines, and newspapers in English and other languages such as Mandarin, Tamil or Malay that they read. Furthermore, I think there could be a connection between how much they read in English and how much they read in their own mother tongue.

Backed up by evidence or hypotheses from the literature

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Purpose of the study

The aim of the study was to investigate the reading habits of students studying in schools in the rural area. Specifically, it sought to:???

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Purpose of the study

The aim of the study was to investigate the reading habits of students studying in schools in the rural area. Specifically, it sought to:determine the amount of reading done by

the students in terms of the number and type of reading materials they read in a month.

???

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Purpose of the study

The aim of the study was to investigate the reading habits of students studying in schools in the rural area. Specifically, it sought to:determine the amount of reading done by

the students in terms of the number and type of reading materials they read in a month.

determine the language of the reading materials read by the students

???

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Purpose of the study

The aim of the study was to investigate the reading habits of students studying in schools in the rural area. Specifically, it sought to:determine the amount of reading done by the

students in terms of the number and type of reading materials they read in a month.

determine the language of the reading materials read by the students

examine the relationship between the number and type of reading materials read by the students and the language of the materials

???

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Purpose of the studyThe aim of the study was to investigate the

reading habits of students studying in schools in the rural area. Specifically, it sought to:determine the amount of reading done by the

students in terms of the number and type of reading materials they read in a month.

determine the language of the reading materials read by the students

examine the relationship between the number and type of reading materials read by the students and the language of the materials

Determine the relationship between the amount of reading done in English and the amount of reading done in the students’ mother tongue.

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INTRODUCTION

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It puts your study forward

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Introduction

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Describes the background of the researchPlaces the research within the context of other

research done in the areaProvides rationale/ justification for the research

topic – identifies the variables of the research/ the gaps/lacks in the area being researched (practical, literature)

States the purpose of the researchTheoretical framework/ Methodology – may be

briefly describedStates the significance/expected contribution

of the research (practical significance, theoretical significance)

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Stages of the Introduction

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Stages of the Introduction

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Variables only

Problems directly related to the variables

About the variables

Wider context leading to the introduction of the variables

Class ActivityRefer to the research article provided

Identify the parts that present the setting/background information, review of the literature, the statement of the problem, the objectives and the significance of the study.

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The Introduction(Setting/background - general lack of English

proficiency of Malaysian students) (reasons commonly given for this state of affairs)(more details given on the reasons (variables of

interest to the study) – poor reading habits, lack of proficiency in English, preference to read in one’s mother tongue …)

(Review of the literature related to reading habits, proficiency, and language of reading materials, and the connection among them – what have other researchers said/found about reading habits, proficiency and the language of reading materials?)

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The Introduction(Statement of the problem – what don’t we

know about the relationship between reading habits, proficiency, and the language of reading materials? How does this pose a problem to us? Argumentative writing - ??? What’s your argument here?)

(Remember, the idea is to argue for the rationale for your own study, to show that your proposed study of the variables has a valid place and importance in the overall scheme of things in the selected area.)

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The Introduction(Objectives – state the main/overall

purpose of the study. State the aim to investigate/examine/describe the variables and the connection between the variables)

(Significance – what /who can the results of the study benefit? What are the possible contributions of the study?)

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Variables?? What are they?What concepts/phenomena are you planning to

investigate in your research? What concepts are stated in your (tentative) objectives?

----------------------------------------------------------------------The aim of the investigation was to describe music

preferences among secondary school students or different ages.

The overall objective of the thesis is to explore the negotiation of consensus in small group communication.

The rate of psychological healing is the same for children who underwent narrative writing of traumatic experience and the control group.

YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW MUST ADDRESS THESE VARIABLES

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Writing the Literature Review

Skills neededCritical thinking and decision making

skillsSelect appropriate, relevant studies that can

be used to lend support to the rationale for your research

Summarising and paraphrasing skillsReferencing skills/ academic citation skills

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Incorporating information from

other sources into your writing

REFERENCING SKILLS

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Referencing SkillsIn general, referencing involves four

basic skills: quotingparaphrasing or summarisingintegrating information into the textpresenting a full list of references. Various styles are available: APA, MLA,

Chicago etc.Choose only one style

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QuotationThe first three skills are citations within the text = called

in-text citation.Quotations are exact words from the original source used in

your essay. Put within double quotation marks the part of the text from the original article that you are including in your essay. Cite the source of the information at the end of the quotation in parenthesis (surname of author, year, page number).

ExamplesAs Jack Collins notes in Sociology Today, “80 percent of sexual

harassment at the workplace go unreported” (2005, p. 23). A recent study conducted in Singapore reported that “80

percent of sexual harassment at the workplace go unreported” (Collins, 2005, p. 23).

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Paraphrases and summaries

For paraphrases or summaries, the part of the article you wish to include in your essay is paraphrased or summarised. That means you restate what the author of the article has said using your own words. No quotation marks are required for paraphrasing and summarising, and the source is cited in parenthesis (surname of author, year).

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Paraphrases and summariesExample

Author: Jack CollinsYear of publication: 2005

Original text“…The results show that 85% of sexual

harassment victims at the workplace suffer in silence. Few of them take the step to report the harassment to either the police or the management, possibly due to the fear of being further victimised by the perpetrators”.

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Paraphrases and summariesParaphrase: According to Collins (2005), 85 percent of workers who

are victims of sexual harassment keep their suffering to themselves instead of lodging a report with the authorities.

Summary: The current statistics may not show the true situation, as

it has been reported that most victims who suffer workplace sexual harassment do not report it (Collins, 2005).

ALL INFORMATION CITED MUST BE ACCURATEThe current statistics may not show the true situation, as

it has been reported that 85% of victims who suffer workplace sexual harassment are afraid to report it

(Collins, 2005). (X)

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Referring verbsBoth quotations and paraphrases/summaries are

called in-text citations because they appear within the text of your essay. If the name of the author is mentioned within a sentence in the text, an appropriate referring verb is required. Only the year of publication, then, appears in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. AUTHOR PROMINENT CITATION

Examples:As Jack Collins notes … (2005)In his study on chimpanzee behaviour, Bash and

Horrowitz found that … (1997)The annual accident report from the MOE indicated

that … (2005)Professor Fong strongly believes that … (2008)

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Referring verbsHowever, if the name of the author is not used

within a sentence, no referring verb is required, and the parenthetical citation requires the name of the author and the year of publication. INFORMATION PROMINENT CITATION

Examples:Most victims who suffer workplace sexual

harassment do not report it (Collins, 2005).Chimpanzees exhibit strong communal

tendencies (Bash & Horrowitz, 1997).Road accidents resulting in fatalities increased by

20% last year (Annual Accident Report, 2005).

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List of ReferencesReferences

Is your marriage made in heaven? (1999, June 15). Time X, 150, 24-27.

Collins, J. (2005). Sexual harassment at the workplace. Sociology Today, 6, 20 – 30.

Sloan, J.M., & Gayle, K.N. (2004). Ways of coping with death: A longitudinal study. Journal of Medicine, 301, 527-529.

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List of References Many categories: Different formats for different

categories of sourcesBooksJournal articlesMagazine and Newspaper articlesTechnical ReportsOnline articles

Journal articlesMagazine/newspaper articlesTechnical reports

Look up: APA reference style

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm

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List of References

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The section in the introduction that defines

clearly what the problem is that warrants the research

you plan to do.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

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Statement of the problemWhat is the problem? (practical issues, missing

links, gaps in understanding, conflicting findings, etc)

How important is the problem? (how serious, whom and how many people it affects, etc)

How can your research contribute? (better understanding, provide answers, etc)

Essentially, it is a straight-to-the-point summary of your whole argument as to why your study is important. It may contain a repeat of facts and information stated earlier in parts of the Introduction.

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Statement of the ProblemDefining the problem is important to ensure

you know how to find the solution (or rather, to ensure that the research you plan to do will address the problem stated)

Narrow down the scope of your problem to the very specific problem that can be addressed by your research.

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Statement of the ProblemExample:

Many Malaysian adult learners cannot grasp the English language (Xxx, 2003). As English is an international language, it is clear that Malaysians who lack English language proficiency will be left behind (Yyy, 1999). There is a lack of research to investigate the reasons why these learners are not able to master English after 12 years of learning English in school. (too general; the specific concepts/variables of the study are not stated)

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Statement of the ProblemExample

The interest to learn English among Malaysian adult learners has been shown to be influenced by their need to use English for work purposes and non-work purposes (Xxx, 2003; Yyy, 2005). However, not much is known about the relationship between the two categories of needs, as well as how the demographic factors of learners affect their perceived need to learn English in both the work and non-work domains. Investigation into the domains of learners’ lives that contribute to their interest to learn English will bring about a better understanding of how Malaysian adult learners’ environment affect their motivation to learn English.

(better; variables clearly mentioned)PJJ/CMY/SEM 2, 2010-2011/ BBI341758

Objectives/research questions

The statement of the problem is followed by the formal statement of objective/s, and a statement of the significance of the study.

Can you write the objectives/research questions based on the statement of the problem given in the previous slide?

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Significance of the studySignificance – what /who can the results of the

study benefit? What are the possible contributions of the study?

The findings of the study will inform scientists of the aedes mosquito’s mating and breeding habits and eradicate the aedes mosquito. (X)

The findings of the study will contribute to better understanding of how the aedes mosquito mate and breed, and consequently contribute to further effort to eradicate them.(√)

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Significance of the studyThe findings of the research will teach people

how to communicate better with each other

inter-culturally. (X)The researchers would like to see change

in the practices of inter-cultural business

negotiations. (X)This research will provide insight into how

inter-cultural business negotiations are conducted in Asia and thus contribute to the body of knowledge on Asian business communication. (√ )

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