A GUIDE TO REPORT AND ESSAY WRITING:Interpreting assignment instructions and structuring your work
论文作者:51lunwen论文属性:作业指导 assignment guidelines登出时间:2007-10-09编辑:点击率:13989
论文字数:3211论文编号:org200710091757214994语种:英语 English地区:中国价格:免费论文
关键词:
A GUIDE TO REPORT AND
essay WRITING:
Interpreting
assignment instructions and structuring your work
Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to provide you with information on how to structure a report or an
essay. It is important to emphasise, for
coursework purposes, that lecturers may place special emphasis on certain elements of the report or essay content. Please therefore take particular note of any specific instructions that you are given by a lecturer.
It is recommended that you refer to this guide each time before you begin work on a new coursework assignment.
Separate guidance will be provided on the more detailed requirements for writing a
dissertation.
Planning your work
As stated by Cameron (1997), there are a number of activities within this initial stage.
Clarifying requirements
The first planning activity is to ensure that you have clearly understood the requirements of the coursework assignment, the concepts and resources that you are supposed to draw on in your work, how it is intended that the work be presented and the submission date.
The following table summarises the interpretation of typical instructions issued for assignments.
Typical instructions for an assignment
Analyse Break a question or issue into its component parts and explain how they relate to one another.
Assess Estimate the importance or value of something.
Compare Examine similarities and differences.
Contrast Concentrate on differences.
Criticise Point out the faults, limitations and usefulness of the subject in question.
Define Explain the precise meaning of something
Describe Give a detailed account of a topic.
Discuss Explain the meaning of something and present a logical argument exploring it.
Evaluate Weigh up the importance, success or value of something, using evidence to support your view.
Examine Give a detailed account of something, questioning and exploring relevant issues.
Explain Give a precise account of something, with reasons for why or how it is as it is.
Illustrate Use examples from a range of sources to demonstrate the subject of the assignment.
Justify or prove Make a case for a particular perspective. Establish the truth of something through supporting evidence or logical reasoning.
Review Examine how a topic has been studied and comment on the value and limitations of its treatment.
Review literature Survey the literature written on a subject, outlining key themes, points of discussion and gaps.
State Write the main points relating to the subject.
Summarise Give the main points of something.
To what extent? Similar to evaluate: explore and test the case for and against a claim.
(Adapted from Drew and Bingham 1997 p. 57)
If you are at all unclear regarding the instructions issued to you, please do not hesitate to contact the member of staff who set the assignment for further information.
Noting relevant themes
Having clarified the objectives of your assignment, you should then write down all the factors you can think of that might be relevant. A useful technique is to construct a mind map (Buzan 1989). Start in the centre of the page with a word or phrase indicating your main idea or central theme and then branch out with each sub-theme taking a separate branch. These branches divide further into sub-themes. See Appendix A for an example of an assignment mind map.
Defining an outline structure
Once you have completed your brainstorming, you need to start looking for grou
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