Lecture 3: Resolving your Research Project and Academic Conventions

This was our final lecture for COP3 held on the Tuesday the 25th of November. Here are my notes.

Academic Conventions are like an institutional framework for your work
They structure and standardise.
They aspire to academic honesty.

At this level I am expected to be able to:

Demonstrate a critical knowledge of practice.
Apply theory to practice.
Analyse relevant material.
Evaluate theory and evidence within the context of study.
Reflect. Critiquing and critically reflecting on your learning and using this to improve practice.

Original (1956)                                                             Updated (Anderson and Pohl- 1990 - 2000)








DO THIS:

Independent engagement with material.
Critical and thoughtful about idea and information.
Relates ideas to own previous experience and knowledge.
Sees the big picture.
Relates evidence to conclusions.
Examines logic of arguments.
Interested in wider reading and thinking.
Ongoing preparation and reflection.

TIPS

 Academic writing is formal and follows some standard conventions

Each academic discipline has its own specialist vocabulary which you will be expected to learn and use in your own writing

The substance of academic writing must be based on solid evidence and logical analysis, and presented as a concise, accurate argument.

Academic writing can allow you to present your argument and analysis accurately and concisely.

Aim for precision. Don't use unnecessary words or waffle. Get straight to the point. Make every word count.

If there is any uncertainty about a particular point, use cautious language (such as may, might, could,potentially).

Unless you are a confident writer, it is best to avoid over-long sentences and to aim for a mixture of long and short sentences for variation and rhythm.

Avoid repeating the same words.

Avoid abbreviations and contractions.

Avoid slang words and  phrases.

Avoid conversational terms.

Avoid vague terms.


In many academic disciplines, writing in the first person is not acceptable as it is believed to be too subjective and personal. Many tutors prefer impersonal language to be used in assignments.

First person sentences use the pronouns 'I' and 'we'.  For example:

We have considered...

I suggest that...

I have observed...

First person sentences use the pronouns 'I' and 'we'.  For example:

Consideration has been given to...

The suggestion here is that...

It has been observed...



STRUCTURE

Preliminaries-
Title / Acknowledgements / Contents /  List of Illustrations

Introduction-
The abstract / Statement of the problem / Methodological approach

Main body-
Review of the literature / logically developed argument /Chapters / results of investigation / Case Study

Conclusion-
Discussion and conclusion / Summary of conclusions

Extras ?       
Bibliography / Appendices



PROJECT SELF ASSESSMENT

Write down the major aims of the project.

Give a brief summary of the work so far.

Comment on your time management.

Do you know what the final project will look like?

What steps will you take to ensure it gets there?

What areas of the project are you worried about?

What ? risk management?

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

15th Jan- 7 weeks away.

Refer to your original plan.

Be more disciplined than ever.

Don?t prioritise the practical over the written element, or vice versa.

Set targets.

Scale down your ambitions if necessary.

Some other general advice?

Presentation / Academic Conventions. Refer to the guides on eStudio carefully.
https://drive.google.com/a/students.leeds-art.ac.uk/file/d/0B_9HI_FPjv2Zb2llbnB2eElDUGc/view