SECTION B: DETAILS OF TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

FdA Health & Community Studies

FdSc Healthcare Practice

Counselling programmes.

1. 
   Front sheet
   

The front sheet of your essay or report should be at the back of the module handbook. Please use this sheet or a copy.

2. 
   Contents Page
   

For example-

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………1

2. Definition of Poverty………………………………………..…………….3

3. Rural and Urban Difference……………………………………………8

4. Conclusions……………………………………………………..…………… 12
Tables

Table 1: Population below Average Income…...……………..… 2

Table 2: Distribution of Earnings..………………...………….……… 7
Figures

Figure 1: Chart of Income Distribution..……………………………4

Figure 1: Model of Population Change..………………………… 12
Microsoft Word has a built in feature that will construct these automatically and save you time. (Check with an I.T. tutor if you are unsure how to use it).
Section 3.0: Writing Style
Academic essays should take the form of a reasoned argument. You should attempt to persuade the reader that the line of argument adopted is justified. It is therefore vital to support your argument with referenced evidence. Remember that the success of a piece of work usually depends on the persuasiveness of the argument.
A clear argument requires an initial statement of the stance that is to be adopted. In practice, this may involve some comment on how the question is to be interpreted, what kind of information is pertinent and why it is pertinent. An introductory paragraph to an essay which addresses the key issues in the question and guides the reader to where the argument is leading, provides a clearer answer than one that immediately launches into the subject matter.
Essay plans are essential in developing themes and ensuring that all points made in an argument are clarified and have significance. Plans also ensure that all relevant points are covered and prevent the argument from appearing disjointed, confused or incomplete. Use Appendix 2 to make sure you know what is required.
It is generally unacceptable to identify gender. This can be avoided in several ways, but if it is felt necessary it is possible to write, ‘(s)he…’ The only exceptions to these rules may be if you are asked to write a personal diary or a piece of reflective writing.
In all cases the point you are making should be supported by legitimate academic references (see section 6.0).
Section 4.0: Format of Text
Module leaders may make specific requests for the way your assignment should be formatted, including the use of a particular font or line spacing – please be sure to check your module guide or assignment brief for these instructions.
In most instances, the following points of style are accepted:
Font Style - Times New Roman, Arial or close equivalent
Font Size - 12 point for main text, 10 point for footnotes, no less than 10 point for tables
Line Spacing - single or 1.5 except for dissertations which should be double-spaced
Indentation - no greater than 2.6 top and bottom 3.2 left and right margins
Justification - Main text justified left and right
Page Numbers - Bottom centre of every page
Footers – along with the page numbers, students should put their student number in the footer so that it appears on every page should it become detached during photocopying/marking.
Print on one side of the page only and use black ink
Section 5.0: Referencing and how to avoid plagiarism
Much of the following is extracted from:

Pears, R. & Shields, G. (2009) Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide. Durham: Pear Tree Books).

This is available in the Learning Centre.
The ability to present your ideas to other people is a key lifelong skill. It calls for time and practice to gather information, assess its relevance to your task, read and form your opinions and then share your contribution, verbally or in writing, with others. Within the process of researching and presenting your own work is another key skill: how to represent what you have learned from earlier authors.
When writing a piece of work, whether essay, seminar paper, dissertation, project or article, it is essential that detailed and precise information on all sources consulted is included in your text and in the reference list at the end of your work. This allows the reader to locate the information used and to check, if necessary, the evidence on which your discussion or argument is based.
References should, therefore, enable the user to find the source of documents as quickly and easily as possible. You need to identify these documents by citing them in the text of your assignment (called citations or in-text citations) and referencing them at the end of your assignment (called the reference list or end-text citations). The reference list only includes sources cited in the text of your assignment as in-text citations. It is not the same thing as a bibliography, which uses the dame format or reference system as a reference list, but also includes all material used in the preparation of your work.

1. 
   Why should I cite and reference sources?
   

Besides the reasons given above, there are a number of other important reasons why you should cite and reference your sources. In addition to adding weight to your discussion and arguments, references also show that you have read widely on the subject and considered and analysed the writings of others. Appropriately used, references can strengthen your writing and can help you attain a better mark or grade.

• 
  Show your tutor/reader what you have read and allow them to appreciate your contribution to the subject
  
• 
  Establish the credibility and authority of your ideas and arguments
  
• 
  Demonstrate that you have spent time in locating, reading and analyzing material and formed your own views and opinions
  

2. 
   What is plagiarism?
   

Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating and is generally defined as presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own. These works or ideas may be in printed or electronic format and, in all cases, giving credit to the original authors by citing and referencing your sources is the only way to use other people’s work without plagiarising.

• 
  Using another person’s work or ideas (for example, copying and pasting text or images from the Internet) without crediting (citing) the original source)
  
• 
  Passing off someone else’s work as your own
  
• 
  Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
  
• 
  Quoting, summarising or paraphrasing material in your work without citing the original source
  
• 
  Changing words or phrases but copying the sentence structure of a source and not crediting the original author
  
• 
  Citing sources you did not use
  

3. 
   How to avoid plagiarism
   

The fundamental principle is to acknowledge the work of others by providing citations to your references so that the reader can refer to these and other works if they want. It is also helpful to note the following points:

• 
  Manage your time and plan your work – ensure you have time to prepare, read and write
  
• 
  Use your own ideas and words
  
• 
  Use the ideas of others sparingly and only to support or reinforce your own argument
  
• 
  When taking notes, include complete reference information for each item you use
  
• 
  When using material on the Internet make a note of the source (author, title, URL etc.) and the date that you accessed the page
  
• 
  Use quotation marks when directly stating another person’s words and include the source in your list of references. Doing none or only one of these is not acceptable
  
• 
  Avoid using someone else’s work with only minor cosmetic changes, e.g. using “strong” for “robust” or changing a sentence around
  
• 
  When paraphrasing, use words or a sentence structure different from the original work and acknowledge the source through in-text citation immediately following the paraphrase
  
• 
  Save all your notes, printouts, etc. until you receive your final mark or grade for the assignment
  
• 
  Remember that your list of references (sources you have cited) at the end of your assignment is not the same as a bibliography which also includes items (books, articles, web pages etc.) that you used for your research but did not cite directly. Remember, ultimate responsibility for avoiding plagiarism rests with you!
  

.

4. 
   Credibility of references
   

It is important that you think about the credibility your sources in a critical way. Refereed journals are considered the most credible for up-to-date research and debate. Governmental sources such as the Office of National Statistics provide reliable data, but could have an ideological bias. Certain key texts are always worth including (e.g. Marx, Durkheim or Weber in Sociology, Porter in Business, etc.) often regardless of age due to their influence on the subject. However, if you are talking about the current situation then you need current data.

5. 
   How referencing works
   

It might help you with your referencing to understand how it works. If somebody is reading your work and comes across a statement of ‘so called’ fact, such as – ‘boys do less well at school than girls’, they may quite rightly ask, ‘how do you know?’. By referencing for e.g. ‘Willis (1977) suggests that boys do less well at school than girls,‘ you will have already responded to that question. Also, they might then respond in their reading in a critical fashion, as I am sure all fine students will and say, ‘hang on, I didn’t think Willis said that; where exactly did they get that information from?’ They can then go straight to your alphabetical list and see your source no problem. If it is a quote or a statistic then the page number provided will allow them to immediately check your assertion.

6. 
   How many references?
   

There is no universal answer to the question of how many references but ask yourself – if each paragraph is making a separate point, and each point needs evidence, and evidence is most reliable when it comes from a range of sources – then you could suggest per 2,000 words:

Level 4: 8+

Level 5: 12+

Level 6: 15+
Bear in mind that you should not make statements of so called ‘fact’, without referenced evidence.

7. 
   How should I set out citations and quotations in my text?
   

There are 3 main ways of referencing in the body of the text of the report/essay. The following are based on the extract in Example 3 –please read the extract and consider the way the information has been used: 

1. 
   Using the name or names of the researcher(s). This is always followed by the date of publication of the research. For example:
   

2. 
   Quoting (sometimes called a citation) as in this example:
   

“Practicing writing, and receiving constructive criticism on

these attempts, is an integral part of the learning process”
Points to note: direct quotes always require a page number (495 above) and long ones such as the one above, should be indented. Remember too, statistics as well as words are citations and also require page numbers.

NOTE: quotes should be used sparingly, never more than a sentence or two long and never more than one or two per page (as a rule of thumb!) - otherwise it really does not represent your work.

3. 
   Acknowledging. This is where we make a point which may be supported by evidence in brackets, for example:
   

  

Note: Where more than two authors are being referred to for the second time it is acceptable to use Conti et al. (1995) instead of Conti, Malecki and Oinas (1995), which must be used for the first time you use this source.

8. 
   Referencing Websites, Reports and Newspapers where no author is available:
   

Be sure to try hard to find the author's name. Alternatively use the name of the organisation as the author's name: e.g. The Guardian (2001), ONS (2002), JRF (2000)

(Where ONS = Office of National Statistics, JRF = Joseph Rowntree Foundation).
(Note: not www.ons.org.uk but ONS (2002) where the date refers to either the date the piece was written or, if this is not known, the date downloaded from the internet)
No other alternative is acceptable. This is why you should avoid referencing dubious websites whose origin cannot be tracked.

9. 
   How should I set out references in my reference list?
   

This is a list of texts that you have read and used to inform your study, but you have not needed to reference in your assignment. It is not necessary to include a Bibliography in your assignments.

10. 
    How to write your reference list
    

Surname, Initial (Date) Title in Bold or Italics. (Edition if applicable),

Location of publisher: publisher
Example:

Alcock, P. (2003) Social Policy in Britain (2^nd Ed). Basingstoke:

Palgrave Macmillan

1. 
   Writing a reference for a journal / magazine article:
   

Surname, Initial (Date) Title of article, Journal name in Bold or

Maginn,C. & Cameron,S. (2006) ‘Are Child Care Professionals

and Teachers doing their jobs?’ Social Caring, 27; 3, 12-13

2. 
   Writing a reference for a Web Page:
   

When referencing a web page you include the same details as you would for a book. Further, ensure that you give the full address and date downloaded

Also include the author if known:
Burrows, R. (2000) ‘Home-ownership and poverty in Britain’, www.jrf.org.uk (01/08/10)
Note: in the body of the text it will have said, Burrows (2000). If you didn’t know the author, it would say in the text, JRF (2000) and here, in the alphabetical list it would start, JRF (2000) and then the rest of the reference.
Or from an on-line journal:
Mills, B. K. (1999) ‘Why the Search for a Definition of Rurality

may be a Fool'sErrand,’ POPFEST Online Journal,

'www.cometo/popfest, Vol. 1, No. 2
If the author is unknown -
HMT (2006) ‘Investing for our future: Fairness and opportunity

for Britain's hard-working families,’ HM Treasury,

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk (20/7/2010)

3. 
   When you are referencing a text that appears in and is cited by another text:
   

For example:

Fox (1989), as cited by Baggott (2000), suggests that…..

This will appear in the reference list as:

Aldershot: Gower

In: Baggott, R. (2000) Public health: Policy and Politics,

Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

4. 
   Listing an article or a chapter in an edited book:
   

Hughes, M. (1997) "Interviewing", In: Greenfield, T. (1997) (Ed)

Arnold

5. 
   Books with more than one author:
   

McLaughlin,E., Muncie, J., Hughes, G. (2002) Criminological

Sage/OU

11. 
    Acceptable Abbreviations
    

http://www.stir.ac.uk/infoserv/library/about/general/online/refer.htm (22/3/01)

If your work contains figures (charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, etc.) or tables there are style procedures to follow. All tables and figures should be headed either Table or Figure and numbered sequentially. If the table or figure is from an external source then a reference should be provided at the bottom of the figure. e.g.

Section 7.0: Reports

Reports differ from essays in that they are laid out in a formal numbered structure and are often more descriptive than discursive. Their aim is usually to inform / explain / provide a record / recommend / enable decision making and/or set out procedures.
The contents of a report will vary depending upon the tutor/module/purpose and guidelines will be given to you, but a report will usually include:
Title Page

Executive Summary (a brief statement of who commissioned the report, its aims (terms of reference) and summary of findings - one page only)

List of Contents

List of Tables, List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Terms of Reference (optional - Aims, Objectives and Remit of report clearly stated)

Introduction (What is the aim of the report, why is it important - keep it brief)

Main Body (May include methods of data collection if appropriate)

Conclusions (sum up main findings)

Recommendations (What should the company/manager/staff do next - 'where do we go from here')

Appendices

References
The numbering system begins with each new main heading (e.g. 1.0 Terms of Reference, 2.0 Introduction, etc.). Within each of these sections there can be sub sections (x.1, x.2, etc.) and numbered paragraphs (x.x.1, x.x.2, etc.).
For example:
2.0 Introduction

1. 
   History of the Situation
   
   1. 
      The background to this report is grounded in the on going debate surrounding the style and content of reports. This debate has yet to be settled and so the following report aims to bring some clarity to this area of confusion.
      
   2. 
      Part of the problem stems from the variety of purposes that reports are written to achieve….
      

1. 
   Start by thinking about the theme of the essay - what main points do you want to make?
   
2. 
   How best can you get to that point/s (it is a bit like an argument)?
   
3. 
   You could try - introduction  evidence  summary!
   

It is important to note that your evidence will come from credible reference sources.