FHT Writing Report Guide PDF

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The FHT report guideline...

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FHT Writing and Report Guide

Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus

Contents What is an essay?........................................................................................................................ 1 1 Essay structure ............................................................................................................................. 2 Basic essay structure................................................................................................................... Introduction....................................................................................................................... 3 4 Body ............................................................................................................................................... Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 4 Sample Essay............................................................................................................................... 5 The key to writing a good essay is understanding and researching the question.............7 Standard Conventions – presentation ......................................................................................8 Appendix 1: Essay checklist............................................................................................. 9 What is a report? ........................................................................................................... 10 Different types of reports................................................................................................ 11 Structure of a report ...................................................................................................... 12 Preliminary section ........................................................................................................ 13 Body of the report........................................................................................................... 14 Supplementary material ................................................................................................ 16 General tips about writing reports.................................................................................. 17 Report checklist ............................................................................................................. 18 Example of a report........................................................................................................ 19 Why reference/cite? ........................................................................................................27 How to reference .......................................................................................................... 27 Paraphrasing ................................................................................................................ 27 In-text references .......................................................................................................... 27 Author prominent .......................................................................................................... 27 Information prominent ................................................................................................... 28 What is plagiarism? ...................................................................................................... 28 Use of italics ................................................................................................................ 28 Use of quotation marks ................................................................................................ 28 Quotations of 40 or more words .................................................................................. 29 Quote within a quote .................................................................................................... 29 Capitalisation ................................................................................................................ 29 Quoting incorrect spelling, punctuation or grammar from an original source ............... 30 Page numbers ................................................................................................................ 30 Quoting online material that has no page numbers ....................................................... 30 Use of ‘ et al.’................................................................................................................. 30 Use of city, state, country location information ............................................................. 30 Difference between a reference list and a bibliography ............................................... 31 Formatting your reference list ....................................................................................... 31 Journal articles and periodicals .................................................................................... 32 Journal article ............................................................................................................... 32

Online journal article from a database with no DOI ...................................................... 33 Issue numbers .............................................................................................................. 33 Using URL references .................................................................................................. 33 Unpublished sources ................................................................................................... 34 Appendices ................................................................................................................... 34 When to use numbers expressed in words .................................................................. 34 When to use numbers expressed as numerals ............................................................ 34 Books ........................................................................................................................... 35 Journals ........................................................................................................................ 49 Reports ......................................................................................................................... 54 Conference papers ....................................................................................................... 56 University materials ...................................................................................................... 57 Government & legislation ............................................................................................ 60 Electronic sources ........................................................................................................ 65 Specialised Sources ..................................................................................................... 69 References .................................................................................................................... 78 Appendix A-Table format ............................................................................................. 80 Appendix B-Figure format

What is an essay? An essay is a piece of writing that allows you to develop ideas and arguments using a logical sequence of interrelated paragraphs. Unlike reports, essays usually do not contain any headings, lists (bullet points) or diagrams. Rather they depend on direct links from one paragraph to the next in order to gradually build the argument and justify the point of view.

Essay structure Before beginning an essay, there are several planning steps that need to be undertaken. Do not attempt to begin writing without having first done the planning and research as you will find that your essay will have little to say and will lack organisation and structure. Academic writing requires you to develop your ideas with reference to evidence and the arguments of expert authors in the field. In an essay you need to support your opinion by discussing the opinions of experts. To find these expert opinions, you need to research. An essay is made up of four key parts: •

Introduction (beginning) - This is the first paragraph (approximately 10% of the length of the essay).

•

Body (middle) - These paragraphs develop the main idea and provide supporting arguments and evidence.

•

Conclusion (end) –This is the last paragraph (approximately 10% of the length of the essay).

•

Reference List

Each part of the essay plays an important role in its overall effect. Note however that although an essay must have these four parts, you should not put headings for any section except the Reference List. The first and last paragraphs should automatically serve as the introduction and conclusion and therefore everything in between constitutes the body.

Basic essay structure Introduction (Approximately 10% of word count)

General statements on broad topic (Definitions of important terms) Statement of the central argument Listing of main points to be covered

Paragraph ⇒

Topic sentence Explanation & evidence Evaluation (relates to argument) (Concluding sentence) Paragraph ⇒ Body (Approximately 80% of word count)

Topic sentence Explanation & evidence

Paragraph ⇒

Evaluation (relates to argument) (Concluding sentence)

Topic sentence Explanation & evidence Conclusion (Approximately 10% of word count)

Restatement of the central argument Summary of main points covered Final statements Alphabetically listed

Reference List (not included in word count)

Conforms to Referencing guidelines (Check punctuation, font & other referencing conventions)

Introduction The introduction begins with general statements to introduce the main topic/subject area and to set the context for the discussion. This arouses the interest of the reader and indicates why the topic is of interest in the first place. These statements are then followed by a thesis statement or statement of contention, which tells the reader what point the essay is trying to prove or what questions it is trying to answer. A thesis statement must be included when an argument is being made. A thesis statement includes your position on the issue and the reasoning you are using to support your position.

This paragraph sets up for the reader an idea of the arguments being made/considered and the reasons why the issue is important in the first place. It indicates to the reader, the type of discussion the essay involves and previews the order in which topics or arguments will be presented.

Example of an introductory paragraph General Topic

The treatment of the mentally ill in Australia needs to be re-examined. In 1992 the Australian Health Ministers developed a new policy referred to as ‘de-institutionalisation’

Definition

Why the issue is important

with the intention of creating a more humane and effective system. The idea behind this policy was that mental health patients could be better served by accessing mainstrea Thesis Statement health and welfare services in the community rather than as in-patients in mental hospitals. However, due to government neglect and inaction, the current mental health service is in crisis. Instead of being supported in the community, the mentally ill are now

Preview & Scope

more likely to be homeless, imprisoned, or suicidal. The first part of this essay traces the Reasoning history of the de-institutionalisation policy and demonstrates how the lack of government funding and leadership led directly to the policy’s failure. The next section discusses and focuses on how these failures impacted upon those in need.

Body The body of the essay is where your discussion takes place. It ‘contains issues to support your main argument. The argument is structured in a linear way: each issue is presented with supporting evidence. Research is also used in the body of the essay to support each main point’. The body is formed by writing a series of linked paragraphs.

Paragraphs A paragraph is a series of sentences, arranged in a logical order to introduce and develop the main idea. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence, an explanation of the topic sentence and proof of the explanation. •

Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence (T). This sentence lets the reader know what the paragraph will be about.

•

Other sentences in the paragraph should explain (E) or support the topic sentence.

•

You should use primary and secondary information (references) to give proof (P) that what you have said is true/ correct. Each paragraph should help answer the main question.

Example of a body paragraph

1. Topic Sentence

2. Explanation

Violence on television can lead to sleeping disorders in chi ldren. Children, particularly be en the ages of one and eight, can be quite disturbed by violent scenes that are seen on television. Sleep disturbances may occur because children feel threatened. It is hard for young children to distinguish fact from fiction, and often violent scenes are re-enacted in dreams. Goodge (1999, p. 26) found that ‘two in three children who watched a violent film before going to bed suffered from sleep disturbances’. Children who over a period of a month watched a violent film once a 3. Proof week were found to suffer from sleep disorders (Black 2000). Thus it can be seen that violence does have negative effects on the young. For this reason adults must be wary and limit, as well as regulate, the amount and types of violence to which children are exposed. 4. Evaluation (related to main argument)

Conclusion The concluding paragraph is: •

A summary of the main points

•

A restatement of your key argument in different words

•

A final comment on the subject, based on the information you have provided eg suggestions/recommendations/final statements.

Note: a conclusion should not contain any new information. It should simply be a reiteration of your main points/arguments.

Sample Essay Title of the essay

A Discussion of Critical Thinking and Rote Learning INTRODUCTION State the main topic. Indicate the central argument. Define the main terms. List the main topics (scope)

This essay contrasts the benefits of rote learning and critical thinking in the context of university education. It argues that although rote learning is important for passing exams in some subjects, the development of critical thinking skills is far more crucial in succeeding overall within the tertiary education environment. Whereas rote learning involves memorising information, the central aspect of critical thinking is to ask questions and to think independently. Critical thinking carries across to all aspects of learning, including participating actively in the classroom, selecting and reading source material carefully, and constructing logical arguments in written work. This essay focuses on the importance of critical thinking for assessing the validity and relevance of information and for constructing a coherent argument. It compares the strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking with those of rote

BODY Contains separate paragraphs for each new point you are making.

learning within a western academic context. Studies have indicated that critical thinking skills are more important than memorising information in order to perform well at university. For example, in her article, ‘Critical thinking and college success’, Higbee (2003) writes that good thinking habits are far more important than specific knowledge to succeed at tertiary level. The skills that were found to be most crucial for study are outlined in the following quotation:

Long (direct) quote This is a long sentence and so must be referenced as a long direct quote. Start on a new line. Indent 1.27cm from left margin. Use smaller font size.

The habits of the mind include critical thinking; analytical thinking and problem solving; an inquisitive nature and interest in taking advantage of what a research university has to offer; the willingness to accept critical feedback and to adjust based on such feedback; openness to possible failures from time to time and the ability and desire to cope with frustration and ambiguous learning tasks. (Conley 2003, p.8 cited in Higbee 2003 p.77)

Higbee’s article discusses the results of a study which identified the learning behaviours of successful students in relation to a range of

Continue the paragraph after the long quote, don’t end with the quote.

(T) TOPIC SENTENCES Start each paragraph with a topic sentence. This summarises the main argument contained in that paragraph. It should be in your own words.

Critical thinking is also vital for assessing the validity of different information. It is important to question the arguments presented in different sources, and identify what stance the writer is taking in relation to the material. To read critically, it is important to determine whether the information is consistent with other sources read on the subject; what sources the writer uses to back up their arguments, and whether these are reliable sources; and the strengths and weaknesses of the writer’s argument. In comparison, rote learning does not develop the skills which are important for university education. Although in some subjects it is necessary to memorise information such as formulae used in maths, science and statistics, it is more important to understand the application and relevance of this formulae. Rote learning also does not

PARAPHRASE Write the information from a source in your own words. Add the reference.

assist students to construct valid arguments, as it fails to teach students to think independently. For example, it has been argued that rote learners are more likely to use inductive fallacies, in which case their reasoning will not be sound (Sternberg 2004). These fallacies include the ‘ad populum’ argument in which the reason given for the conclusion is that the majority of people agree with it. Sternberg writes that ‘the essence of this fallacy lies in our need to conform to popular

SHORT QUOTE Use inverted commas around the words copied from the source. Reference accordingly

views and conclusions’ (2004, p.69) Critical thinking, on the other hand enables students to construct logical arguments, which is essential in all university work. In conclusion, although rote learning is necessary in some situations, it is far more important to develop critical thinking skills in order to succeed at university level. The skills involved in thinking critically

CONCLUSION Restate the main argument. Summarise the main points used to support our argument. Make a final statement.

nd analytically can assist students to construct sound arguments and to assess their reading material in terms of the validity of its content. Whereas memorising information has limited value in terms of university education, critical thinking is one of the most crucial aspects of university study.

References Start references on a new page. Give the full details of all sources you have referred to in your essay. Format should be as per the system of referencing required by your course- this is Harvard.

Higbee, JL. 2003, ‘Critical thinking and college success’, Research & Teaching in Developmental Education, vol. 20, no. 1, pp.77-82. Sternberg, RJ 2004, ‘Four Alternative Futures for Education in the United Stats: It’s Our Choice’, School Psychology Review, vol. 33, no.1, pp. 67-78.

The key to writing a good essay is understanding and r...