Distance Learning Don’t Panic! (Adams, 1979, p. 31)

Your Learning Style Make time to do your reading Make notes and record your sources (references) Make time to write your assignments Find a system which works for you

Sources Handbook and core text Other books, websites, etc., which add to your learning (see reading lists in handbooks) People in your church, fellow students, tutors Your own experience Avoid Wikipedia and sources which may not be academically rigorous Avoid old sources (more than c. 20 years), e.g. Bible commentaries Look for a variety of viewpoints

Reading Reading strategically Choose a style of reading which fits your need Use the Table of Contents

Assignments: Some basics Read the assignment Look for key words or phrases, e.g. “select two of the following” There are no “right” answers There are only well argued answers Bring in your own ideas and experience Compare this with what others say

Essays, Notes, etc. Essays usually have a structure: – introduction – main body – conclusion Some questions can be answered with short notes or bullet points Other require a specific format, e.g. magazine article

Plagiarism “The theft or use of someone else’s work without proper acknowledgement, presenting the work as if it were one’s own” (University of Manchester, 2006)

Avoiding Plagiarism Any material copied from a book, article, website or other written source should be in quotation marks and be referenced Paraphrase the original in your own words and reference it A paraphrase is more than just changing the odd word or word order Accurately record all the details of each source you use

Quotations Quotations can be used to support the argument of your assignment Try to avoid long quotations Reference each quotation by author, title, year of publication, page on which the quotation is found

Examples of Referencing The dictionary defines a covenant as … The covenants found in early Congregational churches are described by Nuttall as “…[quotation] …” (Nuttall, 1957, p. 32). The covenants found in early Congregational churches have been described as … [in your own words] (Nuttall, 1957, p. 32).

Referencing Can be in the text or as a footnote: The covenants found in early Congregational churches have been described as … [in your own words] (Nuttall, 1957, p. 32). The covenants found in early Congregational churches have been described as … [in your own words] 1 1. Nuttall, 1957, p. 32

Referencing the Bible Reference quotations or paraphrases from the Bible in a consistent way: Gen 17:2 Mt 5:1-12 Rom 8:18-23,28 Bible references do not need to appear in your bibliography

Bibliography At the end of your essay, list all the sources you have quoted: Bibliography Argent, A. (2012). The Nature of the Household of Faith - some principles of Congregationalism. Nottingham: Congregational Federation. Nuttall, G. F. (1957). Visible Saints: The Congregational Way Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Routley, E. (1961). The Story of Congregationalism. London: Independent Press.

Form of References and Bibliography Be consistent Microsoft Word has built-in referencing If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me