1. Louise Livesey Academic Skills Adviser
How to Improve Your Written Work Using Marker Feedback: Using Sources and Developing Your Argument
This workshop will...
Introduce the two types of sources and the process of choosing sources
Provide a basic overview of how to use quotations, paraphrases and summaries in your written work
Explain what a reasoned argument is and how to develop one
Louise Livesey
Academic Skills Adviser
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

2. Academic Skills Advice
The Plan…
Reasons for using sources
Categories and types of sources
Choosing which source to use
Basics of quoting, paraphrasing and summarising
What a reasoned argument is
Taking a position
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

3. Feedback: Your reading for this assignment was limited
1.Reasons for using sources
Feedback: Your reading for this assignment was limited
What tutors want you to use…
sources to obtain a depth of knowledge and not just those on the reading list
different types of sources
a wide range of sources
sources to support your arguments
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

4. Academic Skills Advice
2.Categories and types of sources
Primary sources
Secondary sources
This is evidence that comes directly from the people involved in the event or phenomenon in question.
This includes material produced about the event or phenomenon, including the commentary or interpretation of others.
and Activity 1: Primary and secondary sources
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

5. Academic Skills Advice
3.Choosing which source to use
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

6. Academic Skills Advice
4.Basics of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarising
Quotations: use when…
the specific words are crucial to your point
you make a very specific point
you analyse or challenge the view expressed
you need strong support/authority
adding impact to an introduction/ conclusion
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

7. Academic Skills Advice
4.Basics of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarising
Paraphrasing: use when…
the wording of the source is less important than the meaning of the source
you change the organization of ideas for emphasis
simplifying complex arguments, sentences, or vocabulary.
clarifying technical passages or specialized information
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

8. Academic Skills Advice
4.Basics of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarising
Summarising: use when…
the wording of the source is less important than the meaning of the source
providing a brief overview of a text
condensing the material
omitting extra information from the source material to focus on the author’s main point/s
simplifying complex arguments, sentences, or vocabulary.
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

9. Academic Skills Advice
4.Basics of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarising
Quotation example: According to Roger Sipher, a solution to the perceived crisis of American education is to ‘abolish compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are committed to getting an education to attend’ (1997: 31).
Using smart pen highlight Sipher, quotation marks and (31) as defining features
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

10. Academic Skills Advice
4.Basics of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarising
Paraphrasing:
‘Schools should be for education. At present, they are only tangentially so. They have attempted to serve an all-encompassing social function, trying to be all things to all people. In the process they have failed miserably at what they were originally formed to accomplish’ (Sipher 1977: 32)
Answer:
Roger Sipher concludes his essay by insisting that schools have not been able to fulfil their primary duty of education because they try to fill multiple social functions.
Click for answer
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

11. Academic Skills Advice
4.Basics of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarising
Activity 2: Summarising
Answer:
Roger Sipher makes his case for getting rid of compulsory-attendance laws in primary and secondary schools with six arguments. These fall into three groups—first that education is for those who want to learn and by including those that don't want to learn, everyone suffers. Second, that grades would be reflective of effort and elementary school teachers wouldn't feel compelled to pass failing students. Third, that schools would both save money and save face with the elimination of compulsory-attendance laws.
CLIck for answer
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

12. Academic Skills Advice
5. What a reasoned argument is
Feedback: ‘your work is more descriptive than critical’ ‘there is not enough depth’ ‘you need more analysis’ ‘you’ve included too much description’ ‘you did not apply much critical thinking; need to use more critical analysis or thinking’
Click do not panic
do not panic
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

13. Academic Skills Advice
5. What a reasoned argument is
Process stage
Example
Claim claim
Manchester United has won more Premiership football titles and so is the best Premiership football team ever
Manchester United has the most successful football league manager ever in the history of football and so is the best league football team ever
Manchester United has won more domestic and European cups than any other football team and so is the best European cup winning club ever
Argument
Manchester United is the best team to have played football ever
Reasoned argument
Manchester United is the best team ever to have played football (my dad et al)
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

14. Academic Skills Advice
5. What a reasoned argument is
Engaging analytical thinking by
looking at something (whether tangible or conceptual) before you start your reading for your initial impressions
breaking it down into its constituent parts using analytical thinking of close observation
Employing critical thinking by
asking questions of the origins of ideas, the assumptions behind the ideas, and the applicability of the ideas
evidencing your conclusions and findings from this questioning process.
keeping an open mind about the application of this knowledge to address a problem or answer a question
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

15. Academic Skills Advice
6. Taking a position
6 different ways of responding to any argument, theory, practice or concept. You can:
• Agree with it
• Reject or disagree with it
• Concede it has merits but needs qualifying
• Propose a new opinion
• Reconcile seemingly different (opposite?) stances
• Connect or synthesise to develop a new approach
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

16. Academic Skills Advice
6. Taking a position
‘Manchester United is the best team ever to have played football’
Agree: Indeed, Manchester United are the best (evidence)
Reject: Disagree, other teams have done well in other areas (evidence)
Concede: Yes they are the best or the top in a number of areas but consider, x,x,x (evidence)
Propose: Liverpool are the best team (evidence)
Reconcile: ?
Synthesise: ?
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

17. Academic Skills Advice
References
Sipher, R. (1977) So that nobody has to go to school if they don't want to. The New York Times Accessed 18 September 2014.
University of Houston-Victoria. (2014) Decide when to quote, paraphrase & summarize. Victoria, University of Houston-Victoria. Accessed 14 August 2014.
Van den Brink-Budgen, R. (2010) Critical thinking for students. 4th Ed. Oxford, How To Books Ltd.
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

18. Academic Skills Advice Service
Where are we? Chesham Building B0.23. Give us a call or come speak to us Monday-Thursday 10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm
Who am I? Louise, the dedicated workshop adviser.
Who can help me with study and writing skills? Lucy and Russell run Instant Study Skills Advice sessions Monday-Thursday and Writing Skills Clinics twice a week. You can also access self-help resources on our webpage.
Who can give me maths advice? Helen and Michael specialise in Maths support for students though clinics and pre-booked appointments.
How do I get in touch? Telephone:
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

19. Academic Skills Advice
Any questions?
17/09/2018
Academic Skills Advice

20. International Student Barometer (ISB)
Launches Monday 26 October 2015
Eligible students have been sent an with a survey link from
ISB helps the University to:
understand the international student experience;
make improvements for you as students and;
understand what we are doing well.
But! We need students to fill out the survey:
more students = better data = better experience
You could win an iPad Mini 2 or a year’s gym membership with Unique Fitness for filling it out.