Cite Write 17feb2011

8/2/2019 Cite Write 17feb2011

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Your introductory

guide to citing, referencingand academic writing at QUT.www.citewrite.qut.edu.au

2011

c i t e w r i t e


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cite|write is a generalintroduction to citing,referencing andacademic writing.


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Find specifcexamples or QUTre erencing styles atwww.citewrite.qut.edu.au

c i t e


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1cite|write www.citewrite.qut.edu.au

Contents

Citing and referencing 3

Why do it? 3

QUTs recommended reference styles 4 Which style do I use? 4

Citing 5In-text citation 5Citation using an author-date style 5Citation using a numbered style 6Citing legal case and legislation 6Direct quotations: copying words exactly 7

Short quotations 7Long quotations 7Acceptable changes to the original wording 8Indirect quotations/paraphrase: rewriting original words 9Summaries: re erring to the sources main ideas 9

Reference lists 10Re erencing books 10Re erencing a chapter in an edited book 10Re erencing journal articles 11Author-date styles (QUT APA and QUT Harvard) 11

Numbered style (QUT Numbered) 11Legal style (QUT Legal) 12


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Citing and referencing At university, you are expected to cite and re erence all in ormation you use in your assignments.

Citing is when you use and acknowledge someone elses work to support your argument or

illustrate your point.Re erencing is when you give bibliographic in ormation details such as authors amily name andthe date and title o publication about the sources you used in your work.

Why do it?We cite to acknowledge someone elses work.

You need to cite when you:

use a direct quote rom someone else

give a summary o someone elses ideas

paraphrase someone elses ideas

copy some in ormation (such as a picture, a table or some statistics).

We re erence to provide details about the sources, which have been cited.

You need to re erence in order to:

support your ideas and arguments using expert acts or ideas

acknowledge (give credit or) acts and ideas you have used

help other readers nd the original acts and ideas or works that you have used

show readers the depth and quality o your reading and research.

Citing and re erencing are essential to avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a orm o academic dishonesty that incurs severe penalties at QUT. Plagiarism is when you do not give credit to the author/s or in ormation used in your own work, by:

copying the work o another student

directly copying or buying any part o another authors work

directly copying and pasting in ormation rom the Internet

paraphrasing or summarising someone elses ideas

using the idea or thesis rom someone elses work

using experimental results rom someone elses work.

Did you know?You can become amiliar with your responsibilities by reading QUTs policy on plagiarism(c/9.3 Procedures or academic dishonesty) atwww.mopp.qut.edu.au/C/C_05_03.jsp


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4 cite|write www.citewrite.qut.edu.au

QUTs recommended reference stylesUniversities have standard re erencing styles which help you to cite consistently and avoidplagiarism. QUT recommends our re erencing styles:

QUT APA an author-date style QUT Harvard an author-date style

QUT Numbered (Vancouver) a numbered style

QUT Legal (Written Assessment in the Law School) a ootnote style

Which style do I use? Your unit outline should indicate which style to use in your work. I you have any queries about thestyle to use, ask your lecturer or tutor.


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Citing

In-text citation Any in ormation (words, ideas, statistics, tables, data, pictures, photos, etc.) obtained rom another author or source, whether it is used in a direct quotation or as a paraphrase, requires an in-textcitation.

Facts and ideas that are considered common knowledge within a discipline do not need to be cited.For example, Einsteins theory o relativity ( E = mc 2) would not need to be cited.

Citation using an author-date style When you add a citation into your text using an author-date style (such as QUT Harvard or QUT APA ), you need to include the ollowing in ormation to the sentence or paragraph:

Authors amilyname or name o the source (organisation, government department, etc.) Year o publication look or the copyright symbol in the source. This is usually in the

ront pages o a book or at the bottom o an internet page. Page number where you ound the in ormation, (or paragraph () number i there is no page

number on it). Summaries o in ormation/sources o ten do not require page numbers, i thein ormation comes rom many pages.

Example

You must cite the sources o each ideaor item o in ormation you use, whether you quote, paraphrase or summarise or merely re er to it (Harris 2005, 5). authors family name year page

Go to www.citewrite.qut.edu.au to see examples in QUT APA,QUT Harvard, QUT Numbered

and QUT Legal.

This in ormation can be included either at the beginning or the end o the sentence or paragraph:

Example

At the beginning:

Marras et al. (1995) note that peak loadmoment has been suggested to play a major role in defning lower back disorder risk.At the end:

Peak load moment has been suggested to play a major role in defning lower back disorder risk (Marras et al., 1995).


and QUT Legal.


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Citation using a numbered style When adding a citation in your text, either place a superscript number (start at 1) or a number inbrackets (1) at the end o the in ormation you are citing.

Example

At the beginning:Marras et al. 1 note that peak load moment hasbeen suggested to play a major role in de ninglower back disorder risk.

This number is then used to indicate thebibliographic in ormation in the re erence list.


and QUT Legal.

Citing legal cases and legislationLegal writing employs a numbered note style to re erence its ootnotes. This re ers the reader tothe relevant numbered note at the bottom (or oot) o the page where the in ormation is provided.Students studying law at QUT are required to use the style guide titled Written Assessment in the

Law School (re erred to in cite|write as QUT Legal).

I you are using a non-law re erence style such as QUT Harvard or your writing, ollow therequirements or that style or re erencing sources such as books and journal articles. I you areciting cases or legislation, re erence them in ull in the text o your writing.

ExampleSection 189 o the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) requires an o cer to detain a person who issuspected o being an unlaw ul non-citizen. In Al-Kateb v Godwin (2004) 219 CLR 562 the courtconsidered the detention and removal o unlaw ul citizens.


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Direct quotations: copying words exactly When directly quoting, remember to:

1. Copy the words exactly rom the original source.

2. Include the author-date or number as the in-text citation.

Did you know?Some students think it is okay i you copy and paste more than three words as long as you add

the author/source name. This isnot true. I you copy more than three words you must also havequotation marks.

Short quotations Add quotation marks around the copied words.

Example

authors family name

year page

Harris (2005, p. 5) writes you must cite thesources o each idea or item o in ormationyou use, whether you quote, paraphrase or summarise or merely re er to it. Note quotation marks to openand close


and QUT Legal

I the quotation includes another quotation made in the original, use the opposite type o quotation

marks (i.e. ...) to those (...) that you used rst.

Did you know?You can use your own judgement on what constitutes a short quote. As general rules: APAsuggests ewer than 40 words and Harvard suggests ewer than 100 words.

Long quotationsLong quotations use a di erent style to distinguish them rom your normal text.

Use a block quotation (i.e. not part o the sentence)

Indent the block rom the le t and right margins

Between the lines, use a single space only Do not use quotation marks or the block

Include citation details either as a lead in to the block or at the end (see example or endplacement).


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Example

InUsing Sources E ectively , Harris describesmany di erent ways students should re erence

their work in academic institutions. The author believes that students must understand theimportance o re erencing:

An important part o using sourcese ectively lies in distinguishing betweenyour own ideas and the ideas thatcome rom outside sources Whenyou make use o words, ideas or any in ormation rom a source other thanyour own knowledge and experience,you must give credit to the source in acitation. (Harris 2005, 1)

Re erencing is clearly an important skill or students who wish to succeed in academiccourses.


and QUT Legal

Did you know?It is important not to use too many direct quotations in your writing always check theassignment criteria or in ormation about the use o direct quotations. A common rule is touse a maximum o 10 per cent o the word count as direct quotes in your assignment.

Acceptable changes to the original wordingI the original source has a grammar or spelling mistake that might be con using, you should copythe mistake and add [sic] a ter the mistake. Note that [sic] must be in italics and in square brackets.

However, there are three situations where it is acceptable to change the original words

slightly:1. You can change the capitalisation o the letter o the frst word o the quotation to t the fow

o your sentence. In the example below, the A o As has been changed to a lower case a:

Harris (2005, p. 35) says as you work on your paper visit your instructor to ask or input.

2. You can add words in square brackets [ ] to make the meaning o the quote clearer to thereader:

Government [Queensland State] isconcerned about the cost o water(Courier Mail, 2007, p. 1).

3. You can use an ellipsis , ( ... ), to show that you are leaving words out:There is one exception to the rule o citingoutside in ormation. Common knowledgedoes not need to be cited whatever an educated person would be expected

to know or could locate in an ordinary encyclopedia (Harris, 2005, p. 17).


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Indirect quotations/paraphrase: rewriting original wordsParaphrasing is writing the ideas o another author in your own words.

You may use technical words that cannot be substituted.

Make sure you accurately represent the source/authors ideas.

I you paraphrase another author, you still need to provide an in-text citation.

Example

Direct quotation

Cope (2007, 21) says that plagiarism, a ailure to acknowledge sources o material correctly,is an o ence against pro essional standardsand is a orm o academic dishonesty.

Paraphrase

According to Cope (2007, 21) plagiarismoccurs when writers do not re erence ideas,and this is a very serious o ence.


and QUT Legal.

or

Paraphrase

Cope (2007) mentions that plagiarismhappens when writers do not givecredit to authors; it is dishonest and notpro essional.

Summaries: re erring to the sources main ideas All ideas that are not your own should be cited (and later re erenced). When you re er to generalideas or just want to acknowledge that an idea came rom a secondary resource, then your in-textcitation does not require a page number.

Example

Plagiarism is an issue that all studentsshould be aware o (Cope 2007). Go to www.citewrite.qut.edu.au

to see examples in QUT APA,QUT Harvard, QUT Numbered

and QUT Legal.

I you read rom many sources and have written ideas in your own words, but you know that youlearned these ideas rom other people, list their names alphabetically in your in-text citation using a

semicolon (;) to separate the sources.Example

Academic writing is more ormal andcomplicated than in ormal writing,especially when authors need to consider acknowledging re erencing (Cope, 2007;Oshima & Hogue, 1991; Putnis & Petelin,1999).


and QUT Legal.


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Reference lists A re erence list contains details o every resource cited in your assignment. The re erence list isplaced at the end o your assignment.

I you are using an author-date system, sources are listed in alphabetical order.I you are using a numbered system, sources are listed in numerical order.

When you research and prepare or assessment, it is important to take down the ull bibliographicdetails (including the page numbers) rom which the in ormation is taken.It is very time consuming to ollow up re erences later.

Did you know?Bibliographies are di erent rom re erence lists.They include re erences used in theassignmentplus other relevant or use ul sources not quoted rom but used in the preparationo your assignment.

Below are general guidelines about the in ormation that is to be included in your re erencelist and how to fnd it. However, the ormat and punctuation depends on the re erencingstyle required or the particular assignment.


and QUT Legal.

Re erencing booksFor a book, ull bibliographic details include:

book author/editor amily name and rst name initial(s), or organisations name. Include these

details or as many authors or editors as the book recognises year o publication

book title in ull (main title and any subtitle noted)

edition statement (unless it is the rst)

place o publication

publisher.

Re erencing a chapter in an edited book For a book chapter, ull bibliographic details include:

chapter author/editor amily name and rst name initial/s. Include these details or as manyauthors or editors as the chapter recognises

year o publication

chapter title

book title in ull

book author/editor rst name initials and amily name

page numbers

place o publication

publisher.

You can fnd this in ormation rom the books frst ew pages or the

library catalogue.


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Re erencing journal articlesFor a journal article, ull bibliographic details include:

article author amily name and rst name initial/s. Include these details or as many authors asthe article recognises

article title journal title

date o publication

date viewed (i article is electronic not print)

volume and issue numbers

page numbers

database name/URL/DOI see citewrite.qut.edu.au or style requirements.

Author-date styles (QUT APA and QUT Harvard) The re erence list provides the ull details o all works and sources that have been cited in text. The re erence list is arranged alphabetically by author (or by title where there is no author), andchronologically or each author where more than one work o an author is cited.


and QUT Legal.

Numbered style (QUT Numbered) The re erence list at the end o the document provides the ull details o all works and sources thathave been cited in-text. Re erences are in the order they appear in the document; i.e. in numerical,not alphabetical, order, with the number in square [ ] brackets.


and QUT Legal.

Dont Panic! Sometimes notall these details are available. Go

to www.citewrite.qut.edu.au or examples o what to do.


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Legal style (QUT Legal) A bibliography created using this style will include all secondary sources used in the preparation othe assignment, in addition to the secondary sources cited in the assignment (and re erenced inthe ootnotes).

Primary sources (cases and legislation) are not included in the bibliography. I you are required tolist the cases or legislation you have used at the end o the assignment, this is called one othe ollowing:

case list

table o cases

legislation list

table o legislation.

Example

Case List

Al-Kateb v Godwin(2004) 219 CLR 562

Giannarelli v Wraith(1991) 171 CLR 592Peat v Lin[2005] 1 QdR 40

Legislation List

Acts Interpretation Act 1954 (Qld)Evidence Act 1977 (Qld)Evidence Act 1995 (Cth)

Bibliography

Harris R,Using Sources E ectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism, 2nd ed,Pyrczak Pub, Cali ornia, 2005.Stuhmcke A,Legal Re erencing , 3rd ed, Lexis Nexis Butterwor ths, Australia, 2005.


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w r i t e

Find guides ornote taking andwriting assignments atwww.citewrite.qut.edu.au


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Contents

Academic writing 3

Why do it? 3

Academic writing terms 4Abbreviated orms o expression 4Active and passive voice 4Argument 4Authoritative source 4Cite | citing 4Conclusion 4Critical 4Evidence 4

Introduction 5Paraphrase 5Person 5Point o view 5Re erence 5Research 5Scope 5Thesis statement 5

Word limit 5

Academic writing structure 6

Overview 6Introduction 7Body paragraphs 8Conclusion 9Linking it all together 9

Academic writing style 10Precise expression 10Impersonal, objective tone 10Formal language 10Tentative conclusions 10

Critical thinking 11A model or critical thinking 12

Appendix 1:Task words commonlyused in essay questions 14

Appendix 2: Useful linking wordsand phrases (transitions) 16

Critical thinking template 17


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Academic writing At university you will be expected to write in an academic structure and style.

Why do it? There are a number o good reasons or this:

Writing academically is a core skill you use to communicate in pro essional occupations.

It bene ts your learning.

It trains you to think logically.

It helps you learn the body o knowledge in your discipline.

It is an excellent way or your lecturers to assess the extent o your understanding.

The research and writing skills you learn will be vital or you to continue your pro essionaldevelopment a ter you graduate.


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Academic writing terms These are terms that are not commonly used in everyday conversation. When employed in a university context they conveya di erent meaning.

Abbreviated orms o expression Abbreviations are used or a single word and consists usually o the rst letter and other letters rom the word with a

ull stop a ter, or example: para or paragraph or Mon. or Monday.

Acronyms contain the rst letter rom a series o words and must be pronounceable: TAFE, Qantas.

Initialisms contain the rst letter o each word and are NOT pronounceable and not punctuated:QUT. TechnicallyQUT is an initialism, although its acceptable to call it an acronym in common language.

Active and passive voiceIn English, this re ers to the orm o the verb.

An active voice means the ocus o the sentence is on the person, animal or thing that is doing the action described

by the verb. For example: The dog crossed the road. The ocus usually is the part that comes rst in a sentence. The passive voice means the ocus o a sentence is on the person, animal or thing that is being acted upon. For

example: The road is being crossed by the dog. In a passive voice, the verb is o ten ormed by two words thatindicate a state o being rather than an action. Examples o passive verbs include: has been, is being and will be.

Argument An argument is a writing structure where you state your point o view relating to a topic and then outline the evidence thatsupports the point o view. The statement o your point o view is called the thesis statement and it is the direct responseto the question or task o your assignment. The evidence is outlined logically in a series o points written in the body o your essay as paragraphs.

Authoritative source An authoritative source is in ormation written by an academic or expert in a eld and has been reviewed by his/her peersto ensure that it has been properly researched and developed. In ormation used as evidence in an assignment should onlycome rom authoritative sources.

Cite | Citing To cite is to acknowledge the author or source within the text o your assignment. This in ormation is used as evidence tosupport your point o view. You need to cite when you quote someone else in exactly the same words; give a summary osomeone elses ideas; paraphrase someone elses ideas; or copy in ormation such as a picture, table or statistics.

Conclusion The conclusion is the nal statement o your essay. It should repeat the topic, summarise the structure and restate the

thesis statement.

Critical To be critical in an academic context does not mean that it is necessarily a negative. Rather, it means to look at the subject,

or example, an idea, a reading, a website, a solution to a problem and, examine the di erent aspects associated with it,and evaluate how good it is in terms o purpose. Your critical analysis may include positive as well as negative points.

EvidenceEvidence is a piece o in ormation that supports a conclusion. Evidence or academic assignments comes rom researchingsources these include:

authoritative books

journals websites and other sources.

It may take the orm o quotes rom experts, data rom experiments, statistics, pictures, graphs and tables.


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Introduction The beginning o your essay should introduce the topic, state the thesis and outline the structure o the essay.

ParaphraseParaphrasing is writing the ideas o another author in your own words. Paraphrased text should look substantially di erent

rom the original, but retain the same meaning.

PersonPerson re ers to the perspective o the writing.

First person re ers to the writer. This style o writing uses the pronouns I, me, mysel , my, mine, we, us, ourselves,our, and ours.

Second person re ers to the one being spoken to. This style uses the pronouns you, yoursel , your, and yours.

Third person re ers to the one being spoken about. This style uses the pronouns he, she, it, him, her, himsel , hersel ,his, her, hers, its, they, them, themselves, their, and theirs.

Most academic writing uses third person. There are exceptions, so you will need to clari y this with your lecturer.

Point o viewIn assignments, you are o ten asked to de end your point o view or develop an argument relating to your topic. Studentscan mistakenly think this means they are expected to write their personal eelings about the topic. However, in academicterms, developing a point o view or argument means to research the evidence relating to the topic and develop your conclusions based on the evidence. Your personal ideas are not considered relevant in this context.

Re erence A re erence is when you give detailed in ormation such as author, date, title and publishing details about a source usedin your work. A re erence list usually appears at the end o your assignment. See also Cite.

ResearchResearching topics means to write your assignment based on knowledge that has already been researched, reviewedand accepted by the academics in your eld. This knowledge is ound in academic books, journals and other sourcesconsidered authoritative. See also authoritative source.

Scope The scope re ers to how widely a topic is covered in an essay. The scope is dependent on the word length o theassignment with longer essays expected to cover the topic in more depth. The scope refects the extent to which evidence

justi es your argument. For example, i all your evidence relates to Australia, your point o view would support an Australianargument. However, this type o evidence cannot be generalised to all the countries o the world.

Thesis statement This is the most important sentence in the introduction and indicates your point o view (position or argument) on a topic. The thesis statement should be a direct answer or response to your assignment question or task.

Word limit The word limit gives you an idea o how much depth you are expected to cover. Lecturers set word limits in order to restrictthe breadth and depth o your research and writing or a particular assignment.

It is generally accepted that you can go 10 per cent over or under the word limit. I you are more than 10 per cent over youneed to be more concise. I you are more than 10 per cent under you need to broaden your research. Always read theinstructions, i it speci cally says something like no more than 500 words then you are not allowed to go over that limit.

Appendices, abstracts, executive summaries and the re erence lists are not usually counted as part o the word limit.Quotations in the body o your paper are counted. Always check with your lecturer or tutor about what is included in the

word limit or a particular assignment.


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Academic writing structure Academic writing structure is the ormat used to clearly express the ideas that you develop based on your research. It maytake many orms such as essays, reports, literature reviews, annotated bibliographies or refective journals.

This section ocuses on essay writing as this is the oundation o all writing at university. An essay is composed o anintroduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.

For more in ormation on structure or other writing genres go towww.citewrite.qut.edu.au

Overview The essay structure can be seen as a diamond with the introduction and conclusion at the top and bottom and the bodyparagraphs tting into the middle o the diamond in a series o smaller diamond shapes.

Diamondshape of

wholeessay

Diamondshape of

each bodyparagraph

Introduction Introduces the topicStates the thesis

Outlines the essaystructure

Topic sentence:Introducesparagraph topic

Evidencesentences:Providereasons and

evidence thatsupport thetopic sentence

ConcludingSentence:

Summarisesparagraph

Repeats the topic

Summarises the essaystructure

BodyParagraphs

Conclusion

This shape may need to be modi ed depending on the aspects you need to cover in your task. For example, you may haveless or more than the our body paragraphs or the assignment may have separate sections.

It is essential that you check your unit details on QUT Blackboard or ask your lecturer or tutor or clear instructions abouthow to structure your assignment.

Note: Be ore you start researching and writing your assignment it is important that you understand what the question is askingyou to do. For more in ormation on assignment tasks re er to Appendix1: Task words commonly used in essay questions.


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Introduction An introduction is a map or your reader and should be approximately 10 per cent o the total word count o your essay. Anintroduction should:

1. Reword the assignment topic to set the context o the essay.

2. Provide background in ormation on the topic. This may include de nitions o any important terms and the scope,de ning the limits o what you will discuss in the essay.

3. State your thesis. This is the main point o your essay. The thesis statement is usually the answer to the question or main response to the task.

4. Outline the main points o the essay which back up your thesis statement. These should be listed in the order in which they are addressed in the essay.

Example of an introductionThe Assignment question

Australias tourism industry is the third largest in the country in terms o contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).Much o its success is due to Australias unique geography. Analyse the geographical actors that both contribute to andhinder the success o tourism in Australia.

Introductory paragraph

Paragraphelement

Purpose Example

1. Topicintroduction

The rst sentence should introduce the topic in this case the success o Australias tourismindustry. It should refect the rst sentenceo the question to set the context or your

response.

Australias tourism industry contributes 3.9%o the countrys gross domestic product and

Australia has been in the top ten o most desirable places to go on holiday 20002004

(Department o Resources, Energy andTourism (RET), 2009).

2. Backgroundin ormation

This outlines the main actors involved in thisdiscussion about Australian geography andtourism success. The scope o the essay willonly cover these actors. They are land orms,fora and auna and Australias distance romother parts o the world.

There are many reasons or this success but two major actors are Australias distinctive

geography, particularly its unusual land orms(Georgiou, 2007) and unique ora and auna(Zeehan, 2008). However, a complication or the success o Australian tourism is the tyranny o distance and the high costs involved or travellers, particularly those rom the Northern

hemisphere (Proctor & Thomas, 2004).

3. Thesisstatement

This next sentence is the main point o theessay. It de nes the relationship between thesegeographic actors and tourism success bystating how and to what extent these actorsinfuence tourist numbers.

This statement is the main response to theassignment task outlined in the last sentence othe question.

It will be argued that although logistical concerns warrant consideration, the value o

the unique geography and wildli e outweighthe di fculties o Australias remote location.

4. Essay outline This needs to be a summary o the main pointso your essay in the order in which they will beaddressed in the body paragraphs.

In this essay the role o these three geographicactorslandscape, wildli e and distancewill

be analysed.


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Body paragraphs These paragraphs are the building blocks o an essay. They outline the points which link the main idea o the thesis to theevidence ound in your research.

Each paragraph (or group o paragraphs) should:

1. Start with a topic sentence which links the point o the paragraph with the main thesis statement o your essay.2. Provide extra in ormation to clari y or de ne terms or ideas in the point.

3. Cite evidence rom your research to support the point you are making.

4. End with a concluding sentence which links the paragraph back to the main thesis or on to the next paragraph.

Example of a body paragraph This paragraph supports the third point made in the essay previously outlined.

Paragraphelement

Purpose Example

1. Topicsentence

This sentence starts by re erring to thethesis that Australias geography accounts

or much o its tourism success.However, it goes on to also include themain point o this paragraph; which is thatone aspect o Australias geography is itsremoteness, which reduces the success.

Australias geography accounts or much o its success as a tourist destination, yet it is also one o the most remote countries on earth.

2. Additionalin ormation

This explains the point made in the topicsentence.

Both the proximity and the availability o other competingdestinations put pressure on the Australian tourism

industry.

3. Evidencesentences

These are essential to justi y your pointo view. Your evidence comes rom your research and may include examples,

data, quotes, statistics, graphics andillustrations.

All supporting evidence must be romauthoritative sources and cited in your essay.

Overseas visitors take an average o 17 hours to reach Australia, twice as long as travel to other geographically unique locations (Proctor & Thomas, 2004). Physical

landmarks such as The Grand Canyon, Mount Fuji and the Amazon Rain orest are all more accessiblethan Uluru or the majority o world travellers (Proctor &Thomas, 2004). Wildli e tourism such as in Tanzania and

Kenya or the biodiversity o Costa Rica provide travellerscheaper experiences than visiting Australia (Proctor & Thomas, 2004). Also, international zoos requently enable people to see Australian wildli e without leavingtheir home countries (Proctor & Thomas, 2004).

4. Concludingsentence

Again, this sentence links the main thesiso the essay with the main point o theparagraph.

It is likely that Australia misses out on potential tourismdollars due to physical separation rom world population

hubs.


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ConclusionIn many ways, the conclusion is similar to an introduction except that the elements are placed in a di erent order.

A conclusion should:

1. Restate the topic by paraphrasing the question

2. Sum up the main points made in your essay

3. Link these back to the thesis statement which is the main point o your essay.

Example of a conclusion This is the conclusion o the essay started above, which analyses the relationship between Australias geographical eaturesand its tourism success.

Paragraphelement

Purpose Example

1. Topicrestatement

This paraphrases the language o thequestion.

Australias abundant and unique geographical eatures make it a very desirable tourist destination.

2. Summary omain points

Include a brie summary o the mainpoints in the body o your essay in theorder they were addressed.

Tourists visit Australia or its incredible land orms, beaches and rain orests. They are captivated by Australias distinctive wildli e both in the wild and within zoological gardens. While it is true that Australia isone o the more remote tourist locations on earth, thisdistance o ers an additional component to a travellersexperience and sense o adventure.

3. Thesisrestatement

Link these points back to the main thesisstatement made in your introduction.

Australias tourism success benefts rom geographiceatures, both geological and ecological, that set it apart rom any other destination on earth. The distance rom

other countries mostly enhances the unique travellingexperience o ered by the land Down Under.

Linking it all together As well as structuring each individual paragraph in the body, you need to ensure that there is a logical fow to your essay.

This is done by using transition signals, which are words and phrases that show the relationship between the in ormationo one paragraph and the in ormation o the next. These transition signals are mostly ound in the topic and concludingsentences o the paragraphs.

For a table o use ul transition signals see Appendix 2 at the end o this section.

For an example o a completed essay go to Writing Structure Overview in the Writing section o www.studywell.library.qut.edu.au


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Academic writing style Academic writing style is the language used to clearly explain the ideas that you develop, based on your research. Thereare our main eatures o an academic writing style:

Precise expression Be succinct. Each sentence should relate directly back to your assignment topic.

Use verbs to describe rather than lots o adjectives. For example, she argued is shorter than she said orce ully.

Keep your sentences short. Each sentence should express a single idea.

Use the specialist and technical language o your discipline.

Impersonal, objective tone Use non-emotive and non-judgemental language. For example, the term killed or ood is more neutral in tone than

cruelly massacred or meat.

Use non-discriminatory and inclusive language. For example, the use o all men or all people is not consideredinclusive as it leaves out any re erence to women.

Focus your sentences on the concepts you are discussing rather than peoples actions that refect those concepts.For example, Sleeping patterns are shorter rather than people dont sleep as much.

Formal languageMost writing will ollow these rules but there are exceptions, so be sure to check with your lecturer.

Write in complete sentences that are structured into paragraphs.

Write in third person. This means avoiding using pronouns such as I, me, my, you, your, we or our in your writing. Third person pronouns include he, she, they, them, it, his, hers and their.

Do not use contractions. Examples o contractions include cant, wouldnt and dont. Rather, these should be written as cannot, would not and do not.

Do not use abbreviations such as etc. e.g. or g. Write such terms out in ull.

Do not use colloquial or slang words or phrases such as blah, blah, blah or he was o his ace.

Do not use text abbreviations such as lol, u, gr8 or IMHO.

Tentative conclusions The conclusions you make rom the evidence in your assignment should be modest, because de nitive statements

are easy to disprove. For example, the statement that men are physically stronger than women can immediately bedisproved i a woman is shown to be physically stronger than a man.

Quali ers are words that limit or modi y statements to make them less than absolute. Here are some examples oquali ers:

Referring to number: Most, many, several, some, a ew, not many, on average.

Many migrants do not

in very ew cases.

Referring to probability: De nitely, most likely, probably, clearly, possibly, unlikely, perhaps.

It may, perhaps, be

The disease most likely will

Referring to frequency: Usually, o ten, requently, sometimes, occasionally, and rarely.

It o ten results in

would rarely be opposed in court.

Referring to appearance: Appears, suggests, indicates, seem, points to, and tends to be.

as indicated in the data.

The fndings would suggest that


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Critical thinkingCritical thinking is a skill used to develop new knowledge or understanding about a subject. When your lecturer or tutor asks you to be more critical, what they mean is that you need to step back and question the claims being made, either by

yoursel or others in your readings.

Find a new solution

Question claims

Work out abetter explanation

Find faws in theevidenceCritical thinking

Critical thinking is a questioning process where you can nd faws in the evidence, which encourages you to nd a better explanation or even a new solution to a problem.

Critical thinking is required when an assignment asks you to:

Analyse Argue Assess Justi y

Criticise Evaluate Examine Prove

Explore Interpret Disprove


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A model for critical thinkingYou can improve your critical thinking by separating the ideas rom your reading and your own writing into di erent parts (see

the Critical Thinking Template at the back o this section).

Data: Facts, opinions,evidence used to support yourclaim.

Warrant: Reasonswhy the data justi iesthe claim.

Backing: Backgroundassumptions validate thewarrant.

Claim: The conclusion youwant your audience to accept.

Qualifier: The strength orcertainty o the claim.

Rebuttal: Why theclaim, warrant or backingmay not be true.

The Toulmin Model . Toulmin, S., Rieke, R. & Janik, A. (1985). An Introduction to Reasoning, NY: Macmillan.


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Criticalthinkingelement

Purpose Example

1. Claim The claim is the argument you want your

audience to accept. You summarise theargument in the thesis statement o your essay.

It will be argued that although logistical concerns

warrant consideration, the value o the uniquegeography and wildli e outweigh the di cultieso Australias remote location as a touristdestination.

2. Data Data is the evidence that supports your claim. You should source data rom academicsources such as peer reviewed articles,government publications or other typesapproved by your lecturer and available romthe QUT Library.

Australias Tourism Commissioner states that87 per cent o tourists (2000-2004) citedextraordinary natural phenomena as a signi cantmotivating reason or their visit to Australia (RET,2009).

A study with Australia Post ound postcardseaturing Australian animals were sent overseas

more requently than all other postcard typescombined (Zeehan, 2008, 52)....tourists o ten cite remoteness as apositive reason to travel to Australia. A Britishbackpacker claims that he, came to Perthbecause it was the most isolated city on earth(Georgiou, 30).

3. Warrant Warrant is what explains why the datasupports the claim.

Thinking about warrant can improve your argument, helping you to avoid simplistic or invalid thinking.Sometimes you need to explain your warrantexplicitly in your essay or sometimes it can beassumed depending on your reader.

What people say actually infuences what theydo.International postcards are most requently sentby tourists.

The experience o a British backpacker isrepresentative o tourists more broadly.

4. Backing Backing is the principle or underlying authoritythat grounds the warrant.Backing can be a rule, theory, law or act thatpersuades your audience to accept that the

warrant is reasonable.Just like warrant, backing can be part o your critical thinking process and may or may notend up explicitly discussed in your essay.

87 per cent is a statistically signi cant number o tourists.

Tourists do not choose their stamps randomly. Tourists chose their stamps based on their ownpre erences, rather than the pre erences o thepeople they are sending the postcard to.Backpackers spend 68% o total tourist dollarsspent in Australia.

5. Rebuttal Rebuttal is any evidence that counts againstthe data, warrant or backing o an argument.

Overseas visitors take an average o 17 hoursto reach Australia, twice as long as travel toother geographically unique locations (Proctor &

Thomas, 2004, 35).

6. Quali er A quali er is used to alter the strength o aclaim. While it is true that Australia is one o the moreremote tourist locations on earth, this distanceo ers an additional component to a travellersexperience and sense o adventure.

Use these elements to: Summarise the argument structure o an author

Evaluate the claims made by an author

Structure your own assignment

Edit your own assignment or logical weaknesses.


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Appendix1: Directive words commonly usedin essay questions

Account or Explain why something has occurred.

Analyse Take apart a concept or statement in order to consider its elements. Answers should be very methodical and logically organised.

Argue An argument means to make clear, prove or accuse (see Critical thinking in Part 2 o this guide). You must have a particular point o view supported by evidence rom reliable sources.

Assess This requires a judgment about an idea or subject. You may need to state whether the idea or subject being discussed is valuable or relevant a ter

acknowledging points or and against it. Your judgment should be infuenced by other authors views as well as your own opinion (similar

to Evaluate ).

Comment on State your opinion on a topic or idea. You may explain the topic or idea more ully. Your opinion must be supported by evidence rom reliable sources.

Compare/ compare andcontrast

This requires a balanced answer that sets items side by side and shows their similarities anddi erences.

Contrast This requires an answer that points out only the di erences between two or more topics.

Critically O ten used in conjunction with other directive words, such as critically discuss, critically examine or critically analyse .

It does not mean criticise. Requires a balanced answer that points out mistakes or weaknesses and indicates any

avourable aspects o the subject o the question. The decision or overall judgment you make must be supported with evidence rom reliable

sources.

Defne This requires an answer that explains the precise meaning o a concept. A de nition answer will include a discussion o a concept and may also state the limits o a

concept.

Describe This requires you to describe the attributes or characteristics o a subject.

Di erentiate See Contrast .

Discuss Explain the item or concept, and then give details about it with supporting in ormation,examples, points or and against, plus explanations or the acts put orward rom various pointso view.

This can be one o the most di cult types o essay question.

Enumerate This requires you to list or speci y and describe items or ideas one by one.

Evaluate See Assess .

Examine This requires you to investigate a topic thoroughly.


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Explain O er a detailed and exact explanation o an idea or principle, or a set o reasons or a situationor attitude.

The explanation should increase the readers understanding o a topic or idea.

Explore See Examine .

Generate This o ten requires you to come up with new ideas or interpretations on a subject.

Hypothesise A hypothesis is a theory regarding particular occurrences. You con rm hypotheses throughtesting.

Suggest the reasons or, and processes by which something has occurred.

Illustrate/ demonstrate

This requires an answer that consists mainly o examples to demonstrate or prove the subjecto the question.

It is o ten accompanied with urther instructions.

Interpret Very similar to Explain . Describe what your subject means. Examine the key components o a topic or idea and give an evaluation o it.

Investigate Research, study and care ully survey all areas o the subject.

Justi y Give only the reasons or a position or argument. The proposition to be argued may be a negative one. It should convince the reader o your point o view.

Outline Summarise in ormation about a subject. Only the main points and not the details should be included. Questions o this type o ten require short answers.

Prove/disprove Both o these require answers that demonstrate the logical arguments and evidence connected with a proposition.

Prove requires the points or, anddisprove requires the points against.

Relate(relationship)

Make links or connections between two or more ideas, and show how these ideas are related,as well as the nature o the relationship.

Review Analyse, criticise and comment on the main ideas o a topic. Your essay needs to be structured in logical order.

State This requires an answer that expresses the relevant points briefy and clearly without lengthydiscussion or minor details.

Summarise See Outline .

Trace Trace is requently used in historical questions (but not only in History courses). It requires the statement and brie descriptionin logical ordero the stages in the

development o a theory, a persons li e, a process, etc.


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Appendix 2: Use ul linking words and phrases(transitions)

For continuing an idea or introducing another idea

In addition

Similarly

Furthermore

Continuing this idea

Pursuing this further

Additionally

Consequently

Because

Also

In the same way

Moreover

Clearly then

For providing a contrasting or alternative view

On the other hand

Or

Yet

In opposition to

Whereas

Unlike the previous example

Instead

Although

However

While

In contrast

Nonetheless

Even though

Nevertheless

Contrary to these ndings

In spite of

Despite these ndings

For showing cause and e ect

Following

Therefore

For this reason

Thus ...

Consequently ...

In response

As a result of ...

The result

Due to this ...

The reaction

For restating a point or giving an example

In other words

For instance ...

One such occurrence

Also ...

To demonstrate

Speci cally

For example

To illustrate

For showing sequence or time relationship

Firstly

After

Later

Sometime

Thereafter

Secondly

As soon as

Meanwhile

Presently

Then

Finally

In the meantime

Next

Eventually

Soon

In the rst place

Afterwards


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Data: Facts, opinions, evidence used tosupport your claim.

Warrant: Reasons why the data justi ies the claim.

Backing: Backgroundassumptions validate

the warrant.

Claim: The main point

Qualifier: The strength or certainty o the claim.

Rebuttal: Why the claim, warrantor backing may not be true.

Critical thinking templateUse this template to:

Analyse the argument o an author.

Evaluate the claims made by an author. Structure your own assignment

Edit your own assignment or reasoning weaknesses.

see page 11


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c i t e | w r i t e

Use and photocopytemplates to helpwhen studying or yourassignments:www.citewrite.qut.edu.au

T E M P L A T E S


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REFERENCING AND NOTE TAKING TEMPLATES

Use these templates to record all the important re erence details or the books, journal articles and internet sources that you fnd or yourstudy. Once you have all the details, you can adapt the in ormation to suit the re erencing style you need to use or your re erence lists (QUT

APA, QUT Harvard, QUT Legal, QUT Numbered).

You can also note down keywords you used to fnd the in ormation and other details that might remind you where to fnd it again i necessary(e.g. a call number, or web address).

Then use the lower section o the template to record notes rom your reading and research.

As you make notes rom each book, journal article or website, try to organise them into three columns:

1st columnrecord themes or key ideas rom your reading. 2nd columnrecord the page number that the key idea was on, and maybe some notes or a direct quote. 3rd columnrecord your own comments or questions about the key idea. This may include how or where you might use this in your

assignment, how this links to other research you have done, and comments about issues to be clarifed. This column is important as ithelps you to develop your critical thinking skills.

Book:

Author(s):

Year o publication:(and edition)

Book title:

Publisher:

Keywords and/orsource o in ormation:

Themes/Key concepts: Notes/Quotes/Content/Page numberComments/Cross-re erencing/Questionsto be clarifed/Terminology


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Book chapter:

Author o article:

Title o chapter:

Editor(s) o book:


Book title:

Publisher:

Keywords:

Themes/Key concepts: Notes/Quotes/Content/Page numberComments/Cross-re erencing/Questions to beclarifed/Terminology


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Journal article:

Author(s) o article:


Article title:

Journal title:

Volume No: Issue No:

Page numbers:

(i electronic or online) URL/ Database name and Dateretrieved/DOI

Keywords:



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Website:

Author(s) o page/siteor organisation:

Year o publication:(or site update)

Title o webpage:

Date retrieved:

URL:

Page numbers (i any):

Keywords:

Themes/Key concepts: Notes/Quotes/Content/Page numberComments/Cross-re erencing/Questionsto be clarifed/Terminology


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DVD/Video:

Writer(s)/Director(s)/ Producer(s):

Year o production:

DVD/Video title:

Place o production/ publication:

Publisher/Productioncompany:

NOTE: You will need to re erence the name(s) and the unction(s) o the originator(s) or the primary contributor(s).Indicate the ormat o the work in square brackets immediately a ter the title.

Keywords and/or source oin ormation:



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Act:

Act Title:

Year:

Jurisdiction:

Examples:Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld) Crimes Act 1914 (Cwlth)

Keywords and/or source oin ormation:



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Cite Write 17feb2011