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Review date: Not later than December 2011
Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Referencing 4
2.2.1 Paraphrasing 42.2.2 Direct quotes 42.3.1 Referencing internet sources 52.4.1 Printed material and multimedia 102.4.2 Electronic journal articles 202.4.5 Order of entries in a reference list 22
3. Plagiarism 25
3.1.1 What constitutes plagiarism? 253.1.2 What is the penalty for plagiarism? 25
4. Essay writing 28
A Step By Step Guide to Essay Writing 28Step 1 Choose your topic 28Step 2 Read the instructions, relating to your assessments as set down in your Course
Guide 28Step 3 Analyse the topic 28Step 5 Starting your research 30Step 6 Mind mapping 30Step 7 Focus your research 30Step 8 Draw up a detailed plan 32Step 9 Writing the Essay 32Step 10 Writing the first draft 34Step 11 Editing your final draft 35
5. Report Writing 36
A step by step guide to report writing 37Step 1 Choose your topic 37Step 2 Read the instructions relating to your assessments as set down in your Course
Guide 37Step 3 Analyse the topic 37Step 4 Brain storm what do you already know about the issue? 37Step 5 Starting your research 37Step 6 Mind mapping 37Step 7 Focus your research 38Step 8 Draw up a detailed plan 39Step 9 Writing the report 40Step 10 Using your plan to start writing 43
Step 11 Writing the first draft 43Step 12 Formatting your report 44
Reference list 48
Bibliography 48
Glossary 49
Acknowledgements 50
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Tables
Table Title Page
Table 1 Referencing styles type of author 6
Table 2 Referencing styles no author 6
Table 3 Referencing styles books 7
Tables 4a-d Referencing styles 10
Table 5 Order of entries in a reference list 22
Table 6 Other referencing systems 23
Table 7 Commonly used abbreviations in referencing 24
Table 8 Direct use of another person's work without citation 26
Table 9 Paraphrasing without citation 26
Table 10 Piecing together texts and linking them 26
Table 11 Integrating ideas from multiple sources 27
Table 12 How to avoid accusations of plagiarism 27Table 13 Action/instruction words used in assessment tasks 29
Table 14 Mind mapping for essays 30
Table 15 Checklist for essays 34
Table 16 Mind mapping for reports 38
Table 17 Sections of a report 40
Table 18 Examples of the language used in the different sections of a report45
Table 19 Formal versus informal language 45
Table 20 Report writing checklist 47
Table 21 Glossary 49
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1. Introduction
The written word is the basis of business communication today, whether in a formal businessreport, a letter, informal memo or email. As a business professional, you will be judged by how welland how clearly you use words to communicate.
As well as teaching technical business skills in a broad range of disciplines, RMIT Business is also
committed to help you develop appropriate business writing skills for the University assessments youwill be required to submit.
This document is intended for RMIT Business TAFE and undergraduate students, althoughpostgraduate students are encouraged to use it as a starting point. It details how to format yourwritten work and demonstrates:
the differences between academic essays and business reports; guidelines for their preparation; how to ensure you meet the technical requirements; how to cite references; how to avoid plagiarism.
You will find a set of broad guidelines to help overcome common problems with grammar, formatting,and use of abbreviations. This document is intended as an integral reference on matters of style andmethod. It will also help you further develop your written communication skills.
The RMIT Business Guidelines are based on the Style manual for authors, editors and printers (2002),referred to here as Style manual (2002) which is published on behalf of the Commonwealth ofAustralia, and is the Commonwealth Governments preferred style. The Style manual (2002) can beused to provide guidance on areas which are not covered in the RMIT Business document, but if thereis any inconsistency you should follow the RMIT Business document.
There may be certain other style requirements published in a course guide or indicated by the lecturerin charge.
Examples used in this guide are presented in text boxes to make them easy to follow.
Example of correct in-text reference usingquotes
Whilst this work has been developing inthe USA it had very different beginnings inBritain (Wright 1982, p. 51).
Additional support and assistance with essay writing, writing style, and referencing can be found byviewing the Learning Lab .
1.1 Getting started
Do not leave the task until the last minute. You are urged to consider the following advice in relation to
written assessments:
Start thinking about the topic as soon as it has been selected and list the questions you believeyou should try to answer.
Do background reading, but keep checking the set topic to ensure that you stay focused. Place the topic of your answer within the appropriate context. For example, an essay question
on the macroeconomic policies of a particular country will require you to definemacroeconomic before you can write about policies in different countries. So you may need tocomplete background reading before commencing the specific reading related to your writtentask.
What do you need to fully answer the question? Do you need to collect data, source morereading materials, analyse new or existing data? Where will you source this information?
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Allow time to secure essential references, remembering most libraries often do not havesufficient multiple copies of references. Learn quickly to get the relevant information for yourassignment, using the table of contents, chapter summaries, indexes and reviews. Alwaysrecord the details of the publications in full for inclusion in your notes or plan in case you decideto refer to a source in your essay.
You should use all available research resources including the Internet and other electronicsources, to both save time and allow you to conduct international research and data gathering
from home or work. However, in using these new technologies you must ensure that databaseresources, web pages, email, electronic discussion lists, etc. are properly acknowledged (seechapter 3 for electronic document referencing).
1.2 Editing
Do not leave editing until the last minute, but leave sufficient time to rewrite work to improve your
expression. Remove irrelevant or redundant material. Refine arguments to be more concise and
forceful, and to remedy any other deficiencies.
Hint:
Often, the best way to ensure your writing flows systematically is to read your work aloud.
Your natural pauses become your punctuation and paragraph breaks, and sometimes, while
reading aloud, it becomes obvious what needs to be deleted and what is missing from youranalysis.
1.3 Confidentiality
If you include confidential and/or controversial material and do not wish your essay or report to be
viewed by people other than RMIT staff, you should discuss this with your lecturer or course coordinator.
1.4 Referencing
What is referencing?
Referencing means acknowledging someone elses work or ideas. It is sometimes called citingor documenting another persons work. Referencing is a basic University requirement.
As an RMIT Business student, you are required to use the Harvard referencing system as outlined in the
following pages. This author date system is based on the Australian Government 2000, Style manual for
authors, editors and printers, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Australia.
Note: The Harvard system has many variations. You must use this version known as the AGPS style.
We have created an interactive website to assist you in the pursuit of referencing to the required
standard. The site contains examples you can read as well as self help exercise with the information
presented in a just in time format. It would be beneficial fore you to bookmark theRMIT Business online
referencing resource.
Why reference?
To draw on the ideas, language, data, and/or facts of others. (You are expected to read andresearch widely.)
To provide depth and support to academic work through citation of theories or key writerswhose work supports your answer, argument, or contention.
To demonstrate knowledge of current thinking in the field. To support academic writing, essays, business reports, and oral presentations. To demonstrate your ability to synthesis and analyse ideas sourced through your research. To acknowledge work from others that you have quoted, summarised, paraphrased,
synthesised, discussed or mentioned in your assignments.
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To provide a list of the publication details so that your readers can locate the source ifnecessary.
To demonstrate the level and breadth of research undertaken by a student. References usedcorrectly will benefit your work and may add to your final grade.
Note:
Without appropriate referencing students are in effect stealing the work of others- this istantamount to academic fraud and is called plagiarism.
Failure to reference your work means that you may be found guilty of plagiarism which incursacademic penalties. Further information can be found at RMIT Regulations 6.1.1 StudentDiscipline.
Failure to use the correct referencing format may affect the grading of your academic work.2. Referencing
2. 1 Introduction
Whenever you rely on someone elses work you must acknowledge that by providing details of the
source. Harvard Referencing has been developed to provide standard, compact ways of conveying this
necessary information.
In this system, each reference is indicated in two areas of your work:
in the text (in-text citation) by using the name of the author(s) and the date of publication of thework.
In the reference list, where the full details of each reference, including the title and publishingdetails are given
2.2 In-text citations
There are two ways of referencing in-text:
Paraphrasing Direct quotes2.2.1 Paraphrasing
When paraphrasing, the ideas of the author(s) are expressed in your own words.
Paraphrasing is used to indicate to the reader:
your understanding of the content in the reference you are using.
your ability to relevantly and appropriately use ideas and information to support an argument or anopinion.
2.2.1.1 How to reference in-text
There are two options for in-text referencingAdding the citation at the end of the sentence.
Using the authors name as part of your sentence.
When paraphrasing include the authors name and date of publication.e.g.Lack of variability in a product is an important measure of its quality (Shannon 2003).ORShannon (2003) describes the role of statistics in minimising product variability.
2.2.2 Direct quotes
When quoting, the exact words of the author(s) are used. Direct quotes should be kept to a minimum.
2.2.2.1 How to reference in-text
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There are two options for in-text referencing
Adding the citation at the end of the sentence
Using the authors name as part of your sentence
When using direct quotes include the authors name, date of publication and page numbere.g.Statistical thinking can be defined as a set of thought processes and value systemsthat focus on understanding, managing and reducing variation in the output of the
firm (Shannon 2003, p. 5).ORShannon defines statistical thinking as a set of thought processes and value systemsthat focus on understanding, managing and reducing variation in the output of thefirm (2003, p. 5).
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2.3 A reference list
The publication details of every item cited / used in your writing need to be included in thereference list at the end of your paper. Any websites used must also be documented in full.
This enables the reader to locate the source if they wish.
Each reference list entry requires a specific format depending on the reference type i.e. whetherit is a book, book chapter, journal article, website, etc. This is indicated in the following tables
(page 6 onwards). You must use a variety of sources in your written work e.g. books, journals and websites etc.This indicates that you have researched widely.
What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?
A reference list details in alphabetical order by author family name, all theworks/articles/journals/ monographs/web pages and data sources you have cited in your writtenwork.
A bibliography lists, in alphabetical order by author family name, all the works/articles/journals/monographs/web pages and data sources you have used or accessed to create your writtenwork.
Note: RMIT Business requires all students to use a reference list in assessment tasks unless otherwise
instructed by your lecturers.
2.3.1 Referencing internet sources
Referencing of web resources follows the same principles as for printed material. Often it is difficult to
decide how to reference a web site, especially when it originates from a corporate or government body.
It may not be clear:
who or which part of an organisation is responsible for the content. (Check the header, footer orAbout section of the site).
when it was created or last updated. (Many sites are continuously updated check for cluessuch as references to events which happened in a particular year or look for a copyright date. Ifit is clear that a site is continuously updated use the current year.)
which part to take as the title. (Home pages do not always require a title. For subordinate pages,choose the most obvious heading on the page).
who is responsible for publishing it.The important thing is to make it clear exactly which part of the site you are referring to and provide
details of the bodies responsible.
Viewed dateAs documents on the web are subject to sudden change, it is essential to include the date on which you
accessed the document, especially if no date can be found on the document itself.
Web addresses (URL - Uniform Resource Locator)Provide the full URL for the site.
If you are accessing information via a Library database, give the name of the database not the URL.
As URLs often change, e.g. when a site is restructured, you need to provide sufficient information such
as title and author for the reader to locate the document on the site.
Enclose the URL in angle bracketse.g. . followed by a full stop.
It is important to use the URL prefix to identify type of access involved e.g. http:// ftp:// gopher://
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General rules for in-text referencing where the name(s) of the authors are givenFor books, journals, websites, conference papers and newspapers, the general rule is to use the family
name and the date.
Table 1
Referencing style types of author In-text reference
One author
Family name
Year of publication
Kumar (2007) argued that
...(Kumar 2007).
Two or three authors
Family name
Year of publication
Brown and Lee (2008) offer the opinionthat
....(Brown & Lee 2008).
Four or more authors
The name of the first author followed by etal.
Year of publication
Note: Family names of all authors, andinitials, to be used in the reference list
Ng et al. (2004) stated that
(Ng et al. 2004).
For specific information regarding referencing, refer to pages 8-22 of this Guide or use the online
referencing resource .
General rules for in-text referencing where the name(s) of the authors are not given
Table 2
Referencing style no author In-text reference
Newspapers from a database or hard
copyName of paper in italics
Date
Page
Date viewed
Database if applicable
In-Text Reference
As stated in the Financial Review (1 August2007, p. 62, viewed 27 August 2007, FactivaDatabase)..
. (Financial Review, 1 August 2007, p. 62,viewed 27 August 2007, Factiva Database).
Websites corporations / institutions
An organisational publication with noindividual author e.g. a corporate website orreport, treat the company as the author
Name of authoring body, corporation /institution
Year of publication
Telstra (2007) provided the latest.
...,(Telstra 2007).
For specific information regarding referencing, refer to pages 8-22 of this Guide or use the online
referencing resource .
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2.4 Books
The following table demonstrates how to correctly reference your work both in-text and in the reference
list using books.
Table 3
Reference type Reference list In-text citationBook one authorFamily name and initial(s)
Year of publicationTitle of book- italicisedPublisherPlace of publication
Shannon, J 2003, Acompanion tobusinessstatistics, Pearson, FrenchsForest, NSW.
Note the use of upper and
lower case in the titles of all
books
(Shannon 2003).
OR
Shannon (2003) argues
Note: for direct quotesenclose the exactwords of the writer insingle inverted
commasInclude the pagenumber(s)
Shannon (2003, p. 45)defines
...(Shannon 2003, p. 45).
Book four or moreauthors
The name of the first authorfollowed by et al. is usedfor the in-text reference.
In the reference list write thenames of all the authors.
Kotler, P, Brown, L, Adam, S& Armstrong, G 2004,Marketing, 6th edn,Prentice Hall, FrenchsForest, NSW.
(Kotler et al. 2004).
OR
Kotler et al. (2004) state ...
No clear author
Where there is no clearauthor, enter under the titleof the book.
Style manual for authors,editors and printers 2002,6th edn, John Wiley & Sons,Australia.
The Style manual forauthors, editors andprinters (2002) describes
Edited book
Single editor
Multiple editors
Note:
ed. - editor
eds - editors
Cortada, J (ed.) 1998, Riseof the knowledge worker,Butterworth-Heinemann,Boston.
Cope, B & Mason, D (eds)2001, C-2-C: creator toconsumer in a digital age,Common GroundPublishing, Altona, Vic.
(ed. Cortada 1998).
(eds Cope & Mason2001).
Book chapter / article
Author(s) of chapter - familyname(s) and initial(s)Year ofpublicationTitle of chapter -
in singleinverted commas[in]
Ahmadjiian, CL 2006,
Japanese business groups:
continuity in the face of
Ahmadjiian (2006) observes
that...
...(Ahmadjiian 2006).
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Editor of book (if different)Title of book italicisedEditionPublisherPlace ofpublicationPage number(s)
change, in S Chang (ed.)
Business groups in East Asia,
Oxford university Press, UK,
pp.29-52.
Note:
The Initial(s) of editor(s)
comes before their familyname(s).
Include the page numbers
for the whole chapter.
E-book Author(s) familyname(s), Initial(s)
Year of publicationTitle of book,EditionPublisherPlace of publicationviewed day month yeardatabase name
When the e-book is in a librarydatabase as a page image(pdf), cite it as if it were ahard copy book.
To show where the e-bookwas located online, add thedate of viewing and eitherdatabase name or URL.
If the book is only available ona Library database as HTML orplain text, then you must citethe date of viewing and eitherthe database name or URL.
Zietlow, J, Hankin, JA &Seidner, AG 2007, Financialmanagement for nonprofitorganizations : policies and
practices,John Wiley & Sons,Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
or
Zietlow, J, Hankin, JA &Seidner, AG 2007, Financialmanagement for nonprofitorganizations : policies and
practices,John Wiley & Sons,Inc., Hoboken, N.J., viewed 7November 2007, EbookLibrary database.
Liu, C & Albitz, P 2006, DNSand BIND, 5th edn, OReilly,Sebastopol, CA, viewed 7November 2007,.
Zietlow, Hankin and Seidner
(2007) state...
.Zietlow, Hankin &Seidner 2007).
Alternatively ananonymous article
e.g. froman encyclopedia or dictionarycan be cited in the text withno entry in the reference list.
No reference needed.The new Palgrave dictionaryof money & finance (1992)defines hedging as
Several items with sameauthor and year
If you are referring to more
than one work written by the
same author in the same
year, the letters a,b,c etc are
added to the date to indicate
which one you mean.
In the reference list the works
Hill, CWL 2004a, Global
business today, 3rd edn,
McGraw Hill / Irwin, Boston.
Hill, CWL 2004b, Strategic
management theory: an
integrated approach, 6th edn,
Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
Hill (2004a) suggests that...
Hill (2004b) suggests that...
...(Hill 2004b).
...(Hill 2004a).
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are listed alphabetically
according to the title. If the
title starts with A, An, or
The, the alphabetical order is
determined by the second
word in the title
Several items with samefirst author and year
When an author publishesmore than one work in thesame year, but with differentco-authors, the name of thesecond author determinesthe order in which the worksappear in the reference list.
Kotler, P, Brown, L, Adam, S& Armstrong, G 2004,Marketing, 6th edn,Prentice Hall, FrenchsForest, NSW.
Kotler, P & Lee, N 2004,Best of breed, StanfordSocial Innovation Review ,vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 14-23.
Kotler et al. (2004)suggested that...
Kotler and Lee (2004) offerthe opinion that...
(Kotler et al. 2004).
(Kotler & Lee 2004).
Secondary citation
(citation within a citation)A secondary citation is whenyou refer to the work of oneauthor cited by anotherauthor.
Primary sources arepreferred.
If the original source is notavailable you must includethe name of both writers forin-text references.
Only the source you haveread appears in the
reference list.
Horton, S 2006,Access bydesign: a guide to universalusability for web designers,New Riders, Berkeley,California.
Form ever follows function(Sullivan, cited in Horton2006, p. 1).
In 1896 Louis H. Sullivanobserved that form everfollows function (cited inHorton 2006, p. 1).
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2.4.1 Printed material and multimedia
Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Journal articles
Author(s) family name(s),
initial(s)Year of publication,
Title of article, in single
inverted commas
Journal name in italics,
month
volume: vol.
number: no.
issue,
page number(s): p. or pp.
for the whole article
Note:Some journals or magazinesare designated by monthand year, rather than byvolume and issue.
Note:
For journal and newspapernames only, all major wordsare in upper case
Lencioni, PM 2002, Make
your values meansomething, Harvard
Business Review, July, p.
113.
Sloman, SA, Over, D, Slovak,
L & Stibel, JM 2003,
Frequency illusions and
other fallacies,
Organizational Behaviour
and Human Decision
Processes, vol. 91, no. 2, pp.
296-309.
Weber, T 1999, Gandhi,
deep ecology, peace
research and Buddhist
economics,Journal of Peace
Research, vol. 36, no. 3, pp.
349-61.
Lencioni (2002) reported
that......(Lencioni 2002).
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Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Journal articles online
Author(s) of article - familyname(s) and initial(s)
Year of publication,Title of article, in singleinverted commas
Journal name, in italicsvolume: vol.
number: no. .
issue ,
page number(s): p. or pp.viewed day month year,database name or URL.
Note:
Often journal articles comefrom a variety of differentsources. They are citeddifferently, depending ontheir format.
If a journal article appears ina library database as a pageimage (pdf), cite it the sameway as the original hardcopy format.
If the article was locatedonline, you must add dateviewed and either databasename or URL.
If the article is only availableon a Library database asHTML or plain text, then youmust cite the date viewed andeither the database name orURL.
If the article has beenlocated on the internet andnot on a database, you mustcite the date viewed andURL.
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G2007, Is there a culturaldivide in Australianinternational trade?,
Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no.1, pp. 113-134.or
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G2007, Is there a culturaldivide in Australianinternational trade?,
Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no.1, pp. 113-134, viewed 11November 2007, Ebsco
database.
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G 2007,Is there a cultural divide inAustralian internationaltrade?,Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no.1, p113, viewed 11 November2007, Factiva database.
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G 2007,Is there a cultural divide inAustralian internationaltrade?, Australian Journal ofManagement, vol 32, no. 1,viewed 11 November 2007,.
Brewer and Sherriff (2007)suggest
...(Brewer & Sherriff 2007).
Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Newspaper articles
http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/8/8/2019 Guidelines for Referencing and Presentation in Written Reports and Essays
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Author(s) family name(s)and initial(s),
Year of publication,
'Title of article - in singleinverted commas
Newspaper name in italics,
day month,page number(s): p. or pp.
Kemp, S 2003 Leak pushesAMP to record low, The
Age, 7 August, p. 1(Business section).
Kemp (2003) reportedthat ...
...(Kemp 2003).
Note: if the newspaperarticle does NOT have anauthor then provide detailsin in-text citation only, NOTin the reference list orbibliography
Not required. As stated in The Age (17August 2007, p. 12)
...(The Age 17 August 2007,p. 12).
Newspaper articles online
Author(s) family name(s)
and initial(s)
Year of publication
Title of article - in single
inverted commas
Newspaper name in italics
day month
page number(s) p. or pp.
viewed day month year
or .
See instructions as for journal
articles where citing PDF or
HTML formats of newspaper
articles
Khadem, N 2007, Lid stayson wages growth, The Age,15 November, p. 1 (Businesssection), viewed 16
November 2007, .
Khadem (2007) reportedthat...
...(Khadem 2007).
Published conference
papers
Author(s) family name(s)and initial(s),
Year of publication,
'Title of paper - in singleinverted commas'
in Editor (if applicable), Titleof published conferenceproceedings, including placeheld and date(s) in italics,Publisher,
place of publication,page number(s).
Note: The initials of the
editors go in front of the
family name(s)
Dong, Y 2001, The Chineseexperience, in P Drysdale,(ed.), The new economy inEast Asia and the Pacific:Proceedings of the 27th
Pacific Trade andDevelopment Conference,Australian NationalUniversity, Canberra, 20-22 August, 2001, RoutledgeCurzon, London and New
York. pp. 130-139.
Dong (2001) analysed ...
...(Dong 2001).
Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Online conference papers
Author(s) family/surname(s)
and initial(s)
Year of publicationJakubowicz, A. 2002, 'Racevilification and communal
Jakubowicz (2002) arguedthat
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'Title of paper - in single
inverted commas
Editor (if applicable)
Title of published conference
proceedings, including place
held and date(s) in italics
PublisherPlace of publication
viewed day month year
database name or .
Note:
The initials of the editors go in
front of the family name(s)
leadership', in W. Jonas (ed.),Beyond Tolerance: National
Conference on Racism,Sydney, 12-13 March 2002,Human Rights and EqualOpportunities Commission,Sydney, viewed 17 June2002,
.
(Jakubowicz 2002).
Unpublished conference
papers or presentations
Author(s) Family name(s),Initial(s)
Year of publication
Title of paper use singleinverted commas
Paper presented to
Title of conference/forum
Location of conference/forum
Date of conference/forum
Page(s)
Pannan, L, van der Craats, C& McGovern, J 2002, 'Multi-
level stepwise approach to
engaging all academic staff
in on-line delivery', paper
presented to 2nd RMIT
Teaching and Learning
Forum, Melbourne, 24
October 2002.
Pannam, van der Craats andMcGovern (2002)
described ...
... (Pannam, van der Craats
& McGovern 2002).
Theses
Author family/surname andinitials Year of preparation of
thesis
Title of thesis in single
inverted commas
Award,
Institution
Baxter, JS 2001, 'Rural landuse and value in Northern
Victoria 1880-1960', PhD
thesis, RMIT University.
Baxter (2001)investigated..
(Baxter 2001).
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Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Theses online
Author family/surname andinitials
Year of preparation of thesis,
Title of thesis,
Award, Institution,
viewed day month year,
or .
Khanh, VL 2006. CustomerLoyalty in Web-basedRetailing, PhD thesis, RMITUniversity, 14 November2007, .
Khanh (2006) explored...
...(Khanh 2006).
Government publications
These include departmentalreports, reports ofcommissions of inquiry,committees of review andcommittees of parliament.
Author or organisation name
Year of publication,
Title of report,
catalogue. no.,
Publisher,
Place of publication,
viewed day month year,
Government publications can
be reported in a variety of
ways. See the Style manual
for authors, editors andprinters 2002, pp. 220 223
for further examples.
Australia, Parliament 2003,
Fraud control arrangements
in the Australian Customs
Service, Parliamentary Paper
32, Canberra.
(Australia, Parliament 2003).
Government publications
online
Author or organisation nameYear of publication,Title ofreport,cat. no.,
Publisher,Place ofpublication, viewed daymonth year,.
Many government
publications are available on
the Internet. The way you
access a document affects
your citation.
Australian National AuditOffice 2003, Fraud controlarrangements in the
Australian Customs Service,viewed 4 August 2003,.
Note: Enclose the URLaddress with < >.
Australian Bureau ofStatistics 2004, MentalHealth in Australia: ASnapshot, cat. no.4824.0.55.001. ABS,Canberra, viewed 18August 2005,.
(Australian NationalAudit Office 2003).
...(Australian Bureau of
Statistics 2004).
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Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Company or IndustryInformation
Company name
Year of publication
Title of report in italicsPublisher,Place ofpublication
Coles Myer Ltd 2005,Corporate socialresponsibility report 2005,
Coles Myer, Tooronga, Vic.
...(Coles Myer Ltd 2005).
Company or industryinformation online
Company name
Year of publication
Title of report in italics
Publisher,
Place of publication,
viewed day month year,
.
IBISWorld 2005, Wine
Manufacturing in Australia
(C2183), IBISWorld Pty Ltd,
viewed 28 November 2005,
.
Datamonitor 2005, WestfieldGroup (Australia): company
profile, Datamonitor, viewed23 January 2006, BusinessSearching Interface (EBSCO)database.
Although the domestic winemarket is expected to bestagnant from 2006-2010,wine exports will continueto grow, although at alower rate than previously(IBISWorld 2005).
The Westfield Group hasinterests in 129 shoppingcentres in Australia, NewZealand, the UK and USA(Datamonitor 2005).
CD-ROM
Author(s)/editor(s) name(s),Initial(s)
YearTitle(in italics)EditionCD-ROMPublisherPlace of publication
No author or editor
Note: the in-text reference
would be to the title of the CD
in italics.
DeBolt, V. 2007, Masteringintegrated HTML and CSS,CD-ROM, Wiley Publishing,Indianapolis, USA.
Best practice in sport andrecreation for tourismdevelopment within APECeconomies 2001, CD-ROM,APEC Secretariat,Singapore.
Debolt (2007) suggestedthat.
(Debolt 2007).
APEC has providedguidelines for developingsports facilities in the region(Best practice in sport andrecreation for tourismdevelopment within APECeconomies 2001).
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Table 4a
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Videorecordings and
television programs
Title of program italicised
(if part of an ongoing series,list the episode title first, then
the series name)
year of recording
format
publisher/distributor
place of recording
date of recording (if
applicable)
viewed day month year (if
applicable)
database name or (if
applicable)
Note: the in-text reference
would be to the title of the
program, also in italics.
Accounting for the
environment1994,
videorecording, Educational
Media Australia, South
Melbourne.
Economy records strongestgrowth and shows no sign ofslowing, another rate rise
predicted:Lateline Business2007, television program,ABC Television, Melbourne, 4September, viewed 11
January 2008, TVNewsDatabase.
7.30 Report2005, televisionprogram, ABC, 20November.Business Sunday2005,television program, NineNetwork, 20 November,viewed 2 December 2005,.
Accounting techniques areincreasingly being applied toproblems of pollution andland use (Accounting for theenvironment1994).
Lateline Business (2007)
On Lateline Business (2007)it was stated that Australianeconomic growth.
When interviewed on 7.30Report (2005) the Treasurersaid
Several businesses aresponsoring environmentalresearch on Heron Island(Business Sunday2005)
Personal communications
including email, SMS,conversations, interviews
Personal communications
should be cited in the text,
but do not need to appear in
the list of references
Not required. This was confirmed in an
email from C. Costa on 5November 2007.
Further details of this may be
given in the list of references
if you wish the reader to be
able to follow up the
reference. To avoid breaching
privacy you should obtainpermission of the person
before doing this.
Senders name, year, email,
date month,
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These do not always have a
title. They should follow the
format:
Name of the organisation
date
Title (if any, written in italics)
name of organisationresponsible for publishing site
(often the same) place of
publication (usually the
location of the registered
office) viewed date
.
Telstra 2005, Telstra,Melbourne, viewed 2December 2005,.
business.gov.au 2005,Department of Industry,
Tourism and Resources,Canberra, viewed 2December 2005,.
Note that there is no singlecorrect method ofreferencing the above site. Itis important to be consistent.One of several acceptablealternatives would be:
Business Entry Point 2005,business.gov.au, viewed 2December 2005,.
Many corporate web sitesprovide information to avariety of user groups (e.g.
Telstra 2005, Vodaphone2005).
The Australian Governments
business gateway(business.gov.au, 2005)provides information onstarting or running a smallbusiness.
OPTIONAL
Home page addresses can beprovided directly in the textwithout appearing in thereference list.
However pages which are part
of a larger site should bereferenced as below
The Australian Governmentsbusiness gateway (2005)provides information onstarting or running a smallbusiness.
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Table 4b
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Document on a web site
Author(s) /editor(s)
Year of document,
Title of document in italicsname of the sponsor of the
source date of viewing
.
If a document is available as aPDF (page image) file, this isoften easier to cite as it iscloser to a printed format. Italso allows you to specifyparticular page numbers
Australian National AuditOffice 2005, Themanagement and processingof leave, viewed 2 December2005,.
Telstra n.d.,Auditgovernance and financialreporting, Telstra, viewed 1December 2005..
Many governmentdepartments do not managetheir employees leave
within the terms of theirEnterprise Agreements(Australian National AuditOffice 2005, p. 10).
OR
The Australian National AuditOffice reports that manygovernment departments donot manage their employeesleave within the terms oftheir Enterprise Agreements(2005, p. 10).
Although the Telstra Actmakes the Auditor-Generalof Australia responsible forauditing Telstra, certainfunctions are carried out byan agent (Telstra n.d.).
Company or industryinformation on a websiteor databaseIf this information is sourced
from a library database it isbetter to include the databasename rather than the URL
IBISWorld 2005, Wine
Manufacturing in Australia
(C2183), IBISWorld Pty Ltd,
viewed 28 November 2005,
.
Datamonitor 2005, WestfieldGroup (Australia): company
profile, Datamonitor, viewed23 January 2006, BusinessSearching Interface (EBSCO)database.
Although the domestic wine
market is expected to bestagnant from 2006-2010,wine exports will continue togrow, although at a lowerrate than previously(IBISWorld 2005).
The Westfield Group hasinterests in 129 shoppingcentres in Australia, NewZealand, the UK and USA(Datamonitor 2005).
Wiki entry
As wikis are a collaborativesource, usually there is nonamed author.
Title of articleYear,Title, - in italicsformat,viewed day month year,.
The exponential power ofconnectedness 2007,Connectedintelligence , wikiarticle, viewed 11 November2007,.
In (Connectedintelligence2007)
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Table 4b
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Weblog site
Author(s) of weblog Familyname(s) and initial(s) Year,Weblog name, format,viewed day month year,.
Weblog post
Author(s) - family name(s)and initial(s)
Year,Title of post,Weblog name, in italicsformat,date of posting day month,viewed day month year,.
Webber. S & Boon, S 2006,Information literacyweblog, weblog, viewed 10
January 2008,.
Webber. S 2008, Eventsfrom CILIP, Informationliteracy weblog, weblogpost, 9 January, viewed 11
January 2008,.
(Webber & Boon 2006).
Webber (2008) posted thefollowing information...
Intranet/course notesFormat:Author(s) familyname(s) and Initial(s)
Year of publication,Title of work in italicscourse notes from (CourseCode),Publisher,Place of publication,viewed day month year,Online@RMIT.
Smith, H 2005, Metadata,course notes fromISYS6655, RMIT University,Melbourne, viewed 8 July2005, Online@RMIT.
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2.4.2 Electronic journal articles
Table 4c
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
Journal articles online
If a journal article appears in alibrary database as a pageimage (pdf), you may cite itthe same way as the originalhard copy format.
If you wish to show where thearticle was located online, youmay add date of access andeither database name or URL.
If the article is only availableon a Library database asHTML or plain text, then youwill need to cite the date ofaccess and either thedatabase name or URL.
If the article has been locatedon the internet and not on adatabase, you will need to citethe date of access and URL.
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G 2007,Is there a cultural divide inAustralian internationaltrade?,Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no. 1,pp. 113-134.
OR
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G 2007,Is there a cultural divide inAustralian internationaltrade?,Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no. 1,pp. 113-134, viewed 11November 2007, Ebscodatabase.
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G 2007,Is there a cultural divide inAustralian internationaltrade?,Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no. 1,p 113, viewed 11 November2007, Factiva database.
Brewer, P & Sherriff, G 2007,Is there a cultural divide inAustralian internationaltrade?,Australian Journal ofManagement, vol. 32, no. 1,viewed 11 November 2007,.
Brewer and Sherriff (2007)suggest
(Brewer and Sherriff2007).
http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/8/8/2019 Guidelines for Referencing and Presentation in Written Reports and Essays
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2.4.4 Legislation and legal cases
When referring to legislation including Acts, Ordinances and Regulations, the title must be reproduced
exactly, without changing the capitalisation or spelling. The words Act and Bill are generally written with
a capital letter.
An Act or Ordinance may be cited by the short title, which is usually drafted into modern legislation. The
first reference must always include the short title in italics. Subsequent references may refer to it by an
undated, descriptive title in Roman type (normal or regular type).
Legislation or legal cases are only included in the reference list if they are important to the
understanding of the work. In this case it is best to set the list apart from the main body of the reference
list and use the heading Legislation or Legal authorities.
Further guidance is provided in the Style manual for authors, editors and printers 2002, pp. 224-8.
Table 4d
Reference type Reference list In-text citation
LegislationAn Act or Ordinance may be
cited by the given short title.
The first reference must
always include the short title
in italics.
Subsequent references may
refer to it by an undated,
descriptive title in roman i.e.
normal or regular type.
Not generally required. The Trade Practices Act
1974 (Commonwealth)
provides that
One of the shortcomings ofthe Trade Practices Act is
The jurisdiction must be made
clear, either by including it in
the body of the text or inabbreviated form in brackets
after the act title.
Not generally required. The Fair Trading Act 1999
(Vic) covers
ORIn Victoria this is covered bythe Fair Trading Act 1999
Legal cases
To fully cite legal authorities
list name of case in italics
(date) or volume number, or
both; abbreviated name of
report series; and beginning
page. No commas are used.
Not generally required. Commercial Bank ofAustralia Ltd v. Amadio(1983) 151 CLR 447
This case appeared in 1983in the Commonwealth LawReports, volume 151,starting on page 447.
Legal referencing
If you have been instructed by
your lecturer to use footnotesin your referencing, refer to
the link given.
http://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdf
http://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdfhttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdfhttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdfhttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdf8/8/2019 Guidelines for Referencing and Presentation in Written Reports and Essays
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2.4.5 Order of entries in a reference list
Note: The following provide examples of how to order your reference list. No full stops are used
between an authors initials, and no comma is used after the last author's initials. The dots following the
entries names indicate the details of the reference that should follow.
Table 5
Reference list order rules Reference list
The reference list is arranged first
alphabetically by author, and if the authors
are the same then by date.
A reference with multiple authors follows
single author entries beginning with the
same author name.
Where an item has no author it is listed by its
title.
Where several works have the same authorand year of publication, add the letters a,
b, ... etc according to the alphabetical order
of the titles in the reference list, ignoring the
initial articles A, An or The.
Jones, AB 2000, ... Origin Energy 2005,
Smith, AK 1990, ...
Smith, AK 1999,
Smith, AK 2004,
Stein, B 2003, (single author entry)
Stein, B, Lee, HK, Yin, CX & Singh, GS 2000,
(plural and alphabetical author entry,
that is, Lee comes before Reynolds in theEnglish alphabet.)
Stein, B & Reynolds, JS 1995, Stein, B &
Reynolds, JS 2000, (This reference is
sorted by its date, it has the same authors
as the reference before it but was written at
a later date)
Style manual for authors, editors and
printers 2002, ...
Young, JC 1988a, Economic indicators Young, JC 1988b,A quick guide
(Economic comes before quick in the
English alphabet)
Young, JC & Smith, AK 1988,
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2.5 Other referencing systems
Although you are normally required to use the style described above, you will come across many other
methods of referencing. These include other versions of the Author-date or Harvard system as well as
Note systems. Further details of some of these styles are available via the Library website at
www.rmit.edu.au/library/reference/manualsor in style manuals in the Library.
Table 6
Referencing system ExamplesOther author-date styles
There are many other versions of the Author-
date or Harvard style apart from that
described above. The main similarity is that
they use in-text citations and a reference list.
However they may differ in their use of
punctuation, brackets, italics, underlined or
bold formatting, method of designating
volume, issue and pages numbers, etc.
Only use a different author-date style if your
lecturer specifically requests it, and make
sure you follow the required style closely.
Reword to include exceptions eg Law.
APA style, as described in the Publication
manual of the American Psychological
Association 2001, 5th edn, APA, Washington,
DC. This style is widely used internationally
in the social sciences.
Many academic journals have their own
author-date style.
Many style manuals e.g. Chicago, MLA and
Turabian include an author-date style.
Note systems
While it is not RMIT Business style, you may at
some stage be asked to use the Note system
of referencing, either footnotes or endnotes.
This system is commonly used in law, as well
as sciences and humanities. Examples of
styles using a Note system are shownopposite.
Only use a Note style if your lecturer
specifically requests it, and make sure you
follow the required style closely.
Australian Legal Citation Style, as described
inAustralian guide to legal citation 2002,
2nd edn, Melbourne University Law Review
Association and at
http://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.p
df
Documentary note style as described in
Style manual for authors, editors and
printers, 2002, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons,
Australia, pp. 208-15.
Vancouver style as described in Style
manual for authors, editors and printers,
2002, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Australia,
pp. 215-8 or other sources.
http://www.rmit.edu.au/library/reference/manualshttp://www.rmit.edu.au/library/reference/manualshttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdfhttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdfhttp://www.rmit.edu.au/library/reference/manualshttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdfhttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/files/aglcdl.pdf8/8/2019 Guidelines for Referencing and Presentation in Written Reports and Essays
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2.6 Commonly used abbreviations in referencing
The abbreviations listed below may appear in other bibliographies, lists of references, footnotes and
endnotes:
Table 7
Abbreviation
art.
app.
c. (Latin circa) e.g. c. 1835
cf.
ch., chs
col., cols
edn (note: no full stop)
ed., eds
e.g.
et al.f., ff.
fig., figs
id.
i.e.
n.d.
no., nos
p., pp.
para., paras
rev.
2nd (note: no full stop see ch.8.2 on
numbering)sec., s., ss.
vol., vols
article
appendix
approximately, about
compare
chapter(s)
column(s)
edition
editor(s)
for example
and othersand the following pages
figure(s)
the same
that is
no date
number(s)
page(s)
paragraph(s)
revised
second (edition)
section (s. for section, ss. for subsection of
legislation)
volume(s)
2.7 Using EndNote with RMIT Business style
EndNote is a software program that helps you keep track of the details of books, articles, websites or
other information sources which you may need to refer to in your assignments or thesis. It is particularly
recommended for use by staff and postgraduate students.
EndNote allows you to
create, store and manage references to books, journal articles, web sites, conference papers,multimedia and other sources of information
insert selected references directly into a word processed document and automatically createand format bibliographies in a chosen style
search and retrieve records from remote catalogues and databasesRMIT has a site licence for EndNote, which allows you to use it at RMIT and on your own computer.
Further details are available on the Library's EndNote tutorial at www.rmit.edu.au/library/endnote. This
site also has an output style available for download, labelled "Harvard ed6" which follows Style manual
(2002) as used at RMIT Business.
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3. Plagiarism
3.1 RMIT University definition of plagiarism
RMIT has an assessment charter, which elaborates key responsibilities common to all staff and students
in relation to assessment and defines the Universitys policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined (RMIT
University 2003a) as stealing somebodys intellectual property (IP) by presenting their work, thoughts or
ideas as though they are your own. It is cheating. It is a serious academic offence and can lead to
expulsion from RMIT.
Plagiarism can take many forms - written, graphic and visual forms, and includes use of electronic data
and material used in oral presentations. Plagiarism may even occur unintentionally, such as when the
origin of the material used is not properly cited.
3.1.1 What constitutes plagiarism?
Under the charter, you may be accused of plagiarism if you do any of the following:
Copy sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from any source, whether published or unpublished
(including, but not limited to books, journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers,course notes, etc.) without proper citation.
Closely paraphrase sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper citation.
Piece together text from one or more sources and add only linking sentences without propercitation.
Copy or submit whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging their source.
Copy designs or works of art and submit them as your original work.
Copy a whole or any part of another students work.
Submit work as your own that someone else has done for you.
Enabling Plagiarism is the act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own
work (RMIT 2003a). It is also a serious academic offence. More detail on what constitutes plagiarism is
found in the January 2003 Policy on Plagiarism
3.1.2 What is the penalty for plagiarism?
Plagiarism is not permitted in RMIT University. Any use of another persons work or ideas must be
acknowledged. If you fail to do this, you may be charged with academic misconduct and face a penalty
under RMIT Regulations 6.1.1 Student Discipline. This may be viewed at
http://mams.rmit.edu.au/7w2uew7i6v2.pdf
Penalties for plagiarism (RMIT University 2003b) include:
recording of a failure for the assignment or course.
cancellation of any or all results.
suspension from the program.
expulsion from the program.
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3.2 Examples of plagiarism
RMIT Universitys Learning Skills Unit has developed a range of examples to help you identify the most
common forms of plagiarism, such as:
Table 8
Direct use of another person's work without citation
If the sentence opposite appeared in an
assessment :
It is plagiarism because the words have been
copied directly from a book
Work motivation and performance increase
when employees feel personally accountable
for the outcomes of their efforts.
A properly referenced paper would use the
sentence this way:
McShane and Travaglione (2003 p.199) state
that work motivation and performance
increase when employees feel personally
accountable for the outcomes of their
efforts.
Table 9
Paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs and ideas without citation
These are your words but not your
idea/information.
When employees feel responsible for their
work, they tend to be more motivated which
results in higher performances.
You MUST show where the idea came from.
Hence
Note: no page number needed as not a direct
quote.
When employees feel responsible for their
work, they tend to be more motivated which
results in higher performances (McShane &
Travaglione 2003).
Table 10
Piecing together texts from one or more sources and linking them
The following in a paper is plagiarism: Employees must be given control of their
work environment to feel responsible for
their successes and failures. This is called
employee involvement, designed to
encourage increased commitment to the
organisations success.
A correct way of referencing the paragraph is:
Employees must be assigned control of theirwork environment to feel responsible for
their successes and failures (McShane &
Travaglione 2003, p. 199). Robbins, et al.
(2001 p. 237) call this employee
involvement designed to encourage
increased commitment to the organisations
success.
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Table 11
Integrating ideas from multiple sources
A good model of how to integrate ideas from
multiple sources.
Read through the example. Note:
Usually the first sentence is a statementof proposition introducing the ideas that
you want to put forward in the paragraph.
Then support the proposition by at leastone or more authorities.
Include a statement of opinions contraryto the proposition (demonstrates that you
have considered all sides to the
argument).
Summarise your argument or propositionin your own words.
Eunson (1987, p. 67) defines motivation as
what is important to you, and explores
the importance of money as a motivator.
However, recent studies outlined byLeonard, Beauvais and Scholl (1999) suggest
that personality and disposition play an
equally important role in motivation.
Conversely Robbins et al. (1994, p. 241)
put forward the idea that motivation is a
set of processes that stimulate, direct and
maintain human behaviour towards attaining
a goal
In other words motivation is a complex
concept, which encompasses a variety of
competing theories. There are many
reasons why people behave differently in theworkplace, but it is because these
differences exist that managements pay
attention to the theories, which provide
them with frameworks for problem solving.
3.3 How to avoid plagiarism
Use this checklist to ensure you avoid accusations of plagiarism:
Table 12
How to avoid accusations of plagiarism
DO NOT directly copy phrases and / orpassages (transcribe) without a referenceand / or quotation marks
DO NOT paraphrase other writers work inyour written work without citing references.
DO NOT make a direct reference to anauthor or authors you have not read, even ifyou may have read about them.
(While the use of secondary sources is notencouraged, if the primary publication is outof print or difficult to obtain, you should citethe secondary source you have actually readrather than the original that you have notread.)
DO NOT copy another persons work, in partor in whole, or allow someone else to copypart or all of work you have completed.
DO NOT write your work in conjunction withother students without prior permission.(Except in group assignments where widerconsultation is expected, you should onlymeet with other students initially to discussthe essay topic and/or analyse the question.)
DO NOT submit written work already
submitted for assessment in any other
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course.
Examples based on information available onRMIT Library referencing section.
Further information is available online from the Study and Learning Centre.
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4. Essay writing
What is an essay?An essay is:
a continuous piece of writing that sets out to discuss or argue a point of view or opinion. information presented formally often with the intention of defending or promoting a particular
point of view.Why are you required to write essays?
to demonstrate knowledge and expertise in a subject area. to apply theories and models to given topics/ questions/ issues - to support the proposition you
are putting forward.
to demonstrate your ability to synthesise various sources of information in a coherent andconcise piece of writing enabling the reader to easily follow the flow of ideas.
to develop your ability to argue, persuade, explain, inform and/or discuss. to convince the reader by the logic of the argument presented.
A Step By Step Guide to Essay WritingStep 1 Choose your topic
If you have a choice of topics select the one that interests you the most or that has relevance to your
chosen career.
If you are allowed to create your own essay topic, choose a subject that you want to learn more about
and which interests you.
Step 2 Read the instructions, relating to your assessments as set down in your Course
Guide
Always check your Course Guide to ensure that you are clear about what you are required to do:
When is the essay due? How long is it? What is the format? How does this topic relate to the course? How does this topic relate to the current area being studied?Step 3 Analyse the topic
Break the topic into its component parts to understand what the main elements of the task are. Essay
topics can usually be divided into three sections:
Content What is the topic about? Instruction What have you been asked to do in relation to the topic? Scope How has the topic been limited is there a focus on particular
organisations/ countries, /year(s)?
Underline key words and draw circles around the action/instruction words. Below is an example of an
essay question.
Compare and contrast the financial reports and ratios of two Australiancompanies
It is important that you fully understand what the instruction words are telling you to do.
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Table 13 provides a list of words and definitions that are often used in your assessment tasks.
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Table 13
Action/instruction words used in
assessment tasksDefinitions
Analyse Separate or break the subject matter into its
parts to discover their nature, proportion,
function and relationships.
Argue Systematically support or reject a position by
presenting reasons and evidence for
acceptance or rejection, while indicating
your awareness of opposing points of view.
Comment Make critical observations about the subject
matter; be careful not to cast too wide a net
here, or to write in too many generalisations.
Compare Find similarities and differences between two
or more ideas, events, interpretations etc.
Ensure you understand exactly what you are
being asked to compare.
Contrast The remarks on compare also apply tocontrast. Usually the difference is that you
should concentrate on dissimilarities.
Define Provide clear, concise, authoritative
meanings, in which you address the nature
or essential qualities. Details are not
necessarily required, but you may wish to
cite the boundaries or limitations of the
definition, since meanings can extend
beyond simple definitions.
Describe Recall facts, processes or events. You are
not asked to explain or interpret. Try to
provide a thorough description, emphasisingthe most important points.
Discuss Present a point of view, that of others and/or
your own. This is likely to entail both
description and interpretation. Your opinion
should be supported by arguments and
evidence.
Evaluate Here you are asked to appraise in order to
make a judgment, which means considering
both strengths and weaknesses.
Illustrate Clarify, exemplify or elucidate by presenting
a figure, picture, diagram or concrete
example.Outline Give an organised description or an ordering
of information in which you state the main
point, but omit details. Present the
information in a systematic arrangement or
classification.
Review Re-examine, analyse and comment briefly
(in an organised sequence) on the major
points of an issue.
Summarise Provide a brief statement or an account
covering the main points in sequence or by
assimilating parts into a general comment:
omit details.
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Step 4 Brainstorm - What do you already know about the topic?
Using your reading, lectures and your own experiences think about what you already knowabout the topic.
On a blank piece of paper, write down all the ideas that you think might be related to the topic. A brainstorm is the beginning of a mind map these random ideas can be organised into a
structured mind map that will provide you with a guide for your research and your writing.
Step 5 Starting your research
Although you are required to read and research widely, it is better to gain an overview of the topic by
firstly reading the recommended texts dont go straight online unless instructed to do so by your
lecturer / tutor.
The texts will give you a broad understanding of the main ideas, writers and theories associated with
the topic.
By familiarising yourself with the key concepts, the next stage of your research will be more targeted.
Step 6 Mind mapping
A mind map is a visual way of gathering your ideas about a particular topic.
Mind maps help you to identify the main ideas and what research needs to be conducted to provide the
evidence that supports these ideas.
Your mind map is a good time management resource. It will help you to focus your search for
information more efficiently and to organise your ideas into a coherent argument when you write your
essay.
Table 14Mind mapping for essays
Topic question On a blank piece of paper, write down the
topic.
Key ideas Use the brain storming notes and
information gained from general reading to
jot down the key ideas. This is the first step
in developing a mind map.
Research As you continue to do research, start to put
the information into groups so that you can
see the connections between ideas/theories.
This will help you to sort out which are the
key ideas and what is the supportinginformation.
Delete any unnecessary ideas Once you have completed this task, you can
delete any unnecessary ideas that you have
now identified as irrelevant.
Single page Keep your mind map to a single page.
For more information on mind mapping go to the Learning Lab - Study Skills
.
Step 7 Focus your research
As Business students you need to be familiar with current trends and thinking. Websites, newspapers
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and journals will be important resources for your research.
When you are using the online resources use the search engines provided by the university such as
Factiva, Proquest, Blackwell Synergy, IBIS world, Informit. These will provide you with sources that can
be relied on for accuracy and integrity.
At this stage you must read with a purpose and only make notes when you are sure that the text hasthe information you need to use in your assessment task.
Always make sure you have recorded the full reference list entry details you will need this informationlater.
For more information on recording your research go to the interactive online referencing resource forBusiness students .
Refer to your course guide for recommended reading lists. If there are no recommended texts, you willneed to use resources available through the Library data bases .
Hints and Tips on Efficient Reading Strategies Once you have identified the key words and concepts relating to the topic, use these readingstrategies to make your research more efficient and to maximise the use of your time. Skim and scan. Use key words and concepts to quickly locate information Use chapter headings, abstracts, introductions, conclusions to find the main ideas the writeris exploring if they are relevant continue Make notes when key information has been identified
Contact the Library Liaison Officer for your course if you need assistance.
For additional help with reading more efficiently visit the Learning Lab .
Hints and Tips on Critical ReadingOne of your tasks when researching is to determine the validity, accuracy and credibility of your
sources. This requires you to consider carefully what you are reading. It is always important tocritically examine the statements being made and the evidence being used.
For your assessment tasks you will often be using the websites of companies and organisations.The information they provide will be positive and promotional so it is important to question theobjectivity and reliability of the data.
Do this by considering the following questions:-
Who is the writer? When was the article written? What evidence has the writer provided to support their argument? How convincing is it? Why? - What are the grounds for saying so? How logical is it? - Again, what are the grounds for saying so? What assumptions / overgeneralizations does the writer make? What are the implications of this work? What has the writer failed to consider? Where are the gaps? Is there evidence of bias? Do you agree or disagree with this writers standpoint? With which parts of the argument do you agree/disagree, and for what reasons? Is the methodology / the analysis appropriate? Are there any weaknesses or errors in the writing or calculations?
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What are primary information sources?Students are required to use primary sources whenever possible. This means that you read and
reference the original works of the authors. Information you have gathered from first hand experience
eg. an interview or survey is also a primary source.
What are secondary information sources?
When you use the ideas /words of one author that have appeared in another writers text you are usinga secondary source.
Below are two examples of how to use a secondary source in a sentence:
(1) Bartlett and Ghoshal (cited in Daft 2004) suggest that companies expanding into global
markets are forced to do so because of economic, technological and competitive factors, which
relate to economies of scale, economies of scope and cheaper production factors.
(2) Companies expanding into global markets are forced to do so because of economic,
technological and competitive factors, which relate to economies of scale, economies of scope
and cheaper production factors (Bartlett & Ghoshal, cited in Daft 2004).
Note: Wherever possible, use primary sources
Step 8 Draw up a detailed plan
Before writing the first draft of your essay use your mind map and your summarised notes to draw up a
detailed essay plan identifying the main ideas and the evidence that supports those ideas.
A detailed plan can help you to have confidence when you start to write. You know what you want to
write, why you are including it and the logical order in which to present it.
Step 9 Writing the Essay
Essay StructureAn essay is a structured form of writing. Your purpose in writing an essay is to demonstrate to the
reader that you understand the topic and can use research to support your argument.
An essay has 3 parts-:
the introduction the main section where the argument is developed, and the conclusion
See Diagram 1 below for a detailed outline on what each part should contain.
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Paraphrasing, Synthesising and Direct QuotationsWhen you write your essay, you will need to use techniques such as paraphrasing andsynthesising.
Paraphrasing is expressing in your own words the ideas of another writer.
Synthesising is the ability to express in your own words the similarities or differences in theideas of a number of authors.
You must always acknowledge the sources for your ideas even when you use your ownwords. For more information on how to paraphrase and synthesise go to.
For more information on how to reference when paraphrasing go to.
Direct quotations are when you use the exact words of the author/source.
You may use direct quotation in your assessment tasks, but these should be kept to aminimum.
Whenever quoting from any source you must correctly reference the work. For further
information on how to reference direct quotes, go to.
For more information on direct quotes, go to .
Note: Do NOT just cut and paste information from sources! To just use the words of an author doesnot demonstrate your understanding or ability to create a logical argument. The quality of your workwill be better if you paraphrase and synthesis your research, as this will show that you are able tointerpret and critically analyse what you have read in relation to the topic.
Step 10 Writing the first draft
Using the detailed plan you have now developed, set aside a block of time to write the first draft of your
essay. Aim to write the whole essay in the time you have set aside as this will give your work a clear
flow. Do not be concerned at this stage with correct grammar, spelling, referencing as this will be doneat the editing stage.
Once you have written this first draft it will be much easier to see where evidence is lacking, and where
information could be more logically re-organised.
As you will probably need to write several drafts before the essay is ready for submission, make sure
you have allowed sufficient time to do this.
Consider the items below to ensure your essay is a well written and well constructed piece of writing.
Table 15Checklist for essays
Each paragraph contains one central idea
The above idea is supported by sufficient
evidence from your research
The last sentence in each paragraph links to
the main idea of the next paragraph
The writing:
has a logical structure and the overallargument is easy to follow
presents a reasoned and supported
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argument
uses only relevant information whichis accurate precise / specific
uses impersonal language do notuse personal pronouns such a I orwe unless you are given permissionto do so
is objective and unbiased uses formal English do not use
abbreviations or colloquialisms or SMSlanguage
Step 11 Editing your final draft
You need to edit your draft before submitting the final version.
Read your Course Guide carefully to ensure that you have met the requirements of the assignment.
Observe the word limit or you may be penalised. Word limits as the words imply set the limit on the
number of words that can be used. The topic has been designed so that the issues and complexitiescan be explored within this word limit.
Using Tools on the menu bar in Microsoft Word, check your spelling and grammar and make thenecessary changes
Remember: Good academic writing is clear, straightforward and grammatically correct. Sentences donot have to be overlong or use very complex vocabulary.
ReferencingAll essays must be referenced according to the guidelines set out.or.
or.
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5. Report Writing
What is a business report?A report is a document that:
records an investigation into a specific problem(s)/ subject. analyses researched information. contains factual / statistical information. makes recommendations about how to resolve the problems that have been addressed. and/or the type of action that should be taken. sets out information in a formal and structured manner using numbered headings and sub-
headings to make it easier to read and access the information.
A business report is written in a simple, ordered and precise manner to ensure that the information
provided is easy to read and to access.
What is the purpose of a business report?Reports are usually written for specific readers to communicate information which has been compiled as
a result of research and analysis of data.
Why are you required to write reports?
To develop the ability to thoroughly research a problem or an issue To analyse the results To record and draw conclusion from the analysis To communicate that information clearly and concisely
Employers value people who have developed these skills in written communication.
In organisations and businesses, reports are often used as the basis on which major decisions are made.
What are the different types of reports?There are many different types of reports. They vary according to the reason/s for the report and for
the purpose it will serve for the intended reader.
In the College of B