|
Due date: |
Thursday, 12 May 2005 |
|
Value: |
25% |
This assignment is designed to:
· assist you to gather and integrate knowledge on a topic of interest;
· improve your practical skills in searching the Internet, and refining the search process;
· allow you to demonstrate your understanding and knowledge; and
· develop your ability to communicate well in writing and demonstrate your ability to write an academic essay.
This assignment requires you to produce a report on an Internet search conducted within a topic areas (listed in Part B) using Internet resources, so that you can write an essay. This must be uploaded to a server so that is made available for viewing on the World Wide Web.
You are required to write a structured report on the topic you have researched from Part A using Internet resources. This ideally will be placed on the World Wide Web however you must post (or EASTS) a hard copy of this essay as well.
Remember, you must use the search results from Part A in the Part B section of the report.
1. You are required to supply a report in the form of narrative, for each search resource that you use, that:
· explains why you used it;
· illustrates the syntax / key words entered;
· states the number of hits obtained;
· comments on the quality of the results obtained;
· demonstrates refinement techniques utilised; and
· demonstrates a logical search process.
2. You are also required to provide example results of your search. Your search report must have links to the results of each search.
You are required to conduct a search within one of the topic areas (listed in Part B) using the Internet, so that you can write your essay. Once you have chosen your topic area you will need to develop a much more restricted title for your essay that fits within that broad topic area.
For example, you may be interested in online learning but your essay title could be ‘Advantages and disadvantages of online learning in the primary classroom in NSW public schools’.
Once your title is chosen you need to show us that you understand how to conduct effective searches by refining your search methods and syntax to get more and more relevant results.
You will be assessed on how thoroughly you conduct your searches of the most appropriate Internet resources. You will not maximise the marks you receive for this assignment if you only select a couple of search tools. Internet search resources (search engines are only one type of search tool that you can utilise) used could include:
· the CSU library databases;
· WWW Virtual Libraries;
· any other Internet resources;
newsgroups;
online newspapers;
online encyclopaedia;
online specialist magazines; and
other online resources that you deem appropriate. See the Web-ezy tutorial for more assistance at http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library or contact the Distance Education Librarian.
|
Note: |
You need to consider the type of information that you are trying to locate - and the purpose of this research or information gathering exercise (to write a academic essay). |
It is important that you explain why and how you accessed the information for your search. Your submission should take the form of a narrative, with links to the results of each search.
As indicated above, you are required to briefly to:
· explain why you used each search resource;
· illustrate the syntax or key words entered;
· the number of hits obtained;
· provide example results of your search; and
· comment on the quality of the results obtained.
Please set your work out so that it is clear where you have explained each of the areas detailed above.
Show that you can refine your search using more advanced syntax (such as Booleans and wildcards), so that you get fewer, but better quality hits (you should aim to have no more than 50 -100 hits returned on your search query). Therefore you may first need to read the ‘Advanced search’ help files provided with each search tool, or conduct a search on the best search techniques or methods.
The simplest way to show the example results of each search is to use the ‘Save page as’ feature of your browser. You can then save each results page (using a simple file name like proquest1.html), link each page to your narrative document, and upload all these files on your web site. As a guide, I would expect you to use about 5 or 6 different search resources and do at least 2 - 4 searches with each tool, that is a minimum of 5 x 2 search results pages, linked to your narrative document. Please do not stop at 2 searches if you have not located quality information or if you haven’t modified your refinement methods.
The way in which you conduct your search is important. Is it a logical process? Is it a process of constant refinement to achieve smaller amounts of relevant information (ie. fewer hits but of better quality)? Have you moved from general tools, like a search engine (e.g. ‘Google’) to the more specific tools like a library database of online journal articles?
|
Note: |
You can use any software to create the HTML for this Part A. Any composer is okay as we will not be marking your code. You can however use Notepad as in Assignment 1 if you prefer. This will help develop your HTML knowledge and skills. |
Topic areas (create your own report title within one topic area)
|
1. |
Online multimedia – online multimedia cannot compete against the traditional CD multimedia systems |
|
2. |
How do we conduct effective academic searches– |
|
3. |
Online learning – this is the education approach for the future |
|
4. |
Security on the web – what are the issues for a large organisation? |
|
5. |
How to control plagiarism on the web. |
|
6. |
Electronic commerce – business of the future? |
|
7. |
Internet video / audio communications – what is happening in Australia? |
|
1. |
Make sure your report title isn’t too broad, which will allow you to fit within the word limit. Keep to the title and include all relevant issues. |
|
2. |
Express other authors’ ideas in your own words but add your own supported ideas and opinions. To do this you need to analyse and criticise ideas where appropriate and argue your point of view. Support your statements and opinions with extensive referencing. Please note that any plagiarised work may result in you failing the particular assessment item and therefore possibly failing the overall subject. There will be no exemptions from this ruling which must be acted upon according to the Academic Regulations. That is you can not directly copy any material without acknowledging it in your reference list. |
|
3. |
Show in the content of your assignment that you have consulted a reasonable range of online articles as well as traditional books and journals. Please note: 75% of all your references must be less than 2 years old (i.e. >2002). |
|
4. |
Be clear and concise in your expression paying particular attention to sentence structure. Put yourself in the reader’s position and ask ‘Is the meaning clear?’ |
|
5. |
Pay attention to the rules of writing in relation to paragraphing, punctuation, spelling, etc. |
|
6. |
Use headings in the body of your report where appropriate. You must integrate information and analysis and not just ‘dump’ information under headings. |
|
7. |
Generally avoid direct quotations except short ones used for a particular effect. It is better to express the idea in your own words (paraphrase), though this must be acknowledged with a reference. |
|
8. |
Acknowledge the sources of both direct quotes, ideas of others and background information by the use of appropriate references. This applies to material found online, as well as in traditional sources. |
|
9. |
Adhere to the word limit. If an assignment ‘turns out’ much longer than required, rewrite it concisely. Marks will be deducted if assignments are under or over the word limit by an unreasonable amount. |
|
10. |
The report must be of an ethical and morale standard. For example, if you do a report on hacking or how to cheat, or of a similar nature, you will fail your assignment. If you are uncertain, please contact your lecturer. |
The structure of your report must be as follows. Use the same sub-headings.
· Report title
· Abstract (maximum 200 words). It is a brief overview of the report. This states what your research has found and how it fits in with what others have found in this area. An abstract is not meant to tell the reader what they are about to read in the report, it is meant to be a summary of the total report (including the findings).
· Introduction (maximum 400 words). This section is basically a very brief background information and the current state of play in your topic area. It differs from an abstract in that it states how you will cover this topic, that is your scope.
· Body (maximum 1,500 words) - includes the actual report details. The best approach for this section would be to present the arguments and information relating to the title, and use the relevant references found to support the points stated. In other words, the references support the arguments put forward. We are looking for evidence that you have utilised the Internet to locate a variety of material for this assignment, but traditional resources can also be used.
Referencing should be within the text (that is, within your report); which is known as the Harvard System. The author’s surname and year of publication (plus page reference if necessary) are written in brackets in the body of your writing. For example:
Wright (1969, p. 408) comments
that ‘undoubtedly interviewer skill is directly related to the validity,
quantity and quality of interview output’, and this would suggest some sort of
interviewer training is called for. Row (1960), for example, found that trained
interviewers are better able to evaluate applicants with some measure of
reliability and in a study carried out in 1973, it was found that by extensive
interviewer training all significant contrast effects could be eliminated
(Wexley, Sanders & Yuki 1973).
· Conclusion (maximum 200 words) - summarises the material presented. No additional or previously unmentioned points or references should be raised or utilised within this section.
· Reference section - the full reference to each source used in your report is placed in the reference list at the end of your work in alphabetical order. The format of this reference list, in the Harvard System, involves placing the year of publication immediately after the author’s name. Note this can be quite difficult for some web sites. However, we want you to make an effort to show the exact source of your information. Do not just give a URL for a whole newspaper like http://www.smh.com.au
More information is provided by CSU library on how to reference correctly at http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/tutorial/reference/refbib.htm and online tutorial assistance is also provided with its Web-ezy system. Click on the Web-ezy logo on the CSU library home page located at:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/
Please remember that 75% of your references MUST be no more than two years old.
Neither the use of ‘I’ (too personal) nor ‘the writer’ (too pompous) are recommended. It is much better to make the essay totally impersonal by avoiding both. This means that careful - and in some cases, considerable thinking must be put into some sentences to achieve impersonality.
A plagiarist is one who takes for his/her own unacknowledged use the thoughts or writings of another person, claiming them as his/her own. Plagiarism is cheating, and is one of the most serious offences any writer can make. If plagiarism is detected (and it is especially easy to do so from online articles using phrase searches in a search engine) you will face the consequences. Refer to the section on Academic Conduct if unsure.
Post in your yellow assignment cover sheet along with the URL of your Part A Search report and the HARD COPY of your Part B Essay.
OR
Submit your URL of your Part A Search report and Part B Essay in a Word document via EASTS.
Please remember to include your email address plus a contact ’phone number if we need to contact you.
Searching the web
http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html
Searching the Internet
http://library.albany.edu/internet/search.html
Librarians’ Index to the Internet
http://www.lii.org/
Summers, J & Smith, B 2002, Communication skills handbook, 5th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.
Web-ezy is a self-paced interactive tutorial designed to help you develop your library and information skills. The programme is offered in nine modules which you can complete in sequence or select individually according to your needs. There are short quizzes at the end of each module which allow you to test your skills. These are for self assessment only.
The modules are as follows.
· How to use Web-ezy CSU
· The Library’s Web site
· Topic analysis
· References
· Searching the Library catalogue
· Keyword searching in the catalogue
· Searching Ovid databases
· The Internet
· Searching the Internet
Web-ezy is available at no charge to CSU students and staff. It is available throughout the year and can be accessed from the CSU Library’s Home Page (http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/) by clicking on the WEB-ezy icon at the top of the page. Access requires your CSU username and password.
Web-ezy is a collaborative project between CSU Library and UNILINC.
For further information email libquest@csu.edu.au or ask an Information Librarian at CSU.
Written assignments must be correctly referenced and written in acceptable English. Be sure you acknowledge all sources of information in the body of your assignment and supply a reference list at the end. Referencing is in accordance with the University’s Manual for Referencing:
Charles Sturt University 2003, Referencing guide, 7th edn, Division of Library Services, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW.
This publication is also available on the WWW at:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/tutorial/reference/refbib.htm
|
Issues to be assessed |
Markers will consider the following |
Marks |
|
Variety of search resources utilised |
Have you used an appropriate variety of sources, and provided evidence of these searches (by providing a link to your saved results)? |
4 marks |
|
Narrative, that is the description of search process and comprehensiveness of the search. |
Have you discussed how you used each of the
search facilities? Have you stated the actual search syntax used and
described the results you obtained. |
6 marks |
|
Total marks |
10 |
|
|
Issues to be assessed |
Markers will consider the following |
Marks |
|
Abstract |
The abstract gives an overview of all important points in your essay and states concisely what you did or found. |
2 marks |
|
Introduction |
A brief lead-in to the arguments you are going to make in your essay by way of background or current status of your topic area, and sets the scene by stating how you will go about covering the topic. |
2 marks |
|
The essay - including the use of a correct system of referencing within your essay (CSU/Harvard Referencing) |
Your essay should present information and arguments. This is where you state your point of view and compare and contrast it to other authors’. Assertions must be justified with references. |
6 marks |
|
Conclusion |
Should show concisely the conclusion to the arguments in your essay without adding any new information. |
2 marks |
|
References - quality and variety. Internet resources must have been used |
You must use the CSU/Harvard Referencing
System as described in the CSU Library online site. Sources must match those
cited in the text of your essay. Please refer to the web site for examples
of correct referencing techniques which is located at: |
3 marks |
|
Total marks |
|
15 |