So what does referencing include?
A. In-text citations, which can take three forms:
Normally, when writing an essay at university you’ll be likely to just use academic sources. The following learning guide on source credibility will help you to see whether an external source is academic or otherwise not.
The chocolate essay uses the APA style of referencing, which can be very easy to distinguish from the Harvard Author-Date System, due to the fact format is different:
try to achieve a balance between both kinds of in text-references in your essay writing. |
When you look at the APA model of referencing, the reference list has certain conventions that you must also follow. Here are a few examples through the essay that is chocolate
Don’t make referencing something you are doing just as an proofreading or editing activity. Include your in-text citations and reference list as part of your first draft. |
An excellent web site to assistance with your APA referencing is the APA Interactive tool at Massey University.
Leave yourself the time to have a look at your essay over and over again. For a 1000 word essay you will need at least three days to redraft your essay.
Always save each draft as a file that is separate then you can certainly observe how your essay develops and improves. |
Here are the sorts of questions you should ask yourself:
You may want to look at other checklists similar to this one on editing your own work.
Let’s observe how the author of the chocolate essay redrafted their original introduction:
Now compare the above mentioned utilizing the draft that is final
Since Spanish explorers brought back chocolate from the new world, chocolate consumption has grown to become a worldwide phenomenon. A derivative of the cacao bean, was consumed as a drink, only later achieving mass popularity in tablet or bar form at first, chocolate. However, chocolate’s inherent popularity does not equate to it possessing healthy properties, as suggested by the title. The realities of chocolate tend to be more down to earth; a number of those realities are going to be addressed in this essay. Chocolate has chemical properties that can influence mood and there is evidence that is possible some positive impacts of chocolate on cardiovascular health. Yet, such attributes that are positive counterbalanced somewhat by the argument that, in a few instances, chocolate can be viewed a drug as opposed to a food. Moreover, there is the possibility of some correlation between over-consumption of chocolate and obesity. Thus, it should be argued that despite chocolate’s positive effect in some cases on mood in addition to cardiovascular system it has also been associated with addiction and obesity.
Take your time and stay careful when redrafting—it will be worth every penny!
How will you write in an way that is academic?
Imagine your essay as a type or kind of story. You are the principal storyteller, the internal voice associated with writer, leading your reader through to your conclusion.
Throughout the story, you can find different voices that appear from time to time. They are the external voices (citations) that add substance to your story, providing detail and support for what you will be saying and on occasion even giving an perspective that is alternative. The external voices may be split into two categories in your essay: the direct external voice of an author (through a direct quote) plus the indirect external voice of an author (through a paraphrase).
Your reader needs to know after all times whose voice they are hearing. Could it be your voice that is internal or external voice of other authors?
You could wonder tips on how to include your personal voice whilst still being sound academic if you’re writing about a area that is subject that you’ve little (or no) knowledge. Together with your voice does not always mean that you ought to say ‘I think’ or ‘in my opinion’.
Here are a few samples of the critical/analytical language you present other people’s ideas that you can use as your own internal voice when:
Showing which you recognise a wide range of authors have reached an equivalent conclusion, and you might/might not agree with it | |
One advantage of the job of Smith and Jones (2010)… | Showing you are positively engaging with an external source |
Let’s look at one of many paragraphs from the chocolate essay to see how the written text is an interplay of this internal voice associated with writer in addition to external voices of other authors.
The internal voice associated with the writer is colour-coded in yellow; the indirect external voices of other authors (in other words. paraphrases) are coded in grey; and the direct external voices of other authors (i.e. quotations) are coded in blue.
That is a balanced paragraph. The writer sets the scene at the start of the sentence that is topic also links together each of the sentences, using their own voice to lead into content which is given by the external voices.
Glance at the same paragraph re-written, utilizing the quantity of the writer’s voice substantially reduced:
Here the writer just isn’t ‘in charge’ associated with paragraph, also it reads similar to a listing. That is something your lecturers don’t want to see.
While you are drafting your paragraphs, use a colour-coding system like the main one used here. It can help you ensure your academic voice is clear! |
You will gradually expand the language of your critical internal voice when you get more confident in using external sources. The Phrasebank website at Manchester University provides samples of a few more expressions to utilize when assessing external sources.
Editing centers around the picture that is big such as for example overall structure, appropriate paragraphing and perhaps the question has been answered.
Proofreading has a micro-focus on the information of your essay, such as for instance formatting, grammar and punctuation.
Everybody has their own style that is personal of and proofreading. You need to concentrate on the kinds of errors you commonly make by looking during the marker’s comments in your previous work.
Some individuals proofread alone; some get other folks involved. Having others involved is a really good clear idea.