Chapter 11 : Documenting Information and Creating☀️ Flashcards
Assignment
A task or job that you must do as part of your studies, for example, writing an
essay on a topic.
Bibliography
An alphabetical list of all the sources that are cited in a text. Bibliographies can
also list all the works of a single author, all the books and articles on a particular
topic or all the books published in a certain country or within a particular time
span. They are usually compiled using a standardised reference technique
Documenting information
In the modern world, there are different ways to communicate information so that
it can be accessed in the future. In this book, we call this documenting
information
Literature search
Using a variety of resources to find relevant information, for example, to complete
an assignment or research project.
Mind map
A diagrammatic and visual way to represent ideas. Words, ideas and tasks are
organised around a main or central idea or concept. Each of these can again
branch into other words, ideas and tasks, which can then be used to plan
assignments
Research report
A written document reporting on a research project, for example, its results
research methods, conclusion and recommendations
Understanding how contexts impact on documenting
information
When you need to document information, you must first consider your immediate context and what
it entails. This relates to your role in the situation. For example, maybe you are a student writing a
first-year assignment or an established engineer writing an assessment report on drinking water
quality.
You also need to consider the broader context, which includes external requirements and
restrictions you have to deal with because of where you are situated.
How good and how convenient is your internet?
Internet accessibility includes:
Unlimited free access
Limited access through subscription
Pay-as-you go access at an internet café
The devices available to you (e.g. computer, tablet or mobile)
To which information resources do you have access?
Information resources are accessed through:
Library services
Subscription databases
Free open access to scholarly journals and reports
Access to restricted or confidential information
General web and specialised web search engines
Information resources of professional organisations available to members only.
Where are you be able to store information, documented information and data?
Information can be stored using:
Software for reference management or personal information management
Cloud storage facilities, for example, Dropbox, Google Drive, justcloud.com and myPCBackup.com
Institutional repositories or online storage warehouses’
Facilities for storing research data.
What are the requirements for submitting documented information?
Some documents, for example conference proposals, journal articles, assignments or job
applications, need to be submitted to an electronic management system. Some need to be
submitted as a hardcopy (paper). Many organisations and institutions allow for documents to
be submitted online in various forms
What are the ethical issues you need to know about?
Plagiarism: when documenting information, plagiarism should be avoided at all cost.
Sometimes you will be warned that your submitted scholarly journal article will be run through a plagiarism detection program.
Privacy and public accessibility: you should consider issues of privacy and the public accessibility of information. For example, a potential future employer could access your
Facebook and blog postings. When writing emails, you should bear in mind that your
recipients may share them with others.
Confidentiality: you may be prohibited from sharing confidential information for example.
confidential reports or patients medical records, even if you wrote the documents.
General issues to consider when documenting
information and creating new knowledge
Problem: The problem or challenge you need to address.
Purpose: The reason why you need to document the information
Knowledge gap: The gap in your knowledge for which you need to get additional information.
Audience: The person or people you are writing for.
Type of document: The type of documentation to be shared with others
Style and formality: These must suit the type of document.
Document length: Restrictions on length, number of pages and word count.
Structure: The way the document should be structured and the structural components it
should include (see Section 11.5.6.1 for more detail).
What is an assignment?
At tertiary level, there are many forms of assessment, such as tests, practicals, exams and
assignments. For tests and exams, your marks often depend on how much you can recall from what
you have memorised, how fast you can write in a limited time, and how well you can analyse,
interpret and formulate under pressure. Assignments, on the other hand, offer an excellent
opportunity to use a variety of resources to collect information, to reflect on your work and to edit it
until you are satisfied with the end product.
What is the process involved in writing assignments
and research reports?
You write assignments and research reports to share information with others and make them aware
your work. You share your expertise and discoveries, as well as your solutions to problems, which
may eventually positively affect the wellbeing of society. To be effective, any written communication,
such as an assignment or a research report, needs to satisfy certain requirements and conventions.
Below is a summary of the process involved in preparing and writing an assignment. There are a
number of steps in this process:
- Analyse the topic
Identify key theme(s); action verbs; context verbs, exclusions, and
specifications. - Do the required reading
- Identify aspects to discuss
What do you know? What do you need to find out? - Search the literature
In addition to the required reading: Select information resources, identify search strategies (adapt and repeat); obtain the relevant information sources. - Take notes
Read/scan; summarise; interpret (own opinion, reflect), cite. - Write the assignment
Include all the components, keep to the requirements, note hints for the writing process (proofread. edit). - Submit the assignment
Print and electronic versions: declaration form, keep backups
Analyse the topic
When you write an assignment or a research report, your reason for seeking information is to
respond to the topic. The topic is the subject or theme of the assignment. Your assignment should
be based on the relevant literature obtianed from a literature search and your understanding of
the topic
We now look in detail at how to identify these different categories of words:
Theme words Action words Context words Exclusion words Specification words.
How to identify theme words
Theme words are the words or concepts that reflect the key theme. They are also called key. topic
or subject words. These are the words or concepts that indicate what the topic is about. To help you
identify them, ask yourself Which words or concepts best describe what this topic is about?’
How to identify action words
Action words are the verbs in the topic that tell you what to do. They are also called “trigger” or
“doing words” because they trigger what you will do. You need to understand the meaning of the
most common action words to understand what is expected of you. Table 11.1 lists common trigger
words and their explanations. The explanations tell you what you should do if your topic contains
that trigger word.
