Final assignment - academic writing and research skills

Task 1 of 4 – Report (500 words max, excluding diagrams, references, and appendices)

Conduct an investigation into academic research and writing to show your understanding of:

• The meaning and purpose of academic research and writing

• Different academic writing conventions

• Types of academic research

Task 2 of 4 – Essay (1000 words max, excluding diagrams, references, and appendices)

Write an essay demonstrating your awareness of:

• Critical thinking as a concept and process

• Skills required for effective academic research and writing

• The importance of critical thinking in academic and other contexts

• Techniques to evaluate academic arguments

Task 3 of 4 – Critique a Research Paper (1000 words max, excluding diagrams, references, and appendices)

Select a research paper (e.g. from Google Scholar) and critique it, showing you understand:

• Types of sources used and their role in shaping the argument

• The research process followed by the author(s)

• Differences between primary and secondary research in the paper

Also, provide evidence to support or challenge:

• The authors’ choice of sources

• The reliability and validity of the research process

• The quality of primary and secondary research included

Task 4 of 4 – Presentation (10 minutes / ~500 words)

Prepare a 10-minute presentation on an academic argument related to a topic of personal or career interest. You must:

• Use inductive, deductive, or combined reasoning to build your argument

• Justify your choice of reasoning and support it with citations

• Identify key components of your argument and explain why it is reliable and valid

• Use visual aids to support your presentation

Referencing

All tasks must use relevant academic and reliable sources.

Use Harvard Referencing Style for in-text citations and the final reference list.

Include a full bibliography to support all your evidence.