ssessment item 1
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Research Activities and Article Reviews
Value: 15%
Due Date: 31-Mar-2019
Return Date: 23-Apr-2019
Length: 600 words
Submission method options: Alternative submission method
Task
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Research Activities and Article Reviews
PART A: Research Activities (35%)
For the research topic, “Learning how to write an academic essay is helpful for communicating in the workplace”, complete and present the following research activities:
Activity 1: For the research topic, “Learning how to write an academic essay is helpful for communicating in the workplace”, identify key terms that make a connection between the ‘content words’ in the question, your existing understanding of the topic and the concepts to be explored through research.
Activity 2: Demonstrate effective use of CSU's Primo Database in finding peer-reviewed journal articles based on the ideas generated in Activity 1.
Activity 3: Find four journal articles and provide full references in APA6 style. This activity should be presented as a list of references in alphabetical order.
PART B: Article Reviews (65%)
From the list of peer-reviewed articles generated in Activity 3, write two article reviews according to the following considerations:
Article Reviews: Select two articles from Activity 3 and write an article review of 300 words for each article (total of 600 words). This should be completed by summarising and paraphrasing the main argument presented by the author(s). Provide a critique of the author’s argument, the research method used and the findings presented in each article. For each article, discuss how the findings and conclusions contribute to your understanding of the topic. How will each article help you to develop your arguments for discussing the research topic?
Resources: HCS507 Research Skills Guide: Evaluating Information (n.d.). Charles Sturt University Library. Accessed on http://libguides.csu.edu.au/hcs507/evaluating-information.
Online submission via Turnitin is required for this assignment. Details will be provided by your subject lecturer.
Rationale
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This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
• be able to locate, paraphrase, summarise and comprehend simple to complex English texts.
• be able to write in a range of academic formats, following English writing mechanics and appropriate academic referencing styles.
Rationale:
The aim of this assessment task is to enable you to demonstrate your understanding of relevant aspects of your chosen topic area as well as to develop your critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills.
This assessment addresses the following subject learning objectives:
• LO1 - Be able to locate, paraphrase, summarise and comprehend simple to complex English texts;
• LO2 - Be able to write in a range of academic formats, following English writing mechanics and appropriate academic referencing styles.
Marking criteria and standards
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HD
(85-100%) DI
(75-84%) CR
(65-74%) PS
(50-64%) FL
(0-49%)
Activity 1
Identify terms for studying your topic. (5%) Identify three unique key terms that relate directly to the given topic. Identify three key terms that relate directly to the given topic. Identify two key terms that relate directly to the given topic. Identify one key term that relate directly to the given topic. You did not meet the pass criteria although your attempt was genuine.
Activity 2
Search databases using key terms from Activity 1, comment on the effectiveness and limit the number of search results.
(15%) You searched three databases, recording the outcomes. You evaluated the effectiveness of your key terms and explained why they were effective (or not). You reduced the number of meaningful results to less than 50. You searched three databases, recording the outcomes. You evaluated the effectiveness of your key terms and explained why they were effective (or not). You reduced the number of meaningful results to less than 100. You searched two databases, recording the outcomes. You evaluated the effectiveness of your key terms and explained why they were effective (or not). You reduced the number of meaningful results to less than 100. You searched two databases, recording the outcomes. You evaluated the effectiveness of your key terms and explained why they were effective (or not). You reduced the number of meaningful results to less than 200. You did not meet the pass criteria although your attempt was genuine.
Activity 3
Find and list journal articles that meet all elements of the C.R.A.P. test. Provide complete and correct references in APA 6 style.
(15 %) You find and list four journal articles. All four articles meet all elements of the C.R.A.P. test. You provide complete and accurate references in APA6 style for all four articles without error. You find and list four journal articles. All articles meet all elements of the C.R.A.P. test. You provide complete and accurate references in APA6 style for all articles with less than three errors. You find and list four journal articles. All articles meet at least three elements of the C.R.A.P. test. You provide references that mostly meet APA6 style for all articles. You find and list four journal articles. You provide references that somewhat meet APA6 style for most articles. You did not meet the pass criteria although your attempt was genuine.
Article Reviews
Discuss, analyse and critically evaluate two articles; justify why each article is useful for responding to the research topic.
(50%) You summarise, effectively paraphrase and critique the main argument of each article. You critically evaluate the methods used and the findings presented. You critically evaluate how the articles contribute to your understanding of the topic. You provide an effective justification for the usefulness of each article for responding to the research topic. You summarise, effectively paraphrase and critique the main argument of the article. You critically evaluate the methods used and the findings presented. You critically evaluate how each article contributes to your understanding of the topic. You give reasons for the usefulness of each article for responding to the research topic. You summarise, paraphrase and critique the main argument of each article. You identify the aims, method, and findings. You explain why each article is useful. You summarise and paraphrase the main elements of each article. You comment on the usefulness of each article. You did not meet the pass criteria although your attempt was genuine.
Presentation
Article review format is used (paragraphs).
English academic language is used. In-text citations are used in APA6 style.
(15 %) You have presented your information in two paragraphs following an article review format. Your work is free of grammatical and spelling errors; you use formal academic language. You provide in-text citations in correct APA6 style. You have presented your information in two paragraphs following an article review format with minor deviations. Your work is mostly free of grammatical and spelling errors; you use mainly formal academic language. You provide in-text citations in mostly correct APA6 style. You have presented your information in two paragraphs. There are some grammatical and spelling errors; you use mainly formal academic language. You provide in-text citations with some errors in APA6 style. You have used a paragraph format. There are significant grammatical and spelling errors but they do not hinder communication; you use some formal academic language. You attempt to provide in-text citations in APA6 style. You did not meet the pass criteria although your attempt was genuine.
Total 100%
_______________________________________________________________
1 Use 10 years as a guide for currency
A maximum of 5 marks each may be deducted for errors in the following:
Word count (600 +/- 10%)
Presentation guidelines

Presentation
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For Activity 4, use an article review format.

In addition note the following:
• Assessment items should be typed
• Use 1.5 spacing
• Use a standard 12 point font such as Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial
• Left-justify body text
Requirements
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For this assessment APA referencing format is required. For guidance in the use of this referencing please see the CSU Referencing website at http://student.csu.edu.au/study/referencing-at-csu or the Academic Reference Tool: https://apps.csu.edu.au/reftool/
This assessment must be submitted via Turnitin. It is a requirement that your name, student ID and page number are included in the header or footer of every page of the assignment.
Text match should not be more than 20% (excluding references)
Additional information to assist you with your assessment can be found here http://student.csu.edu.au/study/skills/guidesandtips/writing-at-uni