Reading, desk research, taking notes and plagiarism
Doug Specht
Chapter from the book: Specht, D. 2019. The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide.
Part of
Chapter from the book: Specht, D. 2019. The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide.
The author outlines how students may approach desk research including notetaking when reading, the basics of referencing systems, and some referencing tools. The chapter highlights the differences between academic reading and reading for pleasure, the elements of reading critically and how to deal with long reading lists. Outside of books and journals the growing potential of using audiovisual, database and social media resources for research is highlighted with examples of some of the best places to look for inspiration. The author highlights the fundamentals of good notetaking, citation and referencing and some online tools available for the latter and also how to reference digital media. The chapter concludes with a stark warning about plagiarism and some tips on how to inadvertently avoid it and ensure all sources are cited in students’ work.
Specht, D. 2019. Reading, desk research, taking notes and plagiarism. In: Specht, D, The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book42.d
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Published on Nov. 25, 2019