Frequently asked questions

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1. What kind of writing tasks will I be required to do for health assignments?
2. What different types of writing styles are used in health assessment tasks?
3. Based on your experience in assessing health essays, what advice would you give to first year students?
4. Will lecturers read a draft of my assignments?
5. What can I do if I am not happy with a grade that I have been given?
6. If I'm citing a well-known theory, approach or technique, how much do I need to explain that approach to the reader?
7. WHY do I have to reference, WHAT do I have to reference, and HOW do I reference assignments in health?
8. What is plagiarism and how can I avoid it?

1. What kind of writing tasks will I be required to do for health assignments?

Essay writing

Most essay writing tasks in health are set to test your ability to research and analyse a topic from your study area. Essays in first year are usually between 1000-2000 words in length and follow traditional university writing conventions. That is, they have an introduction, body and conclusion and are appropriately referenced using the APAconvention. You will find examples of essay writing in the Writing samples area of this site.

Essays written under exam conditions also follow traditional university writing conventions. However, the purpose of exam essays is to demonstrate your knowledge of a topic and you are not expected to reference like you do in your assignment work.

Projects

One of the great benefits of studying in health is that you get the opportunity to do some really diverse and interesting project work.  Projects are often a combination of written work and work presented in other media (e.g. photo, video, DVD, audio). You could be asked to develop a portfolio (e.g. on a topic of special interest), present a detailed case study (e.g. one that is relevant to your current work situation), or develop a kit of resource materials for some specific situation. One interesting example is the video assessment work in the Bachelor of Counselling. 

Critical reflective accounts

You will most likely be asked to submit assignments based on a critical reflective account if you are studying in nursing or gerontology. Critical reflective accounts are set in the 'real world' of practice. While individual lecturers can take different approaches, the process usually involves recording or reflecting on your experience, analysing the experience and why it happened in that way, and determining how the outcomes could be improved. For example, in one nursing unit students are required to keep a professional journal during their nursing practice; they then examine the significant issues in practical classes employing the innovative technique of playback theatre.

 

 

2. What different types of writing styles are used in health?

Descriptive writing

Descriptive writing provides specific details about the attributes of something or someone. It presents an organised account of its characteristics, and if appropriate, its component parts and functions. You will be required to give comprehensive descriptions of such things as procedures, symptoms, equipment etc. during your studies in health. Many assignments will require descriptions of something as part of a larger topic.

Reasoned argument

A reasoned argument presents evidence for and against a particular question or point of view and draws a logical conclusion based on the evidence presented. When writing an essay using the reasoned argument style:

• the introduction is used to clarify the topic or question
• the body presents facts, examples, authoritative opinion, and other evidence supporting both sides of the argument
• the conclusion restates the main points of the argument and presents your considered opinion (but you do not necessarily have to endorse a particular position).

An example of an essay that would require a reasoned argument approach is 'Should health education be part of the primary school curriculum?'.

Analytical writing

The ability to write analytically is an important academic skill and you will be expected to demonstrate critical analysis in your assignments. In academic writing, critical analysis is more than description and presenting an argument. It is about 'how we evaluate and understand other people's work' (for more information see Critical thinking). You will soon come to appreciate that the most widely accepted approach employed in the medical profession is evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice has been defined as:

... the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence-based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research (Sackett, D.L., Rosenberg, W.M.C., Gray, J.A.M., Haynes, R.B., & Richardson, W.S. (1996). Evidence based medicine: What it is and what it isn’t. British Medical Journal, 312 (7023), 71-2).

In your assignments you will be required to critically analyse various research studies (e.g. their strengths and weaknesses, the significance of their contribution to the field) and to critically evaluate a body of research evidence (e.g. to demonstrate the effectiveness of a particular treatment or procedure). The critical analysis skills that you learn during your studies will give you a better understanding of the rationale for your clinical practice and better enable you to solve complex problems in the workplace.

Reflective writing

Reflective writing gives you the opportunity to integrate your theoretical knowledge with your personal and practical experiences. Reflecting on your experiences and exploring the development of your understanding of the content and issues of a topic area enhances your professional practice. The 'reflective' style of writing is used in case studies, reflective journals/diaries, critical incident analyses and qualitative research reports.  This writing style is not as formal and objective as other academic styles. You are able to use the first person (e.g. I, we, us, my) and discuss your subjective experiences and opinions.

 

 

3. Based on your experience in assessing health essays, what advice would you give to first year students?

When you are preparing written work, there are a number of practical rules to keep in mind. These have been sorted into DOs and DON'Ts.

DOs

• Do answer the question. A well-written essay should ANSWER the set question. Showing that you understand the issues embedded in the question and NARROWING your answer to deal ONLY with the issues and their supporting evidence is an important skill. See the ASO Factsheet: Analysing the questionfor help.
• Do follow the traditional university essay structure convention. Well-written essays are logically sequenced. There must be THREE clear stages in your essay - INTRODUCTION, BODY and CONCLUSION. You need to develop a plan before beginning to write and follow that plan.
• Do use appropriate academic writing and correct referencing conventions. Comments from lecturers suggest that one of the main reasons for a poor result in first year student assignment writing is a lack of basic writing skills: the correct use of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Do use primary resources. Many first year students rely on textbooks and unit notes (secondary resources) when writing their assignments. You will get a higher mark if you use a variety of references, preferably eight or more. Check with your unit coordinator for more information on how many references are required. It is best to use recent literature (no more than five years old) and only cite old references if they are 'classics'.
• Do proofread your essay before handing it in. Most lecturers find annoying errors in punctuation, grammar and sentence structure which occur frequently in student writing because they are always noting these corrections on students' assignments. The best time to look for these errors is when you are at the proofreading stage of writing your assignment.

DON'TS

• Do NOT plagiarise. Plagiarism is using the work of other people without appropriate acknowledgement. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic values, with potentially serious consequences. 
• Do NOT use information that is NOT relevant to the question. One of the major reasons for poor marks in many first year assignments is that students DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION BEING ASKED. No matter how clever or interesting such answers are, they gain POOR MARKS because they do not answer the question. Some students use the 'scatter gun' approach. They pick out a few key ideas from the question then write down everything they know about the topic and hope that they will somehow hit the target. The marker then has to sift through volumes of irrelevant information and pick out the pieces that answer the question. This approach is unacceptable and will result in failure or low marks.
• Do NOT over-quote from your sources. Remember that the main purpose of assignments is to determine how well you understand the topic of the question and how to use your resources to support your argument. If you do quote from primary sources, make sure it is brief and enhances your argument. When you use quotations, make sure you follow the appropriate ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS. That is, brief quotations in inverted commas should be less than one sentence, while longer quotes need to be indented. All quotes should be correctly referenced.
• Most times it is better to PARAPHRASE an author's work rather than use long quotations. Paraphrasing is rewriting the work of another author in your own words without changing the original meaning. You must include the appropriate reference information at the end of your paraphrase or you can be guilty of plagiarism.
  
• Do NOT hand in work that is significantly over or under the word limit. Where word limits are set they must be adhered to. Ten percent above or below the word limit is usually acceptable; more than this is likely to lose marks.  Word limits are set so you can develop the ability to select the relevant material and to present it concisely. If you are having trouble reaching the limit, it is likely that you are not going into enough detail (maybe not having researched enough). If you are way over the word limit, you may be incorporating irrelevant information, going into too much detail, or being repetitive in your writing.

 

 

4. Will lecturers read a draft of my assignments?

The UNE assessment policy(5.2.3) states that:

... asking Unit Coordinators for preliminary reviews of any assessment tasks prior to formal submission is inappropriate and unfair to other students without that opportunity, unless the Unit Coordinator has clearly established, in writing, such a practice for all students enrolled in the unit.

Individual lecturers differ in the amount of support and feedback that they will give students during the preparation of their assignments. Many will be happy to discuss your ideas with you and offer constructive feedback, and some might be willing to look at your essay plan. You will need to ask your unit coordinators. Remember, it is always advisable to have done some reading, thought about the question, and jotted down some of your ideas BEFORE you contact your lecturer.

5. What can I do if I am not happy with a grade that I have been given for an assignment?

Sometimes students think that the grade they were given for an assignment is not a fair indication of the quality of their work. The UNE assessment policy(5.2.1) states that:

... students may request that an assessment task be re-marked, in its original form, in circumstances where the student presents a strong case arguing that the original marking was unfair or inconsistent with marking guidelines.

For more information about re-marking and re-submission of assessment tasks see the UNE assessment policy(5.2).

 

 

6. If I'm citing a well-known theory, approach or technique, how much do I need to explain that approach to the reader?

In your writing, you will often have to refer to well-known theories (e.g. Piaget's theory of child development), approaches or techniques (e.g. narrative therapy used in counselling). You can assume that the reader has a reasonable knowledge of the theory or approach. However, you still need to summarise the key elements of the theory or approach the first time you mention it, and acknowledge its author by using the relevant reference.

 

 

7. WHY do I have to reference, WHAT do I have to reference, and HOW do I reference assignments in health?

Why do I have to reference?

Much of your written work at university is based on the ideas of other writers. Whenever you have used another author’s theory, opinion, idea, example, conclusion, or findings, even in your own words, you must say from whom you took it, and where the original can be found. You do this to:

• show that you have read and understood the research published in your area of interest
• lend authority to what you are writing
• strengthen your argument
• support your own ideas
• provide details or background to what you are writing
• allow follow up
• provide interest
• avoid the charge of plagiarism.

What do I have to reference?

You need to reference ideas, information, results or opinions that you have summarised, paraphrased or directly quoted from your sources of information. You also need to reference even if your ideas are the same as those of an author you have read.

How do I reference?

The Author-date system is used in the School of Health. This system acknowledges the author, year of publication and page number (when summarising, paraphrasing, and using direct quotations) in the text. Full bibliographical details are provided in an attached reference list. The list of references is arranged alphabetically by author; do not separate into sections (e.g. books, articles).

Remember: It is essential to check with your lecturer or unit notes for any specific referencing requirements.

 

 

8. What is plagiarism and how can I avoid it?

The UNE policy on: Avoiding plagiarism and academic misconduct: Information for studentsstates that:

You are plagiarising if you give the impression that the ideas, words or work of another person are your ideas, words or work, even if this is done unintentionally.

Plagiarism is a serious offence in university writing resulting in immediate failure. Poor writing is often characterised by sections of plagiarised text which your lecturers soon recognise as copied and unreferenced writing. When you are note taking for assignments, it is a good practice to ALWAYS write down your sources beside your notes. This way, at some later time, you won't come to think that you wrote the passage.