Mastering the Art of Writing: Quotations, Citations, and Beyond

In this assignment, you will be expected to complete a series of tasks related to proofreading, presentation, and bibliography. The main goal is to refine your writing skills by eliminating errors in spelling, style, and grammar, as well as ensuring that the overall presentation of your essay meets the required standards. You are advised to review the learning outcomes in the module guide or briefing paper to ensure that you understand what your assessor will be looking for in your work.

10 Ways to improve your Extended Essay/Media Research Project Mark
(Online Resource)
1. Research Sources
How many sources should I use? Students often ask this question and it’s a difficult one, as there is no one size fits all answer. However, as
a rule of thumb, we suggest you aim for a bibliography of between 20-30 sources in total (including primary sources, secondary sources
and Lit review sources)
Common problems are
 insufficient sources – just not having read enough or in sufficient detail!
 inappropriate or unreliable sources especially non-academic web sources, opinion based sources such as blogs, discussion boards
and community forums
Some sources should only be used sparingly such as
 News stories - these can be useful but need to be understood in the context of your argument.
 Film or TV reviews – these can contain interesting ideas but their main role is appraisal (good or bad) whereas your Extended Essay
is an analytical examination of a topic.
 Academic sources from other disciplines i.e. Law, Neuroscience or Psychology. These may be useful but are not in your field of
expertise and therefore should not form the main focus of your research. Better to use material from your own discipline –
Film/TV/Media Studies.
 Where can I go for help?

Here are two web sites that may be of use to you.
a. The first resource is on finding good sources and evaluating them:
https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/learning-objects/mle/evaluating-sources/story_html5.html
b. The second resource is on recognising different kinds of sources and types of information:
https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/learning-objects/mle/information-types/story_html5.html
2. References
Too many marks are lost because in-text and bibliographical references are either incorrect or inconsistent.
 Where can I go for help?
a. The References Guide in the Creative Arts Toolkit Here: http://catoolkit.herts.ac.uk/. It’s a PDF so download it onto your desktop
for
quick reference.
b. An alternative route to the Creative Arts Toolkit by going to Studynet>Online Library>Referencing>Referencing styles>Creative Arts
Toolkit
c. Our Academic Writing Tutor, Vicky Whittall will be running a second Reference Workshop on Tuesday 14th March at 12.00pm in 1A161
in Lindop Building
d. And lastly, in the Online Library there is an I Spy Tutorial here: http://www.studynet1.herts.ac.uk/ptl/common/LIS.nsf/lis/Projecti-
SpyOutcomes. The tutorial covers citation and reference including why the acknowledgement of sources is important, keeping good
records, avoiding plagiarism and when to cite.

3. Referencing Film and TV programmes
Please note that when referring to sources in your essay, all book, journal and film and TV titles should be italicised to distinguish titles from
the rest of the sentence.
The title should be followed with production details on first mention i.e. The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007) or Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999).
Thereafter you need only use the title.
Citations from TV series should clearly show season and episode number and title, if appropriate, i.e. if quoting an episode from The Sopranos,
‘Boca’ (1:9).
Please see the Creative Arts Toolkit for guidance on film and TV references. Here: http://catoolkit.herts.ac.uk/
4. Written Communication Skills
Marks are often lost in the area of written communication skills - writing, grammar and punctuation.
 Where can I go for Help?
a. Contact Vicky Whittall, the Academic Writing Tutor and ask for help to bring your writing up to an acceptable standard. Her email
address is [e-mail]
b. On page 10 in the Module Guide, there is a short list of guides to writing essays. Guides like these can be enormously helpful in
enabling you to overcome writer’s block, problems with structuring an argument, how to use quotations and so forth.
c. The University Online library hosts Epigeum – a series of self-study online interactive resources on English for Academic Studies. In
particular, you may be interested in skills based Course 4 which focuses on writing Here:
http://www.studynet1.herts.ac.uk/web/crb/co/website170/EnglishForAcademicStudies/SkillsBased/05_writing/index_04_writing.html
The course covers essay, paragraph and even sentence structure, how to develop your own ‘voice’ in your essay as well as using the

‘voices’ of others. It looks at how to write critically (rather than descriptively). It considers different approaches to writing and how to
improve your writing. The course concludes with a resource bank for further information and a quiz to help consolidate what you have
learnt.
5. Proof Reading
Proof reading means checking your extended essay carefully to find and correct errors in spelling, style and grammar.
 Review your Tutor’s feedback from the Literature Review so you know what kinds of mistakes you tend to make. Make a list of them
and keep an eye out for them.
 Set your essay aside for a period of time (ideally at least a day, but preferably 2-3 days) between writing and proofing as this will give
you some distance from the essay and help you to see mistakes more easily.
 Before you start, make sure you have finished working on the structural aspects of your essay. Don’t start to make corrections at the
level of spellings, grammar and style if you still need to work on the organization of the essay.
 Eliminate unnecessary words before looking for mistakes to ensure that your sentences are both clear and concise.
Further advice on proof reading
 It can be helpful to make a print out as this provides your essay with a fresh look and make its less familiar so you have a better chances of
spotting errors.
 Read out loud. This is especially helpful for spotting overlong sentences, as you will run out of breath reading them! But you'll also hear other
problems that you may not see when reading silently.
 Use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one you're reading. This strategy prevents you from skipping ahead of possible
mistakes.

 End with a comprehensive spelling check, using either a computer spelling checker or reading backwards word by word.
But remember that a spelling checker won't catch mistakes such as (e.g., "they're," "their," "there") or certain typos (like "he" for "the").
For further information, here’s a useful site on editing, sub-editing and proof reading http://www.port.ac.uk/media/contacts-and-
departments/student-support-services/ask/downloads/Proofreading.pdf
6. Presentation
Take care with the presentation of your essay. Remember this essay counts toward your degree so give it the attention it deserves!
 Use a clear and consistent font and font size (11-12 point is ideal) throughout.
 Number the pages
 Use double spacing for clarity (and to save your assessor’s eye sight!)
 Insert your name and student number in the footer of the essay
 And lastly your Extended Essay submission will need a formal front page and an abstract.
So, please make sure you attend the Finishing Touches Workshop on Tuesday 7th March 2017 in B01 where these protocols will be
explained in detail. Further notes will be available on the module site under Teaching Resources following the workshop.
7. Work smart, as well as hard!
Review the Learning Outcomes in the module guide, or in the assignment briefing. They are also attached to this paper as an appendix. They
become your assessment criteria so, this list provides you with a check list of ingredients which your assessor will be using to mark your work.

8. Name protocols
Do not refer to any individuals in your essay such as cinematographers, writers, actors, theorists or directors, by their first names as you do
not know them! The convention is to provide the full name on first mention in the essay, and thereafter refer to a person by their surname
only.
9. American Spellings
American spellings are not acceptable as we are a UK University. So, do not rely on your spell checker. American spellings include program
– programme, color - colour, Flavor – Flavour, Labor – Labour. Be mindful of the difference!
10.Bibliography
A final word on bibliographies. Whilst, as a ball park figure, we suggest you aim for between 20-30 sources across the two assignments in
total, only include a source in the Extended Essay bibliography if you have used it – quoted from it, or referred to it. Do not cut and paste
all the Literature review sources if they do not appear in the final assignment.
Remember your bibliography is important. It provides a map of all the sources that you have consulted during the preparation of your
assignment. Check, double check and triple check your bibliography for consistency as well as accuracy. Make sure the bibliography
incorporates both print and media sources, and is presented in alphabetical order.
We hope you find this resource helpful!
With all best wishes from the module staff team.

Appendix: Assessment Details / Indicative Feedback against Individual Learning Outcomes.
Assessment Criteria and Feedback:
All marks are provisional and module grades are confirmed only after the Examination Board.
The performance indictors used here cannot be aggregated to constitute a final numerical grade. Please arrange to see your tutor if you wish to discuss your feedback further.
The normal range of grades used by your tutor to feedback on work as a whole, and against the individual Learning Outcomes as specified below, is between 0 and 90 (out of 100).
* Grades above 90 are reserved for work of truly exceptional quality and are used very sparingly. Grades below 40 indicate failure to meet specified Learning Outcomes.
Fail. Little or Nothing
of Merit (0 - 19)
Clear Fail
(20 – 29)
Marginal Fail
(30 – 39)
Satisfactory
(40 – 49)
Good
(50 – 59)
Very Good
(60 – 69)
Excellent
(70 – 79)
Outstanding
(80 – 90)
Truly Exceptional *
(91 – 100)
Learning Outcomes - Knowledge and Understanding: (Successful students will typically…)
knowledge of a representative selection of key works of film and television production, the historical development of particular
genres, aesthetic traditions and forms, including contemporary works at the forefront of the discipline
knowledge of the development and operation of the film and television industries, their professional requirements and
constraints, global scope, regulatory frameworks, business practices, audiences and patterns of consumption
Learning Outcomes - Skills and Attributes: (Successful students will typically…)
describe, analyse and evaluate critically, as appropriate, current debates about narrative processes and
modes of representation at work in media and cultural texts
critically analyse and situate the products of the film and television industries in historical, global and
professional contexts
Further Detail related to the Learning Outcomes above
initiate, develop and realise a sustained critical enquiry or media research project in an appropriate topic of study, germane to
their film and television practice
utilise a range of research and critical evaluation skills including the location and evaluation of materials, and ideas of
ownership, citation and reference
frame appropriate questions, formulate arguments cogently and draw independent conclusions.
communicate arguments effectively using digital technologies to present texts and images
manage their own learning, work flexibly, creatively and independently, showing self-direction and reflexivity