Academic Research and Writing: Skills Development Report - Semester 1

This report analyzes academic research and writing, focusing on two research items: "The Craft of Research" and "How to Improve your Academic Writing." The report explores interesting aspects of each item, such as referencing, grammar, and common word usage errors. It identifies critical information points for each item's importance, including the differentiation between general and specialized references and the importance of reasoning in academic writing. The second part of the report provides a reflective outline, detailing learning experiences and how the module contributed to personal and professional development in research and writing. The report emphasizes the importance of research, effective referencing, and academic writing skills for students pursuing academic excellence and future professional prospects.

ACADEMIC
RESEARCH AND
WRITING

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART 1............................................................................................................................................1
Aspects that were interesting about two research items.........................................................1
Three points of information that are critical for item’s importance.......................................2
PART 2............................................................................................................................................3
Reflective Outline...................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Academic research and writing is an effective area of study and practice which is
associated with performing research as well as indulging into academic writing for a range of
modules and reports (Badenhorst and et. al., 2015). It is an imperative aspect to be followed by
an individual to gather academic excellence and future professional prospects. Hence, in this
context, the report is divided into two parts, where Part 1 of the project is related to a research
report, over two research items, whereas Part 2 of the assignment is related to reflective outline
of the project.
PART 1
Aspects that were interesting about two research items
Item 1: The Craft of Research
This very item is associated with how best an individual could plan and execute research
and it ranges from selection of a topic to its referencing and citations within various documents
as per the requirements. Hence, there are several aspects which develop interests within this item
and reflect its usefulness. For instance, one thing which I found interesting is associated with
screening resources which are associated with referencing (Booth and et, al., 2003). The reason
of why I found this particular aspect interesting is that authentication of reference is very crucial
to ensure that the information presented in the report is relevant, as well as could be backed up. it
is highly useful for my studies and development as using a range of techniques for sourcing the
reference would allow me to explore a range of authentic resources which would make my
reports even more professional in nature which would allow me excel within my future career.
Furthermore,
Item 2: How to Improve your Academic Writing
As for this item, it was associated with enhancing effectiveness in terms of academic
writing in an effective and professional manner. There were certain things that were very much
interesting about this item, as it was subjected towards achieving excellence and professionalism
in crafting research and academic reports. As an example, the item focuses on the key aspects
which individuals tend to forget while indulging in academic writing, which is punctuation.
What is interesting in this item is that it allows individuals to analyse the wrong application of
punctuation and grammar, which is interesting as usually items like these have an opposite
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approach. It would definitely be an effective contributor within my academic and professional
excellence as I would be learning how not to use aspects like grammar and punctuations in a
wrongful way that would provide me to prepare my reports with better understanding, structure
and in a professional outlook. Another thing which I found pretty much interesting about this
item is that the insight which it gives towards words that are often confused by people with one
another (Flowerdew, 2015). The reason for finding this item interesting is that it is one of the
most common mistakes which are not being effectively taught or informed and hence, they lose
the track of correct usage of specific words. Therefore, its contribution towards the my studies
and overall development is that I could build in better arguments or present my information in a
subtle manner knowing what these words could be and how best to apply them to ensure that the
information presented by me is correctly interpreted.
Three points of information that are critical for item’s importance
Item 1: The Craft of Research:
There are certain arguments and information which critical to be determined to reflect on
the item’s importance (Ghufron and Saleh, 2016). Hence, some of the arguments within the same
are explored below:
 The very first argument that is considered critical to this item’s importance is that it
differentiates between general and specialised references. It is important because it
outlines the instances where particular reference is required to be used, which is very
critical to be taken into account to enhance the viability of reports.
 Another crucial information which is critical for the item’s importance is related to its
guidance associated with the overall process of referencing, which is crucial to reflect the
item’s importance as this allows a detailed and sequential approach towards enhancement
of relevance of data used within the academic writing.
 The third point of argument lies within the item’s information related to consideration of
ethics while using people as primary sources of information. This is crucial and critical as
there are several instances where researchers have forgotten the role of ethics while
collecting information from other individuals and thus, it reflects the importance of this
item in a prominent manner.
Item 2: How to Improve your Academic Writing:
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 A prominent argument critical to this item’s importance is that it allows re-familiarisation
of individuals towards basic parts of speech (How to Improve Your Academic Writing,
2020). This means that it takes the people back to basics to allow them towards
understanding the basics of speech again that provides them an opportunity towards
furnishing their knowledge.
 Another argument in relation to this item is associated with the emphasis of this item
towards the importance of reasoning within information presented. There are several
examples which the book showcases how improvements could be made within structures
and referencing which allows building better reasoning (Cumming, Lai and Cho, 2016).
 There are several useful tips as well that are about the basic rules which individuals must
follow in light of preparing and crafting their reports to build up the argument and enable
them towards professionally presenting the same. This information about this item is too
critical to be understood and analysed by students to increase the potential and
effectiveness of their academic writing.
PART 2
Reflective Outline
This section of the report covers details about what has been learnt during the module and
how does it contribute towards excelling within the areas of interests, Moreover, this section also
highlights how the learning during this module enables personal and professional development in
an appropriate manner.
There are several things which I personally learnt while working in this module. The first
aspect was clearly related to the research area, which I realised is an area of precision and
importance. The reason for this is because the relevance and authentication of the written
communication is clearly dependent on the same. I learnt that there are multiple ways in which a
person could find credible resources from a range of primary and secondary sources of
information. Moreover, I also learnt the importance of effective referencing and citations that
are imperative towards making the reports even better and highly professional in nature. In
addition to this, knowledge about sourcing information from internet in this era of digitalisation
has also been acquired by me throughout the module. Moreover, in terms of academic writing,
the module provided me a stepwise and sequential approach towards dealing with this concept
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and improvises my writing. I learnt that there is a range of mistakes and ineffective aspects that
might reduce the relevance or effectiveness of the report and hence, is crucial to be identified and
worked upon in an appropriate manner. In addition to this, I also learnt that how I could use
words and phrases in a manner which provides meaning and ensures effective perception of my
information without being misinterpreted.
All the specific types of learning acquired through this module are very important to me as
well as towards my areas of interests as I am quite inclined towards researching about different
topics and preparing academic reports related to the same. Hence, the information I acquired in
relation to sourcing, referencing and citations are quite valuable towards adopting these interests
professionally as well within the future. Moreover, as for academic writing, preparation of
writing structures in various forms and scope is required by an individual throughout their
academic and professional lives within different scopes and magnitude. Therefore, academic
writing is hence very crucial and important in contributing towards enhancement of my
knowledge in terms of written communication. My interests too highlight drafting of reports and
other formal structures upon which this item has been highly imperative.
Thus, this part appropriately highlights the learning gained from this module and within
the items mentioned below. Therefore, it could be stated that research and academic writing are
crucial for individuals to enhance their competence towards presenting their information as
desired within the academic and professional standards (Quinlan and et. al., 2019).
CONCLUSION
Thus, it could be concluded from the report above that academic research and writing
allows individuals to enhance the meaning, relevance and authentication of their research reports.
Along with this, it is necessary that effective research items are analysed on the basis of how
important they have been towards enhancing the knowledge of individuals, as well as what are
the areas of interests within the same. Moreover, it is also crucial to understand and determine
relevant arguments that are critical to these items to reflect upon their importance. Lastly, it is
crucial to indulge within personal reflection which would provide an opportunity towards
reflecting upon the learning and analysing the importance of aforementioned concepts and how
they contribute in academic and professional effectiveness.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Badenhorst, C., and et. al., 2015. Beyond deficit: Graduate student research-writing
pedagogies. Teaching in Higher Education. 20(1). pp.1-11.
Booth, W.C., and et, al., 2003. The craft of research. University of Chicago press.
Cumming, A., Lai, C. and Cho, H., 2016. Students' writing from sources for academic purposes:
A synthesis of recent research. Journal of English for Academic purposes. 23. pp.47-58.
Flowerdew, L., 2015. Using corpus-based research and online academic corpora to inform
writing of the discussion section of a thesis. Journal of English for Academic
Purposes. 20. pp.58-68.
Ghufron, M.A. and Saleh, M., 2016. Designing a model of research paper writing instructional
materials for academic writing course: Textbook evaluation. Language Circle: Journal of
Language and Literature. 10(2). pp.113-123.
Quinlan, C., et. al., 2019. Business research methods. South Western Cengage.
Online
How to Improve Your Academic Writing. 2020. [Online] Available Through:
<https://www.academia.edu/7189008/How_to_improve_your_academic_writing>
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