EDU72100 Postgraduate Preparation: Referencing Exercise Task 3

This assignment solution addresses a referencing exercise from SCU College's EDU72100 Postgraduate Preparation course. The task requires students to incorporate in-text references, including direct and indirect quotes, to enhance the credibility of a given paragraph about pet ownership. The solution demonstrates the correct application of Harvard referencing style, including a complete reference list with entries from credible sources. A reflection is also included, explaining the rationale behind the chosen references and how they contribute to the academic rigor of the work. The assignment emphasizes the importance of research skills and proper citation techniques within academic writing, providing a practical example of how to support claims with evidence from scholarly sources.

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EDU72100 REFERENCING EXERCISE – TASK 3
The following paragraph needs in-text references to make it academic and credible. To
demonstrate your research and referencing skills, you must research and include
information relevant to the paragraph below. This should include three articles from the
SCU library database (e.g. ProQuest)
(Source: Pixnio)
TASK PARAGRAPH – Copy this paragraph and also include two in-text references in
appropriate places to add support to the information.
Many people, in Australia and other countries, now have at least one pet. While dogs and
cats are the most common pet, birds, guinea pigs, rats, mice, lizards, and snakes are also
quite popular. Research has found that having a pet has numerous benefits. Pets provide
companionship, especially for people living alone or in isolated, remote communities. Pets
also encourage responsibility in children. Cuddling or patting your pet can relieve stress and
help people to feel more affectionate and empathic. It has even been found that pets can
sometimes detect physical illness, such as cancer, in their owners!
Copy the paragraph and include a direct and indirect quote where you feel they are
required to make the paragraph more academic in style. Include at least one synthesised
reference (two or more references used together to support the same point).
Make sure to provide a references list in correct Harvard style, on the final page.
Many people, in Australia and other countries, now have at least one pet. While dogs and
cats are the most common pet, birds, guinea pigs, rats, mice, lizards, and snakes are also
quite popular (Russo et al. 2017). Research has found that having a pet has numerous
benefits. Pets provide companionship, especially for people living alone or in isolated,
remote communities. The pets encourage and provide the scope for engagement within the
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community as well as the assists interaction among people (Hayden-
Evans, Milbourn and Netto 2018). Pets also encourage responsibility
in children. Cuddling or patting your pet can relieve stress and help people to feel more
affectionate and empathic (Adams et al. 2017; Hayden-Evans, Milbourn and Netto 2018).
“The animals are not considered dangerous for the child’s health and they are perceived to
have a role in improving relationship capacities and responsibility” (Russo et al. 2017). It has
even been found that pets can sometimes detect physical illness, such as cancer, in their
owners!
EDU72100 Postgraduate Preparation, July 2018 V.1 ©SCU College, CRICOS Provider 01241G

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REFLECTION:
Write a reflection of 150 words to explain why you chose your two in-text references and
how they improved the credibility of the paragraph.
The in-text references were chosen on the basis of the credibility of the information that
was presented in the sources. The sources that were cited for the enhancement of the
credibility of the paragraph were journal articles that had been published by various
reputed publishing houses. The information that has been shared through the article finds
its credibility in the sources that have been cited by the authors of the articles. The sources
of information are considered to be reliable sources of information due to the fact that the
information was collected through the process of surveys and interviews. The authenticity
of the data within the articles can be determined through the evidences that have been
cited by the authors of the concerned articles that have been considered for the citations.
The peer-reviewed nature of the article also serves as a judgement factor for determining
the authenticity of the information.
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References
Adams, T., Clark, C., Crowell, V., Duffy, K., Green, M., McEwen, S., Wrape, A. and Hammonds, F.,
2017. The mental health benefits of having dogs on college campuses. Modern Psychological
Studies, 22(2), p.7.
Hayden-Evans, M., Milbourn, B. and Netto, J., 2018. ‘Pets provide meaning and purpose’: a
qualitative study of pet ownership from the perspectives of people diagnosed with borderline
personality disorder. Advances in Mental Health, 16(2), pp.152-162.
Russo, N., Vergnano, D., Bergero, D. and Prola, L., 2017. Small pilot survey on parents’ perception of
the relationship between children and pets. Veterinary sciences, 4(4), p.52.
EDU72100 Postgraduate Preparation, July 2018 V.1 ©SCU College, CRICOS Provider 01241G

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Rubric
Limited – 0.5 Adequate – 1.0 Good
In-text reference Attempted but largely
inappropriate or
incorrect – 0.5
Attempted but some
inappropriacies or
errors – 1.0
Completed
appropriately without
error – 1.5
Reflection Attempted but largely
inappropriate or
incorrect. – 0.5
Attempted but some
inappropriacies or
errors – 1.0
Completed
appropriately without
error – 1.5
Reference section Attempted but largely
inappropriate or
incorrect. – 0.5
Attempted but some
inappropriacies or
errors – 1.0
Completed
appropriately without
error – 2.0
EDU72100 Postgraduate Preparation, July 2018 V.1 ©SCU College, CRICOS Provider 01241G