University Report: Research and Referencing in Skills Module, Sem 1

This report delves into the essential aspects of research and referencing, crucial for academic and scholarly work. It evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of various information sources, including textbooks, internet search engines, TV programs, and newspapers. The report explains key features of copyright laws that impact research, such as exceptions and international copyright, while also addressing the issues of plagiarism and copyright infringement of electronic materials. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for referencing, outlining conventional systems like APA and Harvard, and demonstrates how to reference different sources, including books, journals, internet sources, and newspapers. The report concludes by summarizing the importance of ethical research practices and the role of referencing in providing evidence and credibility to research findings.

Skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of researching information from various sources.
.....................................................................................................................................................1
2.1 Explain two key features of copyright laws that affect researching information..................1
2.2 Discuss the issues relating to plagiarism and copyright of electronic materials...................2
3.1 Explain the need to reference and identify two conventional systems of referencing..........2
3.2 Reference sources of information within a document using four of the following types of
resource.......................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
The present report emphasize on researching and referencing which is being used by an
researcher, learner, scholar or a writer. The project provides knowledge about effectiveness of
researching information from various informative sources. It also describes essential key features
of copyright laws which influences researching information. Furthermore, it describes about
issues of plagiarism and need of referencing.
TASK 1
1.1 Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of researching information from various sources.
Every investigator or scholar requires to gather information from various sources in order
to enhance their knowledge over the specific topic effectively (Quinlan and et. al., 2019). The
main sources from where information is gathered are internet search engine, text book,
newspaper, professional journal, TV/ radio programs and college VLE. Effective and efficiency
of researching information from these sources are stated as below:
Textbook: It has been analysed that effectiveness of researching information from
textbook is that it owes authentic and refined information which provides valuable learning
experience to individual.
Internet search engine: From this source individual have wide options from where they
can grab information free of cost. Internet also allow individual to gain information on every
possible topic in less period of time.
TV: There are numerous of TV program which are mainly developed for providing
information about various topic to the individuals that are helpful for them in improving their
knowledge on social as well as scholar perspective.
Newspaper: This source is especially developed for providing information to
individuals. It can be said that from newspaper individual can easily find out effective and
valuable information (Pears and Shields, 2016).
2.1 Explain two key features of copyright laws that affect researching information
Copyrights refers to the legal right which mainly protects work or an idea of an
individual that has already expressed. As per the current state of United Kingdom, it can be said
that Copyrights law in UK is Designs and Patents Act 1988. This act basically protects work of
an individual for longer period of time. In context of researching information, it can be said that
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there are two main features which influences researching process. These two features are stated
as below:
 Exception: It is the main and one among the best feature of copyright law which is
beneficial for individual in researching information (Oswald, 2015). According to this
feature, researcher is allowed to take information from the work of any author without
taking their permission.
 International copyright: According to this feature, individuals are allowed to take
information from the work of foreign authors. This benefits allows them to grab
maximum possible information from the available sources.
2.2 Discuss the issues relating to plagiarism and copyright of electronic materials
Plagiarism is basically seen as the act of fraud in which individual copy work of someone
else and paste in its own work. This copied work is further passed out by telling others that it is
done by them only. The main issues related to plagiarism and copyright for scholar or
investigator are stated as below:
 The first and foremost issue related to plagiarism for scholar is that if in case the person
is caught then there are probable chances that their assignment might be rejected or
cancelled in college.
 In context of researcher, if the individual caught then actual owner of content might take
legal action on the individual which might spoil their career.
3.1 Explain the need to reference and identify two conventional systems of referencing
Reference within an investigation plays a crucial role as it provide the evidence to the
particular research that has been performed. In addition to this it also provide an address to the
link or sources through which the information has been gathered in order to present the answer to
the related issues that has been asked. References are very essential for a scholar as it help them
in evidencing and proofing that the information provided by them in investigation is true and has
been gathered from authenticated sources and will not misrepresent data in any manner (Eriksson
and Kovalainen, 2015).
Conventional system of referencing is usually refers to the style or pattern which is
basically used for presenting references. The most commonly used style of referencing by
scholars are APA and Harvard referencing. Among them Harvard referencing is the citation style
that are partially citated and author name and years are enclosed within parenthesis and
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embedded in text. On other side APA is official style of American Psychological Association
and used to cite the sources in education, psychology and social science.
3.2 Reference sources of information within a document using four of the following types of
resource
For completing this project, learner have used various sources and documents for
providing more valuable information (Flick, 2015). Some of the main documents which have
been used by individuals are stated as below:
Books: Individuals can gain information from subjective books as it contains various
topics.
Journal: It is the record of activities which are helpful for individual so that information
for the particular topic can be achieved.
Internet sources: Online sources refers to the material which is identified on internet.
These internet sources mainly contains information on every thing which could be related to
newspaper, television, magazine, journals, books and many other things (Sekaran and Bougie,
2016). It can be said that internet sources are the most useful sources from where individual can
gain information in effective manner.
Newspaper: Newspaper is sum-up of news, advertisement, articles etc. based on social
issues or other informative information.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report, it has been analysed that researching is considered as
the effective activity which allows an individual to collect required information from different
but trustable sources. It has been identified that the Textbook, TV, Newspaper and Internet
search engine are the main sources through which an individual can collect valuable information.
Along with this, it has been further analysed that the main feature of copyright law are exception
and international copyrights which are helpful for them in gaining information from authentic
sources without legal barrier. It can be said that by following all amendments of legal laws
individual can find out valuable information which contributes in completion of their project in
effective manner.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Quinlan, C., and et. al., 2019. Business research methods. South Western Cengage.
Pears, R. and Shields, G. J., 2016. Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. Palgrave
Macmillan.
Oswald, S., 2015. Binding energy referencing for XPS in alkali metal-based battery materials
research (I): Basic model investigations. Applied Surface Science, 351, pp.492-503.
Eriksson, P. and Kovalainen, A., 2015. Qualitative methods in business research: A practical
guide to social research. Sage.
Flick, U., 2015. Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
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