Instructions for Week 5 researching and writing workshop

This week you will learn some basic skills to help you research and write your essay. Please
read through the following documents/web pages:

Section 1: APA style

1) How to reference in APA (American Psychological Association) style – The required
style for a majority of scientific journals. Read through the brief introduction (3
pages) from the UNSW library website:
a. https://student.unsw.edu.au/american-psychological-association-apa-
referencing-system
b. https://student.unsw.edu.au/different-text-citations-apa-referencing
c. https://student.unsw.edu.au/list-references-apa-referencing
2) Another resource on APA style provided by the Sydney University psychology
department should also be read:
a. http://www.psych.usyd.edu.au/current_students/writing_guides/referencing
A.shtml
3) How to decide upon appropriate sources to inform and support your research:
a. http://www.psych.usyd.edu.au/current_students/writing_guides/sources.sht
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Section 2: How to find research articles

1) The guide on how to use the UNSW library website to find research articles should
be read.
a. Open: “How to research.pdf” available on moodle for this week.

Section 3: How to write

1) The guide on how to write should be read.
a. Open: “Writing Workshop.pdf” available on moodle for this week.

In addition to reading these documents/websites, you should try and apply what you have
learnt about how to write in science to other scientific writing and see if it meets the
standards proposed to you in this week’s materials. Ask yourself if the writing is clear and
accessible to the intended audience? Are the arguments valid and sound? Is there
appropriate evidence cited to support the claims made in the writing?
As suggested place to look is the ABC science news website e.g.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/tag/browse.htm?topic=latest&tag=health
Post your thoughts and findings on the forum and discuss them with other students if you
find any interesting articles that you agree or disagree with. Discussion and application of
the material in this week’s tutorial to other scientific writing should help develop your
understanding of scientific thinking.