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What is an essay?

The word 'essay' comes from the Latin word 'exagium', meaning the presentation of a case.

When you write an essay you are making a case for a particular point of view, analysis, interpretation, or set of facts or procedures.

There are many types of essays. Some of the more common types are listed below.

Although the types of essays differ, they all have the common objective of presenting and defending a topic or stance to the reader.

Essay structure

An essay is typically made up of an introduction, body, and conclusion. The number and length of paragraphs within your essay is dictated by the word count allowed for your essay.

Follow this structure to write your essay.

The "premise" of each body paragraph is a different main point that supports your overall argument. Each premise needs to be backed up by credible evidence, and supported by explanations of what each point means, and how it relates to the broader topic. Making sure these premises relate to each other is vital to ensuring your essay flows logically, and makes sense to your reader.

Paragraph structure

Work through these activities to look at paragraph and essay structure.

The middle paragraphs support your thesis statement and build up the argument of your essay. Once you have developed your argument through the middle paragraphs, you are better able to write an opening paragraph (the introduction) that introduces your argument to the reader.

A middle or body paragraph's structure is similar to the overall essay structure, with the middle sentences forming the body of the paragraph. Click on the options below to look at the typical structure of a body paragraph.

Note: There may be more or less than three middle sentences in your body paragraphs.

Example body paragraph

Throughout your essay assignment you will be integrating the work of others, and citing your sources appropriately. For more information on how to do this effectively, check our our Citing in your writing or Writing with integrity programs.

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Reflective Writing Guide - What? So What? Now What?

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Reflective Writing Guide - What? So What? Now What?

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As a critical reader, you need to be able to develop your own ideas about what you read. Don't just accept that everything you read is completely accurate or the only way of discussing an idea.

Here are some ways you can improve your critical reading skills:

Question as you read

Approach reading with a list of questions you can use to evaluate the information.

Questions you can ask include:

Is the research objective? Is there any evidence of bias?

What do the numbers that are quoted actually mean? Consider absolute numbers as percentages and vice versa (e.g. does 8 out of 10 sound as impressive as 80%?).

Are the results meaningful and useful, or is it difficult to see how the results could be used or applied?

Have other writers or researchers found similar patterns? Have the results of research been replicated?

Did the study look at long-term effects or were only short-term results reported?

Could there be other reasons for the findings other than those the researcher states?

Are there any parts of the research process that were not well described or were not considered? Are there any omissions or gaps in the research process or thinking?

Look for links

Think about how the information you're reading relates to:

your existing knowledge, or

other texts or authors.

This will help you to:

identify similar ideas even when they sound different

contextualise the information so you're better able to form opinions on what you've read.

Evaluate the argument

To critically evaluate the content of an argument, you can:

assess the strengths and weaknesses of the argument

analyse the components of the argument (e.g. facts, ideas and claims)

evaluate how the text has been organised

examine the credibility of the evidence used to develop the arguments, how the author has analysed the material, and whether their conclusions are logical

consider how the ideas can be applied in practice or what the problems may be.

Assess the source of the information

To evaluate the text's appropriateness and quality as a research source consider the:

author's credentials, such as their institutional affiliations, educational background, past work and experience

publication date, including whether there are more recent editions of the text, or other texts that provide more up-to-date information

scope

intended audience

writing style and general quality.

Identify gaps and bias

To help identify gaps and bias in a text, identify information that is presented with little or no explanation or evidence. Look out for:

generalisations

assumptions

opinions (even from experts)

selective inclusion of evidence that only supports a particular point of view

words that may indicate the author is overstating or making unjustified assumptions (e.g. plainly, obviously, undeniably, naturally, as you will agree, there is no doubt, it has to be admitted, clearly).

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As a critical reader, you need to be able to develop your own ideas about what you read. Don't just accept that everything you read is completely accurate or the only way of discussing an idea. Here are some ways you can improve your critical reading skills: Approach reading with a list of questions you can use to evaluate the information.

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A friendly reminder about applying for extensions.

The applications are determined by a separate office in the School of Education. They are not determined by your Unit Coordinator, nor by your tutor. We have no say in granting your extension.

If you think that you may be impacted by something that comes under the Extensions policy, then please get your application in ASAP.

COVID-19 - Curtin Uni is sincerely seeking to assist students going through this tough time; so if you find that you are having problems meeting a deadline due to the pandemic, please do not be shy about asking for an extension.

Usually applications for extension are only accepted before assessment deadline. The only exception to this rule is if you can show circumstances that prevented you from doing so (e.g. accident, sudden illness); you then have up to 5 working days after the assessment deadline.

Unit Coordinator contact:  vanessa.digiulio@curtin.edu.au (or your allocated Tutor) - for any matters related the unit content, assessments or unit materials etc.

Student Wellbeing contact: studentwellbeing@curtin.edu.au - for help and support with personal or urgent matters.

SoE Help contact: SoEhelp@curtin.edu.au - for help with the School of Education, advice for your units and course, and any other academic needs.

OUA contact: OUA for help with OUA matters - specifically your student advisor for OUA (you should have their email in a Welcome email or can search through the OUA website for general help).

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Extensions, Appeals and Policy

Extensions:

All assessment extensions are governed by the guidelines contained in the Curtin University Student Assessment and Progression policy (see policy document below). If an extension to an assessment due date is needed, this can only be provided through a formal Assessment Extension request.

Assessment extensions can be submitted using the online form available here. Please note that the form will be available from Monday 5 August 2019.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application via the Official Communications Channel (OCC) within five working days. The OCC in OASIS is separate from your student email, please see the OASIS help pages for information on using the Official Communications Channel (OCC).

Appeals:

If you have received your mark for an individual assessment task and you wish to request a review, this form must be sent as an email attachment to your lecturer or tutor. If you have sent it and received no response after two business days, you should then forward your original email and form to your Unit Co-ordinator

Form: Request for Review of Assessment

Policy:

The link below is the Assessment and Student Progression Manual - it contains details about assessment policy, appeals processes and other details relevant to your assessment and progression through your course.

Policy document: Assessment and Student Progression Manual

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School of Education - Essential Forms, Policies and Processes - Curtin OUA - School of Education

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Extensions, Appeals and Policy Extensions: All assessment extensions are governed by the guidelines contained in the Curtin University Student Assessment and Progression policy (see policy document below). If an extension to an assessment due date is needed, this can only be provided through a formal Assessment Extension request.

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So how does one go about finding academic journals to use to research for your learning journal assignment?

There are many ways to find journals, but here is one of them.

A good tip is to use Google scholar first and get the exact title. Otherwise, some searches do not yield the results we need.

Here are some tips for using ProQuest:

Click on the tab ‘Library’

Click ‘Databases’ on the right hand side.

Then you'll be asked to log in again to agree with conditions of use (use your standard login details).

Click on ProQuest

Make sure you have the ‘Advanced’ tab open.

Type in your key term(s) (e.g. hidden curriculum ).

Click on the drop down menu arrow for date range.

Select after this date. On the right hand side of after this date, type in 01/01/2010 (because you don’t really want articles that are more than 10 years old – the newer the better).

Click in the box ‘Limit results to scholarly journals, including peer reviewed.

Click the green search button.

Using the key terms obstacles learning might result in 2 articles.

Choose one of the articles.

Below the entry you will see ‘References’. If you click on this link it will show you the references used in this article and any references which you can click onto find the original article.

Please note that the referencing does not adhere to APA standards. As always, you will need to refer to the APA7th guide to correctly reference any sources you use within your assessments.

Please note that the reference link for these articles in your reference list is just this and not the whole link that comes up

http://proquest.umi.com.dbqw.lis.curtin.edu.au/

Found any good journal articles for assessments? Where? How? What search terms did you use? Share your experience here!

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https://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/uniskills/referencing/apa7

- A printable/saveable version of the APA7th Referencing Guide

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Introduction

APA 7th is an author-date referencing style used across a broad range of subject areas. It is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.

This guide is primarily for students completing assignments at Curtin University. If you are publishing (e.g. journal article, PhD), please consult the above publication as the examples provided here may differ slightly from the requirements outlined in the official style guide.
What is referencing?
Referencing is a standardised method of acknowledging sources of information that you have used in your assignments or research, in a way that uniquely identifies the source. It is not only necessary for avoiding plagiarism, but also for supporting your ideas and arguments.

Printable referencing guide

Download and use this guide to the APA 7th referencing style including examples for in-text citations and reference list entries.

Download and use this guide to see an example of a reference list produced in the APA 7th style.

Guide to referencing figures and tables

Learn how to reference tables and figures (graphs, charts, maps, drawings or photographs) in the APA 7th style.

Note on assignment formatting

Please check your unit outline/Blackboard for assignment formatting requirements (such as fonts, headers, spacing, word counts etc.) and assignment cover sheets. PhD and Masters by research students should consult the relevant publication manual for formatting information.

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LibGuides: APA 7th Referencing UniSkills: Introduction

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Need help with your Assignments? This link will help you with:
- Analysing
- Finding Articles/Research
- Reading Skills
- Writing
- Citing and Paraphrasing

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- The Discussion Board is designed to facilitate a Study Group atmosphere. Every forum is open to post questions or respond to other students. This is your online studying world and your virtual classroom. Start a chat or say hello!

- You can create a personal Study Group in the Discussion Board. Simply click "Create Thread" and write a post about creating a Study Group in your area or any criteria you like.

- There are other ways to create or join an existing Study Group outside of the Discussion Board. Social media or technologies such as Google Groups or Zoom can connect you to each other. This is not monitored by Curtin University as this is outside of our domain. However, the student Code of Conduct still applies for all public discussions relating to Curtin University, unit content, assessments or other matters that are linked with Curtin University.

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School of Education Help Email - soehelp@curtin.edu.au

- send an email if you need help with extension applications, general student admin, withdrawals, appeals etc.

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#1 public uni in WA for graduate employment

Curtin has achieved five-star ratings across six categories in the 2021 Good Universities Guide, including teaching quality, starting salary, skill development, learning resources, learner engagement and overall experience.

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1 public uni in WA for graduate employment Curtin has achieved five-star ratings across six categories in the 2021 Good Universities Guide, including teaching quality, starting salary, skill development, learning resources, learner engagement and overall experience.

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Did you know that you have access to free 24/7 personalised tutoring?

Studiosity is an online writing and study skills service.

All Curtin students can access Studiosity for 24/7 study help, with two services on offer:

Writing Feedback gives you constructive, confidential writing feedback. You can upload a draft any time and a writing specialist will send it back with comments, suggestions and encouragement for how you can improve their work.

Connect Live offers one-to-one, personal help in real time. Friendly subject specialists are available to help you with tricky study questions in maths, science, stats, English, assignment research and more.

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Feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start with an assignment? Get writing feedback or chat with an expert 24/7 with Studiosity!

What is Studiosity?

Studiosity is an online writing and study skills service. All Curtin students can access Studiosity for 24/7 study help, with two services on offer:

Writing Feedback gives you constructive, confidential writing feedback. You can upload a draft any time and a writing specialist will send it back with comments, suggestions and encouragement for how you can improve their work.

Connect Live offers one-to-one, personal help in real time. Friendly subject specialists are available to help you with tricky study questions in maths, science, stats, English, assignment research and more.

You can access Studiosity through Blackboard. Click on the Students menu at the top of the page and you will find it under Library Resources.

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Feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start with an assignment? Get writing feedback or chat with an expert 24/7 with Studiosity! What is Studiosity? Studiosity is an online writing and study skills service. All Curtin students can access Studiosity for 24/7 study help, with two services on off ...

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Perhaps the most important part of your online learning is the contributions you make to discussions. It is through these online discussions with your peers that a lot of your learning takes place: this is where you discuss the readings, offer your opinions, ask questions and respond to other student's views. While a tutor will often be available to respond to questions and offer ideas, they are not there to teach but rather to guide. Online discussions are designed to:

1. Encourage critical analysis and debate of the course material.

2. Provide you with experience in communicating in an online environment.

Access our help guides to find more information about how to use discussion boards in Blackboard. You can also use the notifications dashboard to stay on track with what's happening in your unit.

In addition to your student email and online discussion areas within your Blackboard units, you may also communicate with staff and students through a number of other channels including social media.

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Using discussion boards - Current Students

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Perhaps the most important part of your online learning is the contributions you make to discussions. It is through these online discussions with your peers that a lot of your learning takes place: this is where you discuss the readings, offer your opinions, ask questions and respond to other student's views.

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Curtin Student Wellbeing -
- You can access this service as an online/distance student and there are no fees involved.
- Simply email at: studentwellbeing@curtin.edu.au
For further information about this service:
https://students.curtin.edu.au/personal-support/counselling-guidance/wellbeing/

- send an email if you're struggling with online studying, general study issues or need any kind of help or support.

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#1 public uni in WA for graduate employment

Curtin has achieved five-star ratings across six categories in the 2021 Good Universities Guide, including teaching quality, starting salary, skill development, learning resources, learner engagement and overall experience.

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1 public uni in WA for graduate employment Curtin has achieved five-star ratings across six categories in the 2021 Good Universities Guide, including teaching quality, starting salary, skill development, learning resources, learner engagement and overall experience.

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FAQ for Academic Integrity at Curtin

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Academic integrity at its core is about honesty and responsibility and is fundamental to Curtin's expectations of you. This means that all of your work at Curtin should be your own and it should be underpinned by integrity, which means to act ethically, honestly and with fairness.

As a Curtin student you are part of an academic community and you are asked to uphold the University's Code of Conduct, principles of academic integrity, and Curtin's five core values of integrity, respect, courage, excellence and impact during your studies.

You are also expected to uphold the Student Charter and recognise that cheating, plagiarism collusion, and falsification of data and other forms of academic dishonesty are not acceptable.
Learn about Curtin's required Academic Integrity Program
New to Curtin students

You are considered to be a New to Curtin student if you are enrolled in:

a Higher Degree by Research course prior to the successful attainment of candidacy; or

in all other cases:

1. have not yet successfully completed the designated academic integrity unit (or appropriate alternative); or

2. have completed fewer than 50 credit points of study at Curtin; or

3. are currently enrolled in an enabling program.

As a New to Curtin student, academic breaches may be classified an Academic Integrity Warning, where you receive advice rather than misconduct.

It is important that you learn the skills to avoid plagiarism and collusion early in your studies because if you are not New to Curtin, academic integrity breaches will be considered misconduct, which attracts penalties and shows on your academic record.

As a New to Curtin student, these actions may be classified an academic integrity warning, which is not considered to be academic misconduct.

Your designated academic integrity unit, taken in your first study period, will help you learn appropriate acknowledgement skills relevant to your discipline.

Curtin recognises that new students who are unfamiliar with the conventions of academic writing can sometimes unintentionally plagiarise or collude on assessments. This may happen if you inadequately acknowledge resources or collaborate with other students when an assessment should be done individually.

An Academic Integrity Warning may be used to assign a New to Curtin student an educative action when the student has:

1. inadequately paraphrased or included inconsistent acknowledgement of sources or both; or

2. collaborated with others in an assessment task beyond that which is considered reasonable by the Unit Coordinator.

The Management of Academic Integrity Warnings for New to Curtin Students Procedure outlines academic breaches for New to Curtin students.

Academic breaches for students that are no longer considered New to Curtin are managed as misconduct.

What is academic misconduct?

Academic misconduct refers to conduct by a student that is dishonest or unfair in connection with any academic work.

Academic work means

1. During any exam, test or other supervised assessment activity;

2. In relation to the preparation or presentation of any assessed item or work; and/or

3. In relation to the conduct of research or any other similar academic activity.

Allegations of misconduct are managed in accordance with Statute 10: Student Discipline. The student conduct guide for students helps explain the process if you receive an allegation of misconduct.

You can confidentially report academic dishonesty through the Dixon Webform.

Types of academic misconduct

Presenting the work or property of another person as your own without appropriate acknowledgement or referencing.

Copying of sentences, paragraphs or creative products (in whole or in part) which are the work of other persons without due acknowledgment. Creative products include webpages, books, articles, theses, unpublished works, working papers, seminar and conference papers, internal reports, lecture notes or recordings, computer files, images or video

Too closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs or themes without due acknowledgment

Using another person's work (including words, music, creative or visual artefacts, computer source code, designs, problem solutions or ideas)

In the case of collaborative group projects, falsely representing the individual contributions of the collaborating partners

Submitting work which has been produced by someone else - including friends, family or a paid contracting service (This is known as contract cheating, assessment outsourcing or ghost writing.)

Submitting one's own previously assessed or published work for assessment or publication elsewhere, without appropriate acknowledgement (self-plagiarism)

Using language translation or paraphrasing services (either online or contracted) to disguise original source text (cross-lingual or back translation plagiarism, and spinning)

Acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage. Examples include:

Cheating in an exam, test or supervised assessment activity.

Considered Academic Misconduct:

Being in possession of unauthorised materials

Having a mobile phone or other electronic device in an examination or testing environment

Copying answers from another person or permitting another student to copy answers

Exchanging notes, talking or communicating with another student in an examination or test

Improperly obtaining prior knowledge of an examination or test paper and using that knowledge in the examination or test or providing that information to a student(s) who are yet to undertake the examination or test

Considered General Misconduct:

Removing an examination paper from an examination room when it is specified that the paper is not to be retained by the student; storing or sharing an examination paper that was illegally obtained

Disrupting an examination or assessment activity in any way

Impersonating a student in an examination or arranging for another to impersonate, take or complete the assessment on your behalf.

Cheating in an assessment or other assessable work:

Submitting written or creative work which has been drafted or produced by someone else - including friends, family or a paid contracting service (this is known as contract cheating, assessment outsourcing or ghost writing) and claiming authorship for it. This includes:

Allowing someone or an organisation to draft or complete an assessment task on your behalf

Contracting another person to do the work for you

Purchasing work from another source

Allowing or contracting another person to edit and substantially change your work.

Where students act together in relation to the preparation or presentation of any assessed item of work in a manner that is dishonest or unfair. Examples include:

Working with another person (colluding) when the assessment should be completed individually;

In the case of collaborative group projects, falsely representing the individual contributions of the collaborating group members.

Misrepresenting data within an assessment or within research. Examples include:

Fabrication is making up results and reporting them

Falsification is altering results so that the research is not accurately represented

Academic dishonesty that does not fall into the other misconduct categories.

Falsifying medical certificates for assessment extension.

How do I avoid academic breaches?

The AIP is an online program that will help you better understand academic integrity at Curtin. It's compulsory for all students beginning a new course. Learn more about the AIP.

It is important to learn the appropriate referencing style used within your course.

Referencing provides readers with information to determine where you have taken your ideas from, how widely you have read about the topic, and to decide how well you have understood the material and incorporated ideas into your own understanding. The Curtin library has a wide range of resources and workshops available to support you with writing, referencing, and other study skills.

EndNote is free software for students that can help you manage your references, automatically insert citations into your work, and generate a reference list.

See these resources for more detailed definitions of plagiarism, examples, and guidelines on how to avoid it:

Copyright is a legal concept which gives the creator of intellectual property a set of specific rights associated with their works. This means that you usually need their permission to copy, publish, communicate, adapt or publicly perform their works.

The library has created an information sheet for students. For more detailed definitions of copyright, examples, and guidelines on how to adhere to it see Curtin's copyright website.

Curtin subscribes to an electronic text matching service called Turnitin, which compares text in submitted students' work with text from a database of sources. The database contains copies of text from websites, in published works, in commercial databases and in assignments previously submitted to Turnitin by students from Curtin and other universities all over the world, including assignments from websites that sell student papers.

Academic integrity comics

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Academic integrity at its core is about honesty and responsibility and is fundamental to Curtin's expectations of you. This means that all of your work at Curtin should be your own and it should be underpinned by integrity, which means to act ethically, honestly and with fairness.

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Reading Strategies - resources to help you get through all the readings easily!

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Reading Strategies - resources to help you get through all the readings easily!

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To read intensively means to read carefully, ensuring understanding of important information and the author's argument. Unlike speed reading, when you're reading intensively you should carefully read the source in its entirety to ensure that you get the full picture. It is at this stage that you would make notes from the text, as your speed reading has established its relevance and appropriateness.

As you read, you should be actively thinking about what you are reading, keeping your assignment question and thesis statement at the forefront of your mind.

Critical reading

One strategy for intensive reading is critical reading, where you critically evaluate and analyse the author's argument as you read the text. Ahmad (2019, p. 60) describes the process as follows:
To be a critical reader means to read critically while as well as after reading (Blakesley & Hoogeveen, 2012) in order to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate what is read (Van Blerkom, 2012b). In contrast to literal and mechanic reading whose aim is to obtain knowledge (Ates, 2013), critical reading is to develop an analytical (Van Blerkom, 2012a) neutral comprehension of the text (Mayfield, 2014). It involves: distinguishing fact, opinion, and belief; questioning the author's intentions, argument, and word choice (Blakesley & Hoogeveen, 2012); and finding the conclusions based on the evidence the writer put forth (Abu Shihab, 2011). Therefore, it requires readers to comprehend not only the content of the text they are reading but also the context in which it was produced (Comber & Nixon, 2011). In brief, critical readers read beyond what was written to how and why it was written (Rog, 2012).
Watch the following video for 10 tips to help you approach critical reading.

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To read intensively means to read carefully, ensuring understanding of important information and the author's argument. Unlike speed reading, when you're reading intensively you should carefully read the source in its entirety to ensure that you get the full picture.

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Student email

When you are admitted to the university, you will be allocated a student email address. Your student email account (e.g. yourname@student.curtin.edu.au) is for your own private use and must not be confused with the Official Communications Channel (see below).

Your student email account is accessible via the My Email link on the welcome page in OASIS.

As all students at Curtin have a student email address, you will find it easier to stay in touch with your study groups, teaching staff, and other University contacts using your Curtin student email account. Your tutors and lecturers may also email class information, course details, or other information related to your studies at Curtin to your student email account, so be sure to check the service regularly.

Additional information about email quota and functionality is available via the student email help pages.

Official Communication Channel (OCC)

Curtin uses an Official Communication Channel (OCC) within OASIS that is separate from your student email. It is a separate electronic message system designed to replace official letters traditionally sent by post to students. It is your responsibility to check OCC messages at least once a week.

Additional information regarding the OCC is available via the OASIS help pages about navigating OASIS.

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Using student email and Official Communication Channel (OCC) - Current Students

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When you are admitted to the university, you will be allocated a student email address. Your student email account (e.g. yourname@student.curtin.edu.au) is for your own private use and must not be confused with the Official Communications Channel (see below). Your student email account is accessible via the My Email link on the welcome page in OASIS.

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Academic Integrity - Medical Certificates

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Academic Integrity - Medical Certificates

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Academic Integrity Cartoons - Plagiarism

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Academic Integrity Cartoons - Plagiarism

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When you submit a text-based assignment in Blackboard, it goes into Turnitin, which is a program that compares the text in your assignment with a database of online sources, textbooks, journal articles and other student assignments.

How Turnitin works

Turnitin produces an Originality Report which highlights the text in your assignment that matches or is similar to another source, and links to the original source. The report also includes a Similarity Index which is calculated as the number of highlighted words divided by the total number of words in your assignment. Be aware that Curtin does not define a 'safe' level for the Similarity Index, nor is there a level that signals that plagiarism has occurred. Turnitin does not distinguish between 'innocent matches' and those that may be considered plagiarism. For example, if a unit coordinator sets a question that all students must answer, likely that question text will match in all of the assignment submissions for that unit. This would be considered an innocent match.

How to use Turnitin to help avoid plagiarism

Downloading or printing your Turnitin originality report

This video covers how to access the Originality Report, what the Similarity Index is, and how the Originality Report is used to identify plagiarism.

What to do about those highlighted bits

This video covers reviewing your matches and deciding what action to take, and how to plan your work to prevent plagiarism.

Understanding Turnitin's report

See page 17 of the Student guidelines for avoiding plagiarism [.pdf - 3.3MB] for more tips on using Turnitin to avoid plagiarism.

More about Turnitin

Curtin policy requires all text based assignments to be submitted to Turnitin. A copy of all work submitted to Turnitin will be retained on Turnitin's database for future text matching. This process has been tested in the courts and found to be in compliance with copyright, privacy and data protection laws.

The effectiveness of Turnitin depends on its ability to store copies of all documents submitted to it. This has the benefit of protecting your rights and intellectual property in the future. Under exceptional circumstances, such as when the work is commercially sensitive, you can request that a paper be removed from the database. Undergraduate work would not be expected to fall into this category under normal circumstances. If you believe that exceptional circumstances apply in your situation, make a formal request explaining your reasons to your unit coordinator.

The only people able to view the copy of your assignment submitted to the Turnitin database, or the associated originality report, are the teaching team associated with that unit of study (such as unit coordinator, tutors and markers). Turnitin's employees are not able to view your assignment.

The person marking your submitted work will review the originality report generated by the Turnitin service. The report highlights text in your submitted work that matches content in Turnitin's databases. The marker will review each highlighted passage of text to determine if the passage has been poorly paraphrased or if it has been directly copied from another source, and whether this indicates plagiarism.

The report also includes an index (the Similarity Index) calculated as the number of highlighted words divided by the total number of words in your assignment. A high Similarity Index is not automatically interpreted by the marker as plagiarism, and Curtin does not define any minimum or maximum thresholds for the index score. This means that there is no 'safe' score nor is there a score that, if exceeded, indicates that plagiarism has occurred.

The detection of plagiarism is a matter of academic judgement by the marker, allowing and requiring them to take into consideration the type of match highlighted, the extent of matching and the use in-text citations and references.

Try troubleshooting the problem using the guide on the Turnitin website. This guide covers:

Accepted file types and sizes

Viewing a rubric or grading form before submission

How to submit a paper by uploading a file or cutting and pasting text

Viewing submitted files

Downloading Submitted Papers and Digital Receipts

Resubmitting a paper

If you're still having difficulty submitting an assignment through Turnitin, contact your unit coordinator in case there are problems with the way the assignment submission link has been set up.

The Turnitin webpages include some graphics to guide you through the submission process and for various functions associated with viewing the originality report and accessing the digital receipt. Normally these visual elements have hidden text behind them to allow screen readers to function.

If you're using a screen reader, you may find that the Turnitin Document Viewer is not fully compatible with your software. The Document Viewer is the default view for the Originality Report. It appears in a separate browser window that is launched when you access your submission from the Turnitin Assignment Inbox. The 'text-only' view of the Originality Report is generally more compatible with screen reader technologies.

To access the 'text-only' view follow these steps:

1. In your Blackboard unit, navigate to the assignment submission page and select the link labelled View/Complete to show the Turnitin page.

2. The Turnitin page has two tabs. Make sure the Assignment Inbox tab is active (this is selected by default). For the appropriate assignment in the list, select the View button.

3. Select the Text-Only Report link at the bottom of the page.

From the preferences link, the text-only report provides the following options that may improve accessibility:

Colour code matches: 1) Yes or 2) No.

Default mode 1) show highest matches together 2) show matches one at a time 3) quickview (classic) report.

auto-navigation 1) jump to next match 2) scroll to next match.

Turnitin remembers the last view used to access the originality report, so when you open another report, the view used last will be displayed. This way, you can set the default to be Document Viewer or Text Only.

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When you submit a text-based assignment in Blackboard, it goes into Turnitin, which is a program that compares the text in your assignment with a database of online sources, textbooks, journal articles and other student assignments. Turnitin produces an Originality Report which highlights the text in your assignment that matches or is similar to another source, and links to the original source.

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Academic Integrity Cartoons - Plan Ahead

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Academic Integrity Cartoons - Plan Ahead

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Academic Integrity Cartoons - The Doctor Is In

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Academic Integrity Cartoons - The Doctor Is In

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Intelligent Remote Invigilation System (IRIS) is a tool to help maintain integrity with e-Test. It can tell if you use your phone or other technology during your e-Test. Review the rules carefully!

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Academic Integrity Cartoon - Share Sites

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Academic Integrity Cartoon - Share Sites

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Curriculum Documents - Scope and Sequence for each State and Territory

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Curriculum Documents - Scope and Sequence for each State and Territory

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Please note:

This list is not exhaustive and I encourage you to research the scope, sequence and curriculum documents for your own teaching context.

Look through the links relevant to your context and click further to explore the resources.

Have a look at the other state and territory resources as they may have more in depth resources that can add to your understandings

Australia - country wide overarching curriculum

ACARA - Foundation - Year 10

F-10 curriculum

The Australian Curriculum

Australia - English learning area

ACARA - English - Foundation to Year 12

Western Australia

k10outline - K-10 Outline

You can choose each year to review priorities here is an example of  Year 5 and Year 6

k10outline - Year 5

k10outline - Year 6

The Australian Curriculum

Queensland

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_english_learning_area_overview.pptx

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_learning_area_overviews_english.pdf

https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculums/Documents/english-topic-map.pdf

English

The Australian Curriculum

New South Wales

K–6 curriculum requirements | NSW Education Standards

Requirements for schools developing educational programs for K–6 students.

English K–10 | NSW Education Standards

The syllabus and support materials for the English K–10 Syllabus.

Table of objectives and outcomes | NSW Education Standards

Table of objectives and outcomes for the English K–10 Syllabus.

Stage statements | NSW Education Standards

Information about stage statements for English K-10 Stage 1-5 syllabus.

English

The Australian Curriculum

Victoria

Home - Victorian Curriculum

Pages - F-10 curriculum

Pages - English

Pages - Scope and sequence

Home | Victorian Curriculum Planning

The Victorian curriculum planning portal offers school leadership a range of resources to support planning and documenting a comprehensive school-wide curriculum. In Victoria the school curriculum is set out in AusVELS.

jbokkers

English

The Australian Curriculum

Australian Capital Territory

Our Curriculum - Education

Australian Curriculum - Education

English

The Australian Curriculum

Northern Territory

NT school curriculum

NAPLAN testing and primary, middle and secondary school curriculum resources to help your child learn at primary school.

Primary years curriculum

Primary curriculum and assessment including NAPLAN, Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) and how you can help your child learn at primary school.

English

The Australian Curriculum

Tasmania

Curriculum - The Department of Education Tasmania

Tasmania has joined all states and territories in endorsing and implementing the Australian Curriculum. The Belonging, Being and Becoming – Early Years Learning Framework has been fully implemented in Tasmanian Kindergartens. Teachers are working with the endorsed Australian Curriculum Version 8.3. You can view and download information about each of the learning areas on the Australian Curriculum website. Literacy…

The Department of Education Tasmania

English

The Australian Curriculum

South Australia

Curriculum in South Australia – from early years to year 12

An overview of curriculum taught to South Australia students from birth to year 10.

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/implementation-guidelines-indicators-preschool.pdf?acsf_files_redirect

English

The Australian Curriculum

Hope this helps supplement your own research into relevant documents for the assessment!

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It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Quoting

Quoting is using the exact words of the original source in your assignment. To ensure that it is clear to the reader that you are quoting, place the words you have taken from the source within quotation marks and always include an in-text citation with:

the author's details,

the year of publication, and

a page number (or other pinpoint - paragraph number, timestamp, etc.)

This will ensure that you are acting with academic integrity and so the reader can easily locate the original information.

For more information on quoting in a specific referencing style, see the Curtin Library's referencing guides.

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LibGuides: Citing: Paraphrasing, summarising, synthesising and quoting: Quoting

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Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. Quoting is using the exact words of the original source in your assignment.

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The English word 'report' comes from two Latin words:

* 'Portare' meaning to carry
* 'Re' meaning back or again.

Accordingly, the report is a way of carrying back information to somebody who needs it.

"A report is a specific form of writing that is organised around concisely identifying and examining issues, events, or findings" ( Massey University, 2012). It usually covers the who, what, where, when, why and how of a particular situation, issue, or problem.

Reports are different to essays in many ways, with one difference being the structure. While essays are read linearly from beginning to conclusion, reports can be broken down into independent sections that can be read as stand-alone pieces. These sections contain headings and subheadings to help the reader navigate the document.

There are a few different types of reports you may be required to write at University.

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Skip to Main Content

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is writing someone else's ideas into your own words. This can be difficult when you can't think of another way of saying it, or you feel you can't write it better than the original; however, paraphrasing is vital as it allows you to demonstrate your understanding of a topic.

When trying to paraphrase, imagine you are re-telling a part of what you've read to someone else. As you do this, you'll change not only the words the original author used, but also the structure as you incorporate the information into your own narrative. The meaning of the original shouldn't alter and the length of the information shouldn't change significantly.

The main purpose of paraphrasing in academic writing is to use evidence published by reliable sources to support your argument in your assignment. To do this effectively, this evidence needs to be written in your own voice, with an in-text referencing citation, so your reader can connect with the original source.

Tips to help you paraphrase

Ensure you understand the content. Paraphrasing is really tricky if you feel you don't fully understand the reading. If you're unsure, read more and revisit your lecture material!

Don't start the sentence with the same words the original source used. This forces you to rethink the information in your own way.

Don't just use synonyms to replace words here and there within a sentence, but do use them after taking the two steps above.

Use the note-making phase of your assignment process to help you paraphrase. Don't copy the source word-for-word in your notes -- transform the content into your own words in your notes.

A paraphrase can go at the beginning, middle or end of a paragraph, as well as having several paraphrases in a paragraph. Just keep in mind that you are including them to support your idea, comment or analysis of the paragraph topic.

Recap - Rewind

Paraphrasing in the note-making stage is a key way to ensure your own understanding of a topic and avoid plagiarism. If you need a refresher, check out the Taking Note and Making Notes section of our Reading Module.

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LibGuides: Citing: Paraphrasing, summarising, synthesising and quoting: Paraphrasing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Skip to Main Content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. Paraphrasing is writing someone else's ideas into your own words.

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Good reflective writing is not about pure description or listing information. Good reflective writing presents the full story: it captures the essential aspects of a particular event or topic through the five W questions: who, what, where, when and why, countered by how.

Real reflective practice invites you examine your feelings towards your learning as it happens. It requires confidence and honesty in sharing your experiences and expectations. It means acknowledging your successes as well as your failures, and identifying what you might do differently in future.

Reflective writing is one of the rare forms of academic writing that allows you to write in first person - it is all about YOU and YOUR experiences. It is considered a more informal style of academic writing, but may still require formal language and references to relevant texts.

Reflective writing structure

The structure of your reflective assignment may be in the form of an essay, or more of a journal style. As with any assignment, you should make sure your reflective writing flows logically, and explores each point in full before moving onto the next one. Your tutor will outline the type of assignment they want you to write, or may allow you to decide for yourself what format you would like to use. Check your marking rubric if you're unsure.

Models for Reflective Writing

Gibbs Model of Reflective Practice

Description: What happened?
Feelings and thoughts: What were you thinking and feeling before, during and after the event?
Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience?
Analysis: What explanations might there be for the situation? Why did it happen the way it happened?
Conclusion: What have you learnt?
Action Plan: In a similar situation in the future, what would you do?

What? So what? What now? Model of Reflection
What?

What happened?

What did you do?

What did you expect?

What was different?

What was your reaction?

What did you learn?

So what?

Why does it matter?

What are the meanings of the experience?

What are the consequences of the experience?

How does the experience and what you have learnt relate to what you are learning at university?

How does the experience and what you have learnt relate to what you do, or will do professionally?

What now?

What are you going to do now?

How will you use what you have learnt?

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Good reflective writing is not about pure description or listing information. Good reflective writing presents the full story: it captures the essential aspects of a particular event or topic through the five W questions: who, what, where, when and why, countered by how. Real reflective practice invites you examine your feelings towards your learning as it happens.