Using of Harvard Referencing Style - Essay Example

Learning Journal Entries for ESUS 2 Name Institution name Harvard referencing style In any academic writing, it is important to references or cite the information materials used. By studying Harvard, referencing style i understood that referencing is important as it helps in achieving at least three important things that is acknowledging other people ideas used in an academic paper, which will help, avoid plagiarism. Anybody reading the correctly referenced work is able to locate the information materials used quickly and finally the reader get to know the scope and depth of the research. Important things that i got to know about Harvard referencing is that there in text citation which if i have to do a work and reference it using Harvard style then i have to refer to the authors of the material i used in the body of my text immediately after the phases they mentioned in their work. Finally, after finishing i have to produce a whole list of sources used also called the reference list. It is important to say that i found Harvard easy to use, in in text citation Harvard uses author date system, author and year of publication. For the quoted information then the page number is provided. For print journal, for instance in text citation would be (author last name, year, p.1). Alternatively the in text citation could be as Author last name (year, p.1) argues... i find the last kind of in text citation easier to use. For complete list of information material used for journals in print form, the format would be Author Last name, Initials. (Year), “Article title,”Journal title, Volume (Issue), pp. page numbers. For e journal the format is Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ,“Article title,”Journal title, Volume (Issue), pp. page numbers. Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year]. I was able to able to use this style in referencing my work. With proper use of in text citation such Porter (1985, p. 78) argues that…since I find referencing using Harvard referencing style simple to me. I have to extensive research on how on the style and understand how clearly as well as sharpen my referencing skills on area such as proper punctuation, and in text referencing when there are more than three or five authors. I current know that there is use of et al. However, I have to sharpen my skills on situation such as two authors with same surnames. Finding sources in the library. My picture of a library was just a building with books little did I know they are information materials because not all books are in print from and not all information materials are books some are in e format such as electronic databases hosted locally or remotely. Searching information in the library can be complex if someone does not have the knowledge on how to do it, just as I was before the course. When looking for information in the library there are ways in which someone can achieve this. I was able to search information material using author name, title either of the material, full title or by some part of the title, another way I found interesting is narrowing down the search by searching materials that were published on a given year or basing on subject of the article. The idea of using the open public access catalogues in locating the information material is what I came to understand as important. Organisation is very important in every aspect of our lives. Just as in the library I found that the information materials are not just kept, they are arranged in a certain order to ease of location based on subject of the material. For my course after I already identified the section unfortunately it is not always that I found the material I wanted reason being that information material has been borrowed and I had to do a reservation hoping that that the borrower does not renew the material immediately. I found the knowledge of how to locate information material right from searching, to locating it on the shelf is one of my greatest achievement because I will be able to use the skills all my academic endeavours. Tabular notes exercise Categorising information into groups basing on certain characteristics otherwise known as tabular format is helpful. I found the tabular notes exercise practical, as there are some instances in writing that I might need to use the format of recording notes. I believe I will be able to use the approach I doing my research and I have to record information by doing comparison or by doing contrast. Furthermore, as I will be doing revision I will be using tabular format to make short notes, which will assist, in my entire course. Outline first draft I used to know that in writing one could start by outlining first before drafting the piece of work. Some writers consider this important while others do not. To be a good writer i have learned that a detailed outline consisting of main point and sub points should appear in the right order is important in writing. Once outline id done the next process should be writing the draft. I learned from my teacher that in making introduction there are strategies, which are important, and these are the guidelines, that i should not echo the language of the assignment, and any history in thinking about the assignment should be avoided. Essay Planning There are different kinds of planning an essay that is spider diagrams and use of bullets. An essay has three distinct parts introduction; which addresses the question show why it is of interest and ways and show ways of answering it. The main body; here the argument are build and ideas put in a sequence manner to make a persuasive argument. Each point should be on one paragraph. Finally, the conclusion; which summarises the arguments and evidence and further more show they answer the questions (Reid, Taylor, Turner and Shahabudin, 2014, p 1). Through this understanding of the essay, I am equipped with necessary skill to plan my essay into, introduction, body, and a conclusion. Through proper planning, there are benefits, which I believe that they are the minds of every writer that they will achieve at the end of planning. Through planning, i am able to produce a coherent argument. I am able to work in a logical structure. Through planning, i will not be able to do a complex thinking but i will be able to find the right words to build my argument since the plan is already there. Action plan to improve my presentation skills Presentation is all about choosing the right topic understanding the audience, defining the purpose, putting the message in a clear and concise manner with a logical format as well as creating visual aid for the message. As way of improving my presentation skills, I would pick a topic and research about it. Furthermore get a clear understanding of the type of presentation such paper presentation, panel Demonstration among others. The things that I can do to improve by presentation skill are two, read more and understand the topic under discussion. Secondly, present in front of my peers so that I overcome the fear of standing in front of the crowd and most likely most likely gauge myself whether I understand the topic and I can make a logical presentation. My presentation skills and improvement At the beginning of the presentation, I was able to introduce myself properly and establish a rapport with the audience while maintaining eye contact. I was able to introduce the topic under discussion and capture audience attention throughout the topic. . Throughout the presentation, I was able to make movement this assisted in capturing and maintaining the attention of the audience. I was also audible enough during the presentation. The presentation incorporated some visual aids, which assisted in delivering the message clearly to the audience. At the end of presentation, I allowed for the question and answer section. The key component that made my presentation a success was preparation, enough practice and delivery style. Among the improvement I would made on my presentation is is properly management of the question and answer section , at times there are questions which are out of scope of a presentation or some people just ask questions to disappoint. Another important factor I would take into account is extensive research on the topic I will present because as a presenter all the information should be understood and I would not need to refer to the presentation slide but rather put my focus on the crowd while maintain the flow of the discussion. Listening and improvement There is a great difference between listening and hearing. Before I began the course, i was not able to distinguish clearly between the two. Listening being the ability to accurately receive and interpret information is key to every communication. Before the course, I would engage in other activities while some was talking to me at times my mind could think of other things completely and I believed I was listening simply because I was hearing what the other person was saying. Now I am able to focus my attention to the person talking to me in order to understand the message. In other words, I have become an active listener, active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person in order to improve mutual understanding (Campbell 2011, p. 69). This is because; currently I am able to maintain eye contact with the person talking to me. Paying attention to every detail of information i hear, being open minded from the words. i am also able to picture exactly what the speaker is trying to say, i cannot interrupt the speaker or impose my solutions and by giving the speaker regular feedback such as nodding an so on removing destructions which would reduce my listening such noise , empathising, watching nonverbal communication (Forbes 2012). In class activity The in class activity that I enjoyed the most this term is presentation. This is attributed by the fact that I am a talkative person and looking at how every person in class present challenged my thinking that I am poor orator. I felt as if I was a teacher full of knowledge while presenting my topic furthermore what fascinated me was the clapping after the presentation and such comments from the audience “What a nice presentation?” I learned that during presentation maintain audience attention and doing an extensive research on the topic is important in ensuring the success of the presentation as well as delivering the point home. Term three essay The outline I have with me provide a direction of how I will proceed writing the essay. I have broken down the main points and the sub points under them. In order to ensure that I attain good marks in the essay I will strictly follow the plan that is begin with the introduction, proceed to the body and conclude my essay nicely. Furthermore clearly presenting my argument and supporting with available and credible literature in order to have a concrete arguing ground. As a way to ensure that my work is free of plagiarism proper citation both in text and coming up with a full bibliography will be presented at the end. By undertaking this course I have made improvement on my study skills . Most importantly being able to search for information in the library, this is key to other courses as well. Through understanding of essay writing, I believe I am ready for the next term. Information presentation and tabulation of work properly is another important aspect of the course, which has given me a broader insight into real life situations. As way of making improvement in the subject, I need to learn how to search for information on online databases, the skills I would develop further is presentation skills study and essay writing skills. In my academic life come across different kind of sources of information such as online journals and in some cases there are those normally termed, as peer reviewed which I do not really understand. Another aspect is gauging the validity of information since in the internet there is a lot of information. References Campbell, R. (2011). The power of the listening ear. English Journal, 100(5), pp.66--70. Forbes, (2012). 10 Steps To Effective Listening. [online] Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10-steps-to-effective-listening/ [Accessed 24 May. 2014]. Reid, M., Taylor, A., Turner, J. and Shahabudin, K. (2014). Planning Your Essay. 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/sta/A5_Essays_1.pdf [Accessed 24 May. 2014]. Read More