W7000 Advanced Academic Study & Writing Week 1 REVISION

New Developments in Academics and Ethics

Christopher Walters

Argosy University

New D evelopments in Academics and Ethics

What new developments has the world’s literature continuous evolution brought? For instance, it is evident that new systems of education come with new developments in language and generally new ways of doing things. First, there is improvement of study materials such as the development of plagiarism checker. Plagiarism checker has boosted standards of education by ensuring that students deliver original work and free from grammatical errors. Secondly, there is creation of clear writing instructions and consistent conduct important in the education field. In addition, a ‘profession’s ethics’ are continuously unfolding conclusions of a more or less conscious discussion. It explains how members of a given profession should work together to achieve the common and preferred goal. According to (Davis, 2002), it is the product of a social contract which various parties share a common profession.

Proper Research Techniques

Proper research involves adhering to the set ethical norms set by scholars. This is because norms promote and develop the research aims, knowledge, truth and evidence. In research, there can be a wide range of ethical issues. These issues range from plagiarism to confidentiality. One of the most discussed factors is plagiarism. It is a complex ethical problem that has affected the performance of students learning institutions. The availability of plagiarism detection software has made it possible to monitor student assignments, exams and research papers (Hayen & Laverty, 2015). It discourages the culture where students are tempted to copy other author’s work.

The creation of plagiarism checkers also improved student’s learning and research skills by promoting creativity. For example, students are required to submit original work, which reflects their creativity. Ethical research conduct is also required since it provides guidelines set forth by the IRB on how research papers should be handled. It guide learners in writing based on their own composed formats. However, ethical conduct in research is a choice, and students should choose to research by ensuring they abide by ethical conducts stipulated.

Although students are encouraged to think broadly, using the correct citation and giving credit to sources is the right thing to do. Additionally, the ethical way of researching and writing about a certain topic while using multiple sources gives credit to any information borrowed from any of those sources. In line with (Davis, 2002), for every writing format chosen by a learner, he or she needs to observe all the guidelines as provided. Some of the popular writing formats include the American Psychological Association (APA), the Modern Language Association (MLA) and Chicago or Turabian styles. Here, each format has been designed for particular research studies. For example, APA is specifically used by education, psychology and sciences while MLA is meant for humanities.

Finally, by considering the above new developments; improvement of study materials, creation of clear writing instructions and consistent conduct and profession’s ethics, it is evident that the evolution of the world’s literature has resulted in valuable reforms in student learning programs. For example, plagiarism checkers has become an effective and reliable tool since it allows a student to check grammatical errors as well as proper citation in their paper. Also, abiding by the ethical conducts in all research projects; students would be able avoid breaking rules and using other author’s work without citing their work. It is an ethical and professional practice for researchers to give credit for using other authors’ work in their findings. Therefore, professional writing and research work should apply the three new developments guided by the ethical conducts.

References

Davis, M. (2002). Professional Ethics: Ethics and the University (1). Florence, US: Routledge, ProQuest ebrary.

Hayen, R. L., & Laverty, J. P. (2015). APPLYING COMPUTER SOFTWARE IN RESEARCH

MISCONDUCT ANALYTICS. ASBBS Journal, 11(1), 22-30.

	Unsatisfactory (1)	Emerging (2)	Proficient (3)	Exemplary (4)	Student Score
Writing Criteria
Organization	Writing is unclear and vague with little to no coherence. Writing has limited or missing transitions. Writing frequently tangents and/or repeats ideas unnecessarily.	Writing lacks coherence between paragraphs and ideas. Writing has inconsistent or inappropriate transitions.	Writing is clear and coherent. Transitions are appropriate and consistently used between paragraphs and help move from one idea to the next.	Writing is clear, coherent, and, fluid. Writing also is recursive in that it links ideas back to previously mentioned ideas. Writing also contains appropriate, consistent transitions between paragraphs and ideas help reader see the relationship between ideas.	1 2 3 4 X 2 ___4_/8pts
	Paragraph development is flawed: no clear topic sentences. Paragraphs frequently have multiple topics. The writing has a limited or missing introduction and/or conclusion or summary of argument.	Paragraph development is ineffective or inappropriate for the assignment: topic sentences are present but not well connected to the rest of the writing. The introduction paragraph is incomplete or underdeveloped. Conclusion argument does not go beyond a brief repetition of points.	Paragraph development is appropriate for the topic and assignment: topic sentences introduce or summarize the content of the paragraph. The introduction paragraph is appropriate and complete for the topic and assignment. Concluding argument appropriately synthesizes key points.	Paragraphs are well developed and appropriate: there are strong topic sentences, clear ideas that naturally lead reader through the writing. The written piece is structured in a logical fashion that supports the presentation of complex content, including in the introduction and conclusion.	Comments:
Writing Style: focus, concision, consistency	Writing style is unfocused, wordy, inconsistent, and does not support the purpose of the writing.	Writing style is inconsistent and/or wordy. It weakly supports the purpose of the writing.	Writing is focused, concise, and has a consistent style that supports the topic and purpose of the writing.	Writing style is concise, engaging, insightful, and focused. It has clarity, depth, coherence, which strongly support the purpose of the writing.	1 2 3 4 X 1 __2__/4 pts
Grammar and Mechanics	Writing contains numerous errors in spelling, grammar, and/or sentence structure that severely interferes with readability and comprehension.	Writing contains errors in spelling and grammar that somewhat interfere with readability and/or comprehension.	Writing follows conventions of spelling and grammar throughout. Errors do not interfere with readability or comprehension.	Writing is basically error free in terms of mechanics. Grammar and mechanics help establish a sound scholarly argument and aid the reader in following the writer’s logic.	1 2 3 4 X3 __9__/12pts

	Unsatisfactory (1)	Emerging (2)	Proficient (3)	Exemplary (4)	Student Score
Analysis & Conclusion Criteria
Analysis	There is no analysis in the paper. Only summary of material is presented.	Analysis is superficial and presents evidence without clearly demonstrating how evidence supports argument.	Analysis is logical, clear, and uses supporting evidence to clearly support argument.	Analysis is logical, clear, and uses a variety of supporting evidence to clearly support argument.	1 2 3 4 x2 __4__/8pts
Conclusions drawn	Different perspectives are taken at face value, showing no reflection on or evaluation of sources.	Inappropriate or inaccurate conclusions are drawn from analysis.	Appropriate, but simple conclusions are drawn. Conclusions are based on single perspective; counter argument never addressed.	Conclusions clearly & accurately reflect & evaluate multiple perspectives of an issue, while taking a clear stance. Conclusions use counter argument(s) to present a thorough evaluation of the issue.	1 2 3 4 X 1 __2__/4pts
Tone & Rhetoric	Tone is inappropriate and inconsistent. Rhetoric is not developed with consideration of the audience.	Tone is too informal for academic writing. Rhetoric attempts to consider audience but is inconsistent or unclear.	Tone is almost always formal. Rhetoric reflects a good sense of the audience but does not directly appeal to audience by using appropriate terminology and background knowledge of the audience.	Tone is consistently formal. Rhetoric reflects a clear understanding of and directly appeals to audience by using appropriate terminology and background knowledge of the audience.	1 2 3 4 X 1 __4__/4 pts

Total Score:25 Points

IMPORTANT : Students must demonstrate proficiency (Level 3) in all writing criteria (Organization, Writing Style, and Grammar and Mechanics) to immediately receive a grade for this assignment in the gradebook. To meet proficiency in a writing criterion: within each writing criterion, the student’s work must demonstrate proficiency in both aspects (i.e. paragraphs) to earn overall proficiency for that criterion. Students who do not demonstrate proficiency in both aspects will be marked at an earlier level (Unsatisfactory or Emerging) for that criterion.

Comments

Areas for improvement:

General Comments

For organization- use headings to break apart different topics. Each paragraph within a heading should only focus on that heading.  As you develop your paragraphs, synthesize what the literature says- and support your statements with direct and supporting quotes from the literature. Grammar and mechanics- All paragraphs should be around 5 sentences and each paragraph needs supporting statements. Only those statements that go with the heading should be under a heading. Analysis & Conclusions- need strong supporting evidence from the literature to support what you are saying, show opposing viewpoints, then bring it back to what you are saying. This not only shows both points of view- but also shows that your argument (point of view you support) has strong basis in the literature.  This also blends into tone and rhetoric. Need a heading for conclusion- then write your conclusion For format- be sure all citations are in APA, rather than MLA format. Remove extra space between paragraphs. These are marked in the rubric that is part of your paper, and need to be addressed to move you into the 3-4 columns. Let me know if you have any questions about what that may look like in terms of academic writing.

�Start off with an introduction above this

�Don’t start off with a question

�How is this a new development? This paragraph should only focus on new developments

�This section should only discuss proper research techniques- nothing else