Welcome to the second edition
of the MacBrain Newsletter.
This edition of MacBrain could
not have been released at a better
time. I had an in-class assessment
yesterday, another in-class assessment
next Tuesday, two group assignments
to make progress with (okay, I lie, we still
need to read the assignment questions and
start them), and a research report due in two
weeks. Given the amount of uni work I have
due within the next month, naturally, my
facebook usage has exponentially grown.
My room has become cleaner than the Oxford
definition of clean itself. And I’ve started
getting life-threatening hunger pains, every
time I sit at my notebook intending to start my
work- which for the record frequents the hour.
So, MacBrain this week has given me an
entirely legitimate and reasonable excuse to
‘procrastinate’ (procrastinate being quoted
not because I’m trying to be cute and sarcastic.
But because I feel it is a subjective word and
while I don’t view my activities as
procrastination per se, that is the word many
others attach to my behaviour). MacBrain is
after all, to a human sciences student, what
the calorie book is to the Biggest Loser
Contestant, or what Ralph is to the hormonal/
horny teenage boy (and adult man, and that
adult mans dad, and granddad…), or what the
recently turned legal, blonde-haired,
surgically-enhanced, reality TV starring female
is to Hugh Hefner. It’s really important!
I am going off on a tangent, but see how I
just did that? I’ve developed this fabulous
skill where I can justify any work, other than
my university work, as being paramount and
thence protected against any potential
‘procrastination’ slander. It stops me
feeling guilty every time.
So now that I have shared this fine
art with you fine people, this would
also be the appropriate time to
introduce the focus of MacBrain for
Week 4: Assessments!
You may be beginning to realise that
assessments are starting to invade
your social lives at an uncomfortable
speed and in large numbers. This may
sound dangerous, but just as you
are instructed when the fire alarm
goes off in the middle of your endof-semester exam (true story): don’t
panic! All you have to do is read on
and with the, let’s be honest,
genius words from our Human
Science mentors, you’ll be well
prepared to tackle your
assessments head first!
Happy assessmenting
(because that’s definitely a
word)!
Your Editor,
Stacey :)
ask me
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Alex - How will you know when to start assessments?
Well, it really depends on how stressed you want to be. Starting
assignments can require a LOT of self-discipline, but it’s
important too that you start with enough time
to complete all the bits of your assignment well.
Here are some warning signs that it might be time to
start your assignment:
1. Your lecturer/tutor has a lecture/tutorial on what is
expected in the assignment (format, what you’ll be doing)
or on a topic, which the assignment is about.
2. Your tutor/lecturer asks you something like ‘how is
everyone finding [the assignment]?’
3. You’ve heard a number of friends/classmates talking about
how much work the assignment is, quite a few times.
4. It’s the night before it’s due!
There are, however, some things you can do, as well as some other tips and tricks,
which will help you start at the right time:
1. Write the due dates of all your assignments in your diary/phone calendar/
other external memory aid. If you don’t use a diary/phone calendar etc.,
start using one.
2. Remember that research can take a while. If you need to research for an
assignment (which you usually will), start the research well ahead of the
due date.
3. Factor in time to write drafts! If you spend time reviewing and refining
your assignment, you’re more likely to get a better grade!
4. Use the lectures/tutorials about the assignment as a guide on when to
start. If these lectures/tutes are weeks before the due date, maybe it’s a
hint that you should start looking over the assignment, and getting those
creative juices flowing!
When & where do your assessments have to
be submitted Michael?
Assessment submissions, GREAT!
Seriously the University can be so cruel sometimes with due times, like
really, really inconsiderate! Read your unit outline again and again to see
where and when you hand in your assessments and see whether or not a
Turnitin submission is also required. AND TAKE AN EXTRA LOOK at the ‘am’
or ‘pm’ of the due time!
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For example, for you students enrolled in a Psych unit,
every single hand-in assignment is due at 10am, yes,
10am in the Psych Office C3A. So if you miss out by a
couple of minutes because of a traffic jam, or delayed
train, too bad, you’ve gained a one day penalty, and if
it’s Friday, that’s a three day penalty.
YES A THREE DAY PENALTY! So get your assessments in early!
Better yet, if you can, hand them in the day before so you remove the
risk of arriving late! Or you can do what our dear editor Stacey did: Rock
up with some friends at 3am to hand in an assessment, only to get
scared by that statue near the entrance of C3A. (Macquarie is like Elm
Street at night, that’s why we have 24-hour operating security
services).
What in the world is Turnitin Nathan, and how does it work?
Finishing your very first University essay well before the sun begins to
rise, on the day that it’s due, is commendable. That much-craved relief
has almost kicked in…
But just when you thought that you could finally rest your tired eyes,
suddenly, you’ve become the neighborhood alarm clock “WHAT THE
HECK IS ‘TURNITIN’!?!?!?!”
Don’t stress! ‘Turnitin’ simply is an online detection method that some
lecturers use to ensure that you aren’t plagiarizing. It runs your paper
against every past paper that has been submitted all over the world, as
well as journal articles, textbooks and online resources – so please don’t
think you can beat it! (That isn’t a challenge by the way)
1. Log onto Turnitin.com
2. Create an account for yourself (best done a.s.a.p. so that you don’t
have to rush through it all at the last second)
3. Once you’ve logged on, find the unit code for that
particular subject in your unit outline and enrol in that unit
4. Attach your assignment and submit!
ask me
Also, remember that you must also submit a hard copy of your assignment
with an attached coversheet too! Best of luck turning-it-in!
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How do you know what in-class assessments will involve
Shayaan and how do you prepare for them?
Assessment.
The word itself is enough to make many a student shudder with
fear. Or rather, the fear sets in when you realise – a week before the
assessment is due – that you have absolutely no idea what it requires of you.
But wait! Don’t crawl with remorse under your bed just yet ... where there’s a unit
guide, there’s a way!
Your unit guide is your Bible, Koran, and Torah...whatever you want to call it.
It should outline what the assessment entails (i.e. what lecture material it may
cover), when it is due and what the weighting is for your overall mark. Also,
ensure that you continuously check Blackboard for any updates or material that
your lecturer may upload, e.g. past exam questions.
This is absolute gold, especially in the case of in-class assessments. Ensure
that you’ve got fully functioning pens, pencils etc., for any written work you
may be required to do.
If it is an in-class test, revise the appropriate parts of your notes ... although
I’m sure you’ve been revising since week one, and henceforth, your next
exam will be just peachy.
ask me
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Databases: Why they can save your life.
So, chances are that you have at least 1 unit that requires you to
write an essay, a report, or something similar. There is also a
chance that the essay/report will require references, sometimes
known as sources. References are useful as firstly, reading
them actually makes you learn something and secondly, they show
your marker that your ‘opinion’ is actually backed up by scholars in the
relevant field. However, if you have taken a trip to the library, you may have heard
students frantically whispering about sources/references, saying things along the
lines of ‘$#!%, we need 10 for the essay?! But I only have 5!’
This is where databases can help. Databases are like Google but
specifically for academic journal citations. Essentially, you plug
in some relevant words about what you’re looking for and the
database brings up all the relevant journal articles that have
been written. It means you have access to much more than just
the books in the library. Now, you’re probably thinking, ‘how do
I find these databases?’ Well, it’s easy! All you have to do is go to
the MQ library home page and there is a link saying ‘databases’.
From there you will see all the different disciplines. Within each
discipline, there are heaps of different databases from which you
can choose. Alternatively, you can search for your discipline area
to bring up relevant databases.
You’re probably thinking, ‘which one do I choose?’. Well, have a look at heaps of
different ones, but for Education, A+ Education is often a good one, as is ERIC.
For Psychology, PsycINFO is often useful (can be handy for education students
too!) and Michael from Psych also recommends Journals@OVID and Web of
Science also is just as useful!
For Speech and Hearing Sciences, you can check out some of the databases under
the ‘linguistics’ tab, Linguistics and Language Behaviour Abstracts.
Sometimes, however, the database you use will bring up citations of journal
articles etc. but they will not ‘host’ the article. This means you’ll have to use
the library’s journal finder tool, in which you enter the name of the journal
and find your article according to the year/volume and issue (e.g. in the
citation it would look like 42(3) where 42 is the volume and 3 is the issue.
You can then download the article from here.
Databases will be invaluable to you, especially if you have left an
assignment wayyyy too late, as you’ll be able to get your references with
out going to the library! Still, even with this lifesaver a few clicks away, try
and use a mix of journals and books from the library. Read widely, as it will
only make your assignment stronger!
ask me
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REFERENCING an assessment is like eating McDonalds
after a long night of alcohol. Don’t ask. Just do it.
Yes, I know, referencing is a bitch. It’s tedious, painful, and
seemingly useless! However, it’s CRITICAL for anything and
EVERYTHING, plus it’ll save you from a big whoop-ass copyright
fine! So how to go about it? For you Human Sciences Faculty
undergraduates, APA (American Psychological Association)
referencing style is the referencing style that is widely accepted
by most departments, (check with your tutors). Here’s a link to
a simple rundown of APA referencing for books, journal articles
and a whole heap of other sources you might possibly encounter:
http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/referencing/apa.htm.
And this is just an EXTREMELY BRIEF overview:
Authors Surname, Initial(s)., (Year of Publication) “Article
Title”, Journal Title, volume number, pp(x-x).
Your references should be alphabetised and formatted with a
hanging indent. The easiest step to stand out from the rest of your cohort is to
make it look as professional as possible! The marker is instantly impressed with
your professionalism and will respect what you have to say even more! Small
things really do make a difference, better start now when you’re fresh and still
running from the euphoria of O-Week.
There are more than one referencing styles however, which
just complicates things even more! Nathan from
Education has this to say about Harvard Referencing:
“Harvard referencing is used for many Science subjects
at Macquarie University. It is a Parenthetical referencing
system that uses in-text references followed by a
reference list at the end. In text referencing: author and
year in parentheses e.g. (Brown, 2010)”
Apart from APA and Harvard referencing, there’s a
Humanities Styled Referencing system, which, I won’t lie, I still sometimes
find confusing! I mean, they all convey the same information, in different
styles, why can’t they all conform to one? That said, the only commonality
of all referencing styles is that the reference list must be alphabetised.
ask me
Seriously, good luck with your referencing, if you’re anything like me, you
will need it!
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Francesca, what format does the assignment
need to be presented in?
Whoever said, ‘Never judge a book by its cover,’ clearly never
had the time to enlighten tutors of this fact as they most
definitely judge an assignment by its format…and we uni
students are suffering the consequences. So don’t be that person
who rocks up with coloured headings and glittered borders and follow these
quick guidelines:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use Times New Roman (No matter how exciting Comic Sans looks…)
Size 12 black font (Chances are your tutor isn’t blind)
Double spacing (To leave room for your tutor to write in – but I do it
anyway to make my assignments look longer…)
APA Referencing unless instructed otherwise 1
No clip art (I know. I was devastated too when I heard…. )
No columns (No matter how much you want to)
No contractions, colloquialisms, slang, emoticons, incorrect
spelling or incorrect grammar (Cuz it jst lo0ks takky n hurrts
you’re eyez lolz :P)
2.54cm margins (Because it just looks wrong otherwise. Ever
seen 2.55cm margins? Disgusting.)
Stick to the word limit (The more concise – the better.)
Always proof read!!!
Don’t forget to always hand in your assignment with a cover
sheet, which can be found either near the respective faculty
office of your degree or online.
1 Enriquez, F. (2011). What format does the assignment need to be presented in?
MacBrain, 5, 2-4.
Next week: Library
Wednesday 23rd March we will be sending out the
third edition of MacBrain with a focus on the ‘Library’.
If you have any questions you’d like answered by your
Human Science Mentors regarding any of your exams,
send an email through to: humsciencementors@mq.edu.au
ask me
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