 HBS Centre for Academic Skills Enhancement (CASE)

 L064;
 www.studynet.herts.ac.uk/go/CASE
 @CASE_HBS #HBSCASEWorkshops

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Workshop overview:

•Planning to address the exact task

•Structure of an essay (not a report!)
•Appropriate academic style
•Citing sources (using Harvard Referencing)
•Editing & Proofreading your work
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 An opportunity to show your knowledge (presenting info
is not enough), application & understanding (discuss
views, compare & contrast) of your topic.
 Focused work, e.g. discuss/analyse/critically evaluate a
topic with independently gathered evidence to support
your argument.
 One long flowing document that uses paragraphs to
separate ideas (no section headings, numbering, bullet
points, diagrams, appendices – unless your tutor states).
 Set work: to be handed in by the submission date,
following a word count and briefing guidelines.
Use CASE Guides to Essay Writing
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 4
HBS CASE, 2021
Chan, C (2010)
 Check your Module Handbook (MH) for info on
Learning Outcomes, reading lists, task details…

 Read CASE Guide to Academic Reading

 What does the Q want you to do?

You must answer the exact question set, not
the answer you thought / hoped the tutor asked.
See CASE Guide to Instructional Terms
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1. “Explain the use of the extended marketing mix in a
services environment.”

2. “Discuss the idea that women make better managers

than men.”

3. “Evaluate the effect of Prompt Payment Code (PPC) on

of large companies in the UK.”

 The concept words – subject

knowledge/understanding
 The context/scope of the topic – application
 The function words – Explain; Discuss; Evaluation
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Planning and time management are key

Brainstorm ideas. Try using a mind map

Essay Title (underline key

words)

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UK accounting USA accounting
List your points,e.g.
system system  cons of theory 2

- -  pros of theory 1

- -  background info &

- -
definition
 pros of theory 2
- -
 cons of theory 1
 explanation

Order the similarities Decide the order of your

Order the differences points (pros, then cons)

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 Read around the subject, beyond the set texts. Look at
books, journals, newspapers, magazines & websites.
Use CASE Academic Reading Guide. IH Finding & Using Information drop-in M030
 Lecture notes are NOT enough

 Use Reading List in your MH

 ‘Library Search’ & Learning Resources

 Skim table of contents & indexes to select parts to read

(not reading ‘cover to cover’)
 Record full bibliographic details of what you read/take
notes on, as you work. It would be more difficult later!

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HBS CASE, 2021 10
 11
HBS CASE, 2021
 Read around your research area
Range?
Reliable?
Recent?
Relevant?
Refereed?
Referenced?
 Theory - what academic theorists say
 Secondary research - what other academic
researchers say
 Empirical - what practitioners say
 Experiential - what you have personally
experienced
 Primary research - what you have personally
researched
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 Choose material that helps build your argument and
supports your points/ ideas; discard the irrelevant.

 Ask yourself: “Which section/s is relevant to the

topic?” “Does this information strengthen/support my
argument or consolidate a point?”

 Ask: ‘Does the reader need to know this? And why?’

 Plan how to integrate the information

into your work, so your writing flows.

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 Analyse your data, gather together your material
from the various secondary sources and synthesise.

 Decide how you are going to use that material, in

order to enhance your role as author.

 Importantly, decide the points you want to make, in

your own words (paraphrase!)

Use CASE Guide to Harvard Referencing

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 Identified relevant facts to show knowledge

 Used different ideas & opinions to inform your work to

demonstrate you understand / can apply the theories

 Assessed the strengths & weaknesses of different ideas

& opinions

 Incorporated them into your paragraphs, using sound

judgement.

See CASE Guide to Analysis & Critical Evaluation

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 Introduction - clearly set the context for the task,
stating what the essay will do, how/why, set the scene -
with an overview plus your focus. (often 10% of total)
 Main Body - present the facts and develop the
arguments using data from books, journals, reports, etc.
 Conclusions - summarise key points, link to Intro, can
state your opinion / recommendations. (often 10-15%)
 References - full details of all the sources used in your
essay, following Harvard referencing system.
Word count is from Intro to end of Concl/Rec (but not
References)
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 Introduces the main ideas of the essay, usually in
one paragraph. Overview of Who, What, When,
Where, Why, How?

 Summarises the issues to show an understanding of

the question. Defines any terms /concepts.

 Sets the context and outlines your approach in an

interesting way.

 It signposts contents (usually written last & closely

links to the conclusion).

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Highlight important moves in your work.
Guide the reader through your essay.
See CASE Words for Linking Paragraphs
e.g.
 The first part of this essay will focus on ... and explore
the similarities between X and Y.
 Three issues will be discussed ... First, links between
X and Y will be analysed. Secondly,...Thirdly,...
 Next, this essay will examine the similarities and
differences between X and Y. Finally, the relationship
between Y and Z will be evaluated.
 On the other hand,….Similarly, …. Conversely, …
 To conclude, this essay discussed the idea that …
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Keep your task title visible while you write to keep
focused.
(Follow the order given in the Introduction)

You
Marks are given for the way
Essay
you comment on theories
& compare & contrast them,
Academic
Real world
theories /
data
models critically evaluating them
by relating to real world examples,
in essay structure.

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 Point - contains one main idea / point
 Evidence - support the main point with secondary
data, using Harvard referencing
 Example - from empirical data
 Examine/evaluation (critically) – comment on the
main point. Who? When? Where? Why? How? So
(what)? This means…shows…is relevant because…
 Link - linking clearly to the task/ Introduction /
preceding or next paragraph.
Lecturers’ comments in assignments:
how? why? so (what)? what if? ref? evidence?

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 Keep It Short and Simple

 Get to the point! Write clearly & concisely.

 Use plain English – do not try to use ‘big’ words

& long complicated sentences.

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Style should be formal and objective. AVOID…

o informality and personal pronouns: I or We or You

o having a conversation with the reader: As you can plainly see …” OR “as
you will clearly see...” The essay will talk about...” OR “Now I’m going to talk
about...”
o including questions in your essay (unless embedded in a statement) –
lecturers won’t answer questions!
o being vague/ generalising/making assumptions: Many scholars consider…X
definitely... A perfect example is … OR This is a good example of...

o abbreviations: can’t, won’t, isn’t, etc.

o Fallacies: Famous theorists believe that…
o colloquialisms & clichés: crystal clear, over the moon, leave no stone unturned, far be
it from me to say, cherry pick, this is a good sign, have a go at, alarm bells go off, fall
into the trap of, stick to a structure, There is a drive to improve kids school dinner
menus.
o technical terms & jargon (unless defined first). 22
See CASE Guide HBS CASE,
to2021
Academic Writing Style
 Lots of research states.. Many people think.. so this means..
 Famous theorists and managers believe it, therefore it must
be right.
 Many companies use this strategy, therefore it must be a
good one.
 It is obvious… Obviously…it is a fact that…
 It was 'true' many years ago so it must be 'true' now
 Recent studies show that this is definitely the case
 My personal experience shows it to be obviously right.
 If you keep repeating an argument, you will persuade people.
 Research 'proves' things
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 Do say:
 It might be the case that…
 Research (Brown, 2009; Green, 2011) indicates that…
 Brown (2012) implies that…
 The European experience possibly shows that…
 From the above, it seems to be the case that….

SPECULATE:
 It might/may/could be the case that poor summer weather was
the major factor in Tesco's weakest sales performance for seven
years. (i.e. modal verbs)
 If interest rates stopped rising, this will/would/could have a
beneficial effect on winter sales at Tesco’s. (conditional tense, if)

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 It is a general restatement of the main issues covered
e.g. To conclude, this essay compared the works of … &
the views of … evaluated the issues of… to suggest…
 Linked to Introduction to reinforce the essay
 Your personal comments/ findings /personal conclusion
/personal observations
 DO NOT put any new information in the conclusion as
you are summing up – so, you should not include any
text citations but you may cross reference.
 One final paragraph (& may recommend)

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Record details of all the secondary sources (books,
journal articles, electronic sources, meetings, etc.) to
which you refer in your work

in TWO places-

 in the body of your work (author’s surname, year)

 in the end list of References/Bibliography.

See CASE Guide to Harvard Referencing

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Set artificial deadline: complete draft 5 days before deadline.
Read it ALOUD…

a clear introduction.
 a progressive coherent argument which focuses
on the task.
 an appropriate conclusion.
 a list of References (in alphabetical order
according to the author’s surname).
◦ Check grammar, spelling & punctuation. Use UK Eng (use s not
z) i.e. standardise; analyse; prioritise
◦ Check the word count.
◦ Include page numbers, your student ID & module code on all
pages (assignments are marked anonymously)
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 Have you used clear English with clear signposts
and frequent linking expressions?

 Have you supported general points/claims with

examples?

 Are your different points, ideas, examples clearly

expressed and separated (PEEEL)?

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Submitting on time as instructed
 e-copy and/or hard copy

Presentation
 The Title page
 E.g. Title of your essay; Your degree programme; Your
module title; Lecturer’s name; Your student ID; Submission
date; Final word count
 Page numbers

Note:
Do NOT include your name as assessments are
marked anonymously (unless you are advised to).
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 Understand and research the exact Q in MH
 Have 4 parts to your essay
 Use Harvard referencing system
 Use HBS academic style
 Only reference what you read!
 Manage your time so you can draft, correct and
think about what you’ve written
 Present it clean, complete and accurate
 Check it fits your Assessment Grading Criteria
 Hand in your work on time to avoid penalty

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Additional
Information

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Never write all you know about a topic!

Because every answer must address the

exact focus of the question

It is this difference
that gives work better grades

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One long flowing document that uses paragraphs to
separate ideas

 No section headings
 No numbering
 No bullet points
 No diagrams
 No appendices
 UNLESS YOUR TUTOR STATES

FOUR vital parts of an essay

- but only References is a heading!

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 No attempt to answer the EXACT question/task
 Too conversational style
 Use of 'I' instead of the third person
 Poor presentation (mistakes, poor typing, not spell checked)
 Little analysis or discussion of what the text/results mean
 Lack of a clear structure for the work or illogical sequence of material
 Not understanding the difference between body of text and conclusions
 No new information in conclusions, as only key points already made
 Conclusions not linked to task objectives
 Long confusing sentences – remember to KISS
 Not writing in your own words shows limited understanding
 Poor referencing of material in the text (how did you know that?)
 Assumptions or statements without justifications
 Use of meaningless words or subjective words
 Inappropriate use of quotes (keep short and give reasons for using)
 Context of quotes not considered and may be unsuitable
 Poor grammar – so use a grammar and spell check!
 Not checked before submission

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 Original, independent thought
 Thorough understanding of key concepts
 Application of theoretical concepts to empirical issues with
appropriate reflection
 All elements of the Q addressed
 Reading beyond that specified
 Approach reading with critical understanding
 Ability to evaluate contrasting viewpoints & draw conclusions
 Ability to analyse & synthesise information
 Written clearly, concisely, well constructed, smooth flowing
argument. Well presented
 Range of references using Harvard style

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Chan, C. (2010) Assessment: Blooms’ Taxonomy,
Assessment Resources. University of Hong Kong.
Available at: http://ar.cetl.hku.hk/large_class.htm
[Accessed: 01 September, 2016].

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