Hi everyone
I'd wondered if my colleagues from ASK (Academic Skills Unit) would
tell you about their excellent resources. As they have been modest (or
more likely very busy!) let me give them a plug. The resources are
available for you all to look at from:
www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/resources/
This will show you that we support use of Haravard/APA and
Vancouver.
Now let me be a little provocative. We have joint honours degrees
with disciplines from departments using both systems. I don't know
what the students are supposed or required to do.
I also have seen a number of departmentally based study skills
programmes, usually making some use of the ASK resources. I
would have to say that these seem to range from the rather
mechanical and not very imaginative and largely decontextualised
application of conventions to imaginative and completely
contextualised and realistic applications within clear disciplinary
frameworks. While I acknowledge that teaching and helping students
learn referencing conventions is important and good resources are
crucial, I guess that it's the context within which they are taught that
really matters. I hope that it's not too disloyal to say that I don't think
that it helps to devolve all of this on to hourly paid PhD students. I
think that some of the departmental "greybeards" and prominent
researchers also need to be involved to show to students how this
really matters in the building of a disciplinary identity as a scholarly
learner.
John
John Bradbeer
Principal Lecturer in Higher Education
School of Education and Continuing Studies
University of Portsmouth
St George's Building
141 High Street
Old Portsmouth
Portsmouth
PO1 2HY
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