1009IBA Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Intercultural Communication, Google Scholar, Style Guide
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
L3. Finding and Evaluating Information
Griffith Graduates
• Being skilled in your discipline means:
o Being able to find, evaluate, and use information
• Today, we will look at finding and evaluating information for your assignments.
Task Definition
• When you receive your assignment, you need to unpack the question to identify key concepts
and ideas.
o Why?
• This will help you to better understand what you need to research and what
approach you should take in answering the question
o How?
• Identify
▪ Directive words
▪ Limit words
▪ Keywords/Topic words
Keywords and Limit Words
• Keywords
o Highlight the major concepts in the question
o Keywords, for searching purposes, are the 'topic words' in your question
• Usually nouns
• Limit words
o Limit the scope of your research and writing
o Limit words can be used when searching
Examples:
• Date limit (20th century)
• Country limit (Australia)
Your Assignment: Requirements
ESSAY FOCUS: Values, Change and Diversity in Communication
Intercultural communication flows most smoothly when we understand the values that lie behind
differences in communication. We also need an appreciation of how values change over time in
society, and how they differ according to people's positions in society. Most of the essay questions
below are designed to sensitise you to values and value change in a culture different from that of
your own.
Choose one of the questions below. All questions are to focus on ONE Asian country of your choice,
but it must be one other than your own. You may choose Australia if you have recently arrived from
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an Asian country. If you have lived most of your life in one country but your parent/s identify with
another Asian ethnic identity you may focus on that country.
As a general rule, it is wise to narrow your focus as much as possible so as to avoid trying to discuss
too much and only being able to deliver a superficial/descriptive coverage as a result. You will be in a
better position to demonstrate your analytical skills by examining a 'smaller' problem in depth.
Similarly, where the question of societal/cultural change is to be addressed try to focus on recent
history (e.g. 1950s onwards).
Assessment Rubric
What and where?
What do you need to
know?
What kind of source?
Where to look?
Definitions
Dictionaries, glossaries
Library catalogue, web search
Background
information
Text books, books, encyclopaedias, items
on your reading list
Library catalogue
Current research
Journal articles
Library catalogue, databases,
Google Scholar
Specialised
information
Statistics, government publications
Library catalogue, specialised
databases
News and opinion
Newspapers, magazines, social media
Library catalogue, web search
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Definitions
• Students need to be able to identify concepts and to define them in their work
• Definitions differ within and between disciplines and according to relevant debates
• Use academic sources to obtain your definition
• Look our for different definitions and, if located, pay attention to the different nuances
o Evidence of broad research
• Choose the definition on the basis of support for your argument or relevance
o Evidence of analysis
Your Course Readings
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Griffith graduates: being skilled in your discipline means, being able to find, evaluate, and use information, today, we will look at finding and evaluating information for your assignments. Keywords and limit words: keywords, highlight the major concepts in the question, keywords, for searching purposes, are the "topic words" in your question, usually nouns. Limit words: limit the scope of your research and writing, limit words can be used when searching. Examples: date limit (20th century, country limit (australia) Essay focus: values, change and diversity in communication. Intercultural communication flows most smoothly when we understand the values that lie behind differences in communication. We also need an appreciation of how values change over time in society, and how they differ according to people"s positions in society. Most of the essay questions below are designed to sensitise you to values and value change in a culture different from that of your own.
