BIMM London

HE Academic Writing Guide 1415

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Table of Contents

Page no. 1. Submissions: Essay and Written Work Format 3 2. Academic Writing and Referencing 5 3. Referencing – Examples 9

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1. Submissions: Essay & Written Work Format Mode of Submission Written work should be uploaded to the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment in PDF format. All essays will be submitted via Turnitin (plagiarism-checking software) on Moodle. When prompted to enter a name for your file, you should use your name and student ID – e.g. John Smith 1234567 The cover page of all written submissions must contain the following information:

1. Name 2. Student ID 3. Name of Programme 4. Year of Course and Academic Year 5. Module Title 6. Name of Module Leader 7. Assignment Number 8. Title of Assignment 9. Word Count

John Smith

Student ID: 1234567

BMus Popular Music Performance

2nd year

2013/2014

Popular Music Culture

Richard Lightman

Assessment 2: The Effects of Politics on British Rock Music 1970 – 2000

Word Count:

1493

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Word Processor Settings

• Page size - A4 only • Margins - 2.5cm all round • Spacing - double • Font size - 12pt • Font type - Arial • Page numbers should be centred in the bottom margin (footer). • Headings and sub-headings can be in bold but not underlined.

Your work is expected to be legible, clearly expressed and correctly spelled. It is your responsibility to present the work in a respectable manner – we reserve the right to refuse to mark poorly presented work. Students must keep a copy of all work submitted.

Word Count An allowance of +/- 10% is permitted for written work, and a marking penalty of 10 percentage points will be applied if your submission is beyond this allowance. Your tutor is not obliged to count the number of words used should you fail to include a word count on the cover page and if required, may estimate your word count. The word count should include all titles, citations and quotes. The reference list/bibliography and any appendices are not included in the word count.

Referencing

All written work should include a reference list. Your work should be referenced using the Harvard Referencing System (please see sections 2 and 3 of this guide for details).

Proofreading In addition to using a spell checker, it is recommended that you get someone to proofread your work. This could be a family member, a friend or a peer; it is often useful if the reader is not a musician as he/she may spot things you have not noticed. This is extremely important if English is not your first language. Every student at BIMM London is expected to have a good grasp of the English language, both written and spoken. Ask for some tutorial help if you are having problems.

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2. Academic Writing and Referencing This section is based on:

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013) Cite Them Right: the Essential Referencing Guide. 9th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

What is Referencing? Written communication skills are required in many different contexts. Academic writing (i.e. writing in an academic setting) differs from other types of writing by having its own set of conventions and rules. Most importantly, in academic writing authors are expected to provide evidence and examples to support their own ideas. When researching a topic for an assignment (e.g. essay, report, dissertation) you are expected to make use of a variety of sources, including books, journal articles, newspaper articles, web pages and audiovisual material. Referencing, as Pears and Shields (2013, p. 1) note, is ‘the process of acknowledging’ those sources. While there are a number of different referencing systems, at BIMM London we use perhaps the most common one: the Harvard. According to this system, we acknowledge our sources within text (in-text citations) and by including a reference list at the end of the work. In-text Citations You can cite sources within text by giving the author’s name, year of publication and, in most cases, page numbers (please see example on page 6). In most cases, the year and page number follow after the author’s surname in round brackets. If you are using information or ideas from a specific page or pages, you should include page numbers; if you are referring to the complete work, you are not required to include them. You can either quote directly (use the exact words of the author) or paraphrase (write it in your own words). In general, paraphrasing should be favoured over direct quotations: by paraphrasing you can demonstrate that you have fully understood what you have read. Furthermore, too many direct quotations can interrupt the flow of your text.

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Examples of in-text citations:

• Direct quotation Brabazon (2012, p. 3) argues that ‘academic writing on popular music can use journalism, but must not be journalism’.

• Paraphrasing Brabazon (2012, p. 3) argues that journalistic sources can be used, but academic writing on popular music must differentiate itself from pop journalism.

Short direct quotations (up to three lines) can be included in the body of the text. Longer quotations should be indented. Quotation marks are not needed.

Example of a long direct quotation, indented:

Mitchell (2013) discussed the differences between the US and the UK in more detail:

Rock and roll in Britain was never, fundamentally, a particularly significant source, or symptom, of youth rebellion; though it caused some consternation among parents, this was short-lived, and as a ‘moral panic’ it never really amounted to a great deal, particularly in comparison with the reception of the music in its native United States. (Mitchell, 2013, p. 196)

Sometimes the author cannot be identified. In this case, you should use the title (in italics) in the place of the author.

Example of a in-text citation for a source with no known author: In recent survey How Musicians Learn (2014, p. 2)…

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Reference List Your reference list includes all the sources you have cited in your work. They should be listed at the end of your essay (on a separate page) in alphabetical order by author’s surname. If there are number of entries by the same author, list them by date (earliest first: 2003, 2005, 2014) and, if there are more than one published during a specific year, by letter (2013a, 2013b, 2013c). For sources without a known author, use the title of the work (or for web pages without known author or title, URL). Please see section 3 of this guide to find out how different types of sources (e.g. books, journal articles, web pages) should be formatted in your reference list and what kind of information you need to provide.

Example of a reference list: Brabazon, T. (2012) Popular Music: Topics, Trends & Trajectories. London: Sage. Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013) Cite Them Right: the Essential Referencing Guide. 9th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Quirk, T. and Toynbee, J. (2005) ‘Going through the Motions: Popular Music Performance in Journalism and Academic Discourse’, Popular Music, 24(3), pp. 399–413.

Why Do We Need Referencing? Referencing allows the reader to consult the same sources easily. It also helps us give credit to the original author(s). By referencing you add weight to your arguments and exhibit that you fully understand the topic you are writing about. Importantly, by referencing correctly you can avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism Plagiarism refers to the presentation of work by a student for assessment which is not his/her own, in the sense that all or part of the work has been copied from that of another person (whether published or not) without attribution, or the presentation of another’s work as if it were his/her own. Plagiarism is a serious offence and may lead to serious implications for the student. Any student who knowingly permits another student to plagiarise his/her own work will also be regarded as having breached student code of conduct. BIMM London uses an electronic plagiarism detection service called Turnitin. This allows the student and the School to check systematically for plagiarism, thus ensuring that all student work is original. Plagiarism detection services search the web and extensive databases of reference material and content submitted by other students to identify any duplication with the students’ submitted work. Plagiarism is very easy to detect. 7

Choosing Your Sources For most assignments, you should use a variety of sources. If you only make use of one or two, your work will not reach its full potential. Importantly, do not only depend on internet sources – read a book! A lot of material found on the web may be deemed unreliable and you should be careful when referring to web pages. For instance, wikis such as Wikipedia should never be used in academic writing. Tone and Structure In terms of tone, academic writing should be formal (avoid slang or SMS language!), clear and concise. Pieces of academic writing also often require a certain structure. For instance, an academic essay should have an introductory section/paragraph, followed by the main discussion. The essay ends with a concluding section/paragraph, in which you can summarise your key findings (and perhaps even consider the further implications of your work). Can I Use First Person in Academic Writing? Using first person means writing ‘I believe that…’ or ‘in my opinion…’ Some academic disciplines require students to distance themselves from the topic they are writing about and avoid using the personal pronoun ‘I’. This convention stems from the traditional ideals of the academia: the writer should be completely objective and unbiased. Popular Music Studies, as a relatively new research field which commonly challenges hierarchies, is more flexible. As a rule, use the first person as little as possible. However, if the assignment requires you to offer your reflective opinion on a topic, using first person is fine.

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3. Referencing – Examples The following examples are based on:

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013) Cite Them Right: the Essential Referencing Guide. 9th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

You should refer to Cite Them Right for a full range of examples, especially for sources that are not covered in this guide. Books (including ebooks)

• Book by one author Author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) Title of book in italics. Edition if it is not 1st edition. Place of publication: publisher. In-text citation: Shuker (2013, p. 100) argues that... Reference list: Shuker, R. (2013) Understanding Popular Music Culture. 4th edn. Abingdon: Routledge.

• Book by two authors Author’s surname, initial. and author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) Title of book in italics. Edition if it is not 1st edition. Place of publication: publisher. In-text citation: Reynolds and Press (1997, p. 17) note that… Reference list: Reynolds, S. and Press, J. (1997) The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion and Rock ‘n’ Roll. London: Serpent’s Tail.

• Book by three authors Author’s surname, initial., author’s surname, initial. and author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) Title of book in italics. Edition if it is not 1st edition. Place of publication: publisher.

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In-text citation: According to Fornäs, Lindberg and Sernhede (1995, p. 88)… Reference list: Fornäs, J., Lindberg, U. and Sernhede, O. (1995) In Garageland: Rock, Youth and Modernity. London: Routledge. • Book by more than three authors

If you are referring to a book by four or more authors it may be inconvenient to include all their names within text. You can use a convention called et al. which is taken from Latin and means ‘and others’. Include names of all the authors in your reference list (please see example below). In-text citation: Bilton et al. (2002, p. 55) suggest that... Reference list: Bilton, T., Bonnett, K., Jones, P., Lawson, T., Skinner, D., Stanworth, M. and Webster, A. (2002) Introductory Sociology. 4th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

• Edited book Editor’s surname, initial. (ed.) (year of publication in round brackets) Title of book in italics. Edition if it is not 1st edition. Place of publication: publisher. In-text citation: Popular music performance was investigated in Inglis (2006). Reference list: Inglis, I. (ed.) (2006) Performance and Popular Music: History, Place and Time. Aldershot: Ashgate.

• Chapter in an edited book Chapter author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) ‘Title of chapter in single quotation marks’, in editor’s surname, initial. (ed.) Title of book in italics. Edition if is not 1st edition. Place of publication: publisher, page numbers of chapter (prefixed by pp.) In-text citation: Smith (2009, p. 429) argued... Reference list: Smith, N. (2009) ‘Beyond the Master Narrative of Youth: Researching Ageing Popular Music Scenes’, in Scott, D.B. (ed.) The Ashgate Research Companion to Popular Musicology. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 427-45.

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Journal Articles (Including Electronic Journal Articles) Author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) ‘Title of article in single quotation marks’, Title of journal in italics, volume number (issue number in brackets), page numbers (prefixed by pp.) In-text citation: Cloonan (2005, p. 79) highlights... Reference list: Cloonan, M. (2005) ‘What Is Popular Music Studies? Some Observations’, British Journal of Music Education, 22(1), pp. 77-93.

Theses and Dissertations Author’s surname, initial. (year in round brackets) Title of dissertation in italics. Type of thesis/dissertation. Name of institution. In-text citation: Timonen (2013, p. 44) argues that… Reference list: Timonen, S. (2013) A Musicological Oral History of Female Popular Musicians in England, 1962 – 1971. Unpublished PhD thesis. City University London. Newspapers

• Article in a printed newspaper Author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) ‘Title of article in single quotation marks’, Title of newspaper in italics, day and month, page numbers (prefixed by pp.) In-text citation: Parkes (2004, p. 6) discusses... Reference list: Parkes, C. (2004) ‘Spielberg Studio Strikes $1bn Deal’, The Financial Times, 24 August, p. 6.

• Article in an online version of a newspaper If you are using an online version of a newspaper, please reference it as a web page with known author and date (please see example on page 12 of this guide). You may also refer to Pears and Shields (2013, p. 32) for further details.

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Web Pages and Images

• Web page with known author and date Author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) Title of web page in italics. Available at: URL (Accessed: date). In-text citation: Lamont (2013) notes that... Reference list: Lamont, T. (2013) Napster: the Day the Music Was Set Free. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/24/napster-music-free-file-sharing (Accessed: 1 September 2014).

• Web page with an organisation as author Name of organisation (year that the site was published/last updated in round brackets) Title of web page in italics. Available at: URL (Accessed: date). In-text citation: The British Broadcasting Corporation (2008) defines its purpose as... Reference list: British Broadcasting Corporation (2008) BBC – About the BBC. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/ (Accessed: 19 February 2008).

• Blog posts Author’s surname, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) ‘Title of post in single quotation marks’, Title of blog in italics, date of post. Available at: URL (Accessed: date). In-text citation: Graham (2014) argued that… Reference list: Graham, S. (2014) ‘A Beach Boys Canon’, Robots Dancing Alone: Plugged-in Musicology, 10 August. Available at: http://robotsdancingalone.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/a-beach-boys-canon/ (Accessed: 1 September 2014).

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• Web page with no known author/title/date

As a rule, avoid web pages like this – they might not be reliable! However, if you do need to refer to them, give as much information as you can. No author: if the author of the website cannot be identified, the title of the web page can be used instead. Title of web page in italics (year of publication in round brackets) Available at: URL (Accessed: date). In-text citation: The Republic of Pemberley (2008) provides access to Austen juvenilia... Reference list: The Republic of Pemberley (2008) Available at: http://www.pemberley.com/ (Accessed: 16 July 2008). No author or title: the URL of the web page should be used. URL (year of publication in round brackets) (Accessed: date). No author, title or date: if there is no obvious date of publication or ‘last updated’ date (often found at the bottom of a web page), add ‘no date’. URL (no date) (Accessed: date).

• Images: Surname of artist/photographer, initial. (year of publication in round brackets) Title of image in italics. Available at: URL (Accessed: date). In-text citation: His stunning photograph (Woods, 2006)... Reference list: Wood, N. (2006) London Eye. Available at: http://www.nickwoodphoto.com/html/ALL-LONDON-EYE/wheel-photos-p4/LE-L-091.html (Accessed: 26 July 2008).

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Audio and Audiovisual Material

• An album (CD or vinyl) Artist or composer (year of distribution in round brackets) Title in italics [CD/vinyl]. Place of distribution: distribution company. In-text citation: The first Liverbirds compilation distributed in the UK (From Merseyside to Hamburg: the Complete Star-club Recordings, 2010)… Reference list: The Liverbirds (2010) From Merseyside to Hamburg: the Complete Star-club Recordings [CD]. London: Big Beat Records.

• Audio and video downloads Artist or composer (year of distribution in round brackets) Title in italics. Available at: URL (Downloaded: date) In-text citation: Their debut album (Temples, 2014)… Reference list: Temples (2014) Sun Structures. Available at: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sun-structures/id762773889 (Downloaded: 10 October 2014). Please note that the 2013 edition of Cite Them Right does not provide a format for referencing streamed recordings. You may use this format, replacing ‘downloaded’ with ‘streamed’.

• YouTube video Name of user posting the video (year video posted in round brackets) Title of video in italics. Available at: URL (Accessed: date) In-text citation: The video (Vhklholdings, 2008)… Reference list: Vhklholdings (2008) Reebok: Join the Migration. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oz7V8-L7R0 (Accessed 26 May 2014)

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• Radio programme

Title of programme in italics (year of transmission in round brackets) Name of channel, date of transmission (day and month) In-text citation: The latest details (In Tune 2014)… Reference list: In Tune (2014) BBC Radio 3, 25 November.

• TV programme Title of programme in italics (year of transmission in round brackets) Name of channel, date of transmission (day and month) In-text citation: The second series (The Fall, 2014)… Reference list: The Fall (2014) BBC Two, 13 November.

• Film Title of film in italics (year of distribution in round brackets) Directed by [Film]. Place of distribution: distribution company. In-text citation: This groundbreaking film (Vertigo, 1958)… Reference list: Vertigo (1958) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock [Film]. Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures.

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Secondary Referencing Sometimes you might want to refer to a piece of research that has been referred to in one of your sources. You should always try to seek out the original piece; however, if this is not possible, you may still refer to it if you make clear that you have not read the original. This is called secondary referencing. Include details for the source that you have read in your reference list. In-text citation: Bryson (2004, cited in Pears and Shields, 2013, p. 8) argued that… Reference list: Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013) Cite Them Right: the Essential Referencing Guide. 9th edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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