Educating GIS Professionals Worldwide

UNIGIS Amsterdam

Introduction to writing assignment reports

Certificate and Diploma Programmes

Assignment Guidelines

(2015-2016)

Educating GIS Professionals Worldwide

UNIGIS Amsterdam – MSc. in GIS Assignment Guidelines (2014-2015)

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This UNIGIS Amsterdam document provides the information needed to successfully do

research and write assignment reports at UNIGIS Amsterdam. Every first and second year student is advised to read the Assignment Guidelines carefully and keep it for

reference.

Colofon

UNIGIS Amsterdam*

Vrije Universiteit

Spatial Information Laboratory (SPINlab)

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Department of Spatial Economics

De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam

Tel. +31-20-59 86099 / 86125 E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.unigis.nl

UNIGIS International Association Chamber of Commerce number (KvK nr): 34178228

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Assignment Guidelines 2014-2015

Copyright © 2014-2015, UNIGIS Amsterdam / SPINlab

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

* This Master's programme is officially registered under the name Geographical

Information Sciences (crohocode 75040)

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.unigis.nl/


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Preface

This document contains the Assignment Guidelines on how to perform research for

your assignments and how to write a good research report for your assignments. The

study guide contains guidelines for setting up and reporting on your research, both in writing and in presenting for an audience. We like to offer you a fairly complete research

manual, although not every form of research described in this manual will be asked from

you to use during the module assignments. If you consider obtaining a UNIGIS MSc title, you will be able to use one or more of the research methods described in this manual.

The manual is meant as a resource for students of the part-time distance-learning variant of the UNIGIS Master of Science in GIS. It is work in progress, so if you think

some paragraphs should be extended in a certain direction or of you are missing some

information, please notify UNIGIS.

I would like to express my gratitude to Margaret Jones, former MSc Thesis co-ordinator of UNIGIS Amsterdam, for having written the most part of this study guide in a first version of a Handbook. Her handbook was the main source for this document.

Amsterdam, September 2014

Niels van Manen, MSc Co-ordinator

Disclaimer

Although every care has been taken to ensure that the information given in this

document is correct at the time of publication, UNIGIS cannot accept any liability arising out of possible errors in this document. Should you find any errors or have questions,

remarks, suggestions for improvements of this study guide, please contact the author.


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Table of Contents

1. CONDUCTING RESEARCH ....................................................................... 5 1.1. Collecting literature......................................................................................................... 5

1.1.1. Using libraries and the Internet ................................................................................. 5

1.1.2. Libraries ..................................................................................................................... 5

1.1.3. The Internet ............................................................................................................... 6

1.2. Collecting data ................................................................................................................. 7

1.2.1. Choosing a Research Method ................................................................................... 7

1.2.2. Experimental Design ................................................................................................. 7

1.2.3. Quantitative Methods................................................................................................. 9

1.2.4. Questionnaires .......................................................................................................... 9

1.2.5. Semi-structured Interviews ...................................................................................... 10

1.2.6. Computer based projects ........................................................................................ 10

2. WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENTS............ 12 2.1. Structure......................................................................................................................... 12

2.2. Language and writing ................................................................................................... 12

2.3. Referencing and Citing................................................................................................. 13

2.3.1. The Harvard Reference System .............................................................................. 13

2.3.2. Plagiarism/fraud....................................................................................................... 15

2.4. Handing in the Assignments……………………………………………………………….. 15

3. PRESENTING BEFORE AN AUDIENCE .................................................. 16 3.1. Preparation..................................................................................................................... 16

3.1.1. Audience.................................................................................................................. 16

3.1.2. Content .................................................................................................................... 16

3.1.3. Context .................................................................................................................... 16

3.2. Structure......................................................................................................................... 16

3.2.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 16

3.2.2. Middle part ............................................................................................................... 16

3.2.3. End .......................................................................................................................... 16

3.3. Presentations ................................................................................................................. 17


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1. Conducting research

1.1.Collecting literature

1.1.1. Using libraries and the Internet

For part-time distance learning students the problem of library support can be particularly

problematic. However, with the growth of the Internet and in particular the World Wide Web the problem of access to materials has diminished.

In completing the research for your MSc, like working for the modules, you have to get

access to scientific literature. At this point it is worth reminding you that an awareness of the literature relating to your particular research problem and evidence in your thesis

showing how your work fits into a body of ideas are essential. A favourite concern of examiners at MSc level is the student’s understanding of the literature and how up-to-

date they are. It is not sufficient, therefore to get an idea from a paper or from a

supervisor and rely on that as the only justification for undertaking a study in your

organisation or area. Therefore, you have to use libraries and/or the Internet.

1.1.2. Libraries

There will, in all probability, be three main sources of reference material: your local

reference library, professional literature at your place of work that may have a library

service or a body of professional literature, and the university library.

Local reference libraries are unlikely to stock specialist texts and even less likely to hold academic journals. They will provide local material, which for some theses will be

a major source, and they will often provide support through inter-library loans, for both texts and journals.

Library materials at workplaces or related professional bodies are likely to be of major

importance to those fortunate enough to have access. For these people there will still be a need to use the university library. For others the University is the sole source of

academic material and you should make every effort to get to it.

All university libraries have on-line computerised reference systems. You can search

textbook and journal databases using author, title, keyword or subject indices (you can now search many of these via the Internet). Libraries also offer inter-library loan facilities.

Of course, one of the principal benefits of a substantial university library is the physical

existence of books and journals that will allow you to browse. With a little knowledge of journals and books that relate to a subject area you can easily penetrate the ‘world of

ideas’ by browsing.

Students resident in the Netherlands will be entitled to a chip card giving access to all

university libraries in the country.

For part-timers, if you do not have easy access to the library of the University at which you are enrolled you may be able to visit, but not borrow from, a local university library.

If you need a letter to establish your student status then the UNIGIS office will provide one on request. If you are isolated and cannot otherwise obtain essential material the

office may be able to help and your supervisor may help to secure material, especially

that which is more difficult to find, such as unpublished monographs or private reports - both at your expense.


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VU Library / SPINlab book collection

Every UNIGIS student is member of the extensive University Library of the Vrije

Universiteit in Amsterdam. After registration at the Vrije Universiteit, through registration

at UNIGIS, each student will receive a student card that contains a barcode for borrowing

books at the library. More information on the library and the catalogue of the library can

be found at www.ubvu.vu.nl.

The SPINlab also has a collection of GIS related books. These books can be borrowed as well. No overview of the collection exists, but the books can be found in the UNIGIS

office.

1.1.3. The Internet

The Internet in many ways can be thought of as a virtual library in which you have access to a wide range of information about GIS. The big difference between the GIS

information you will find on the Internet and that held in a conventional library is that the information will be of different types. For example, data sets, images, sound and even

video. Moreover, for GIS research the material available over the Internet is more likely

to be up to date. In terms of access to written material, while it is still true that the main GIS textbooks and journals are not available over the Internet, many of the latest

conference proceedings are. Therefore, an hour or two ‘surfing the Web’ from your home or office can often yield more research leads than travelling to the University

Library.

Because you will have a student card for the VU, you will also have access to all

periodicals for which the VU has a subscription via VU-Access. This gives you access

to the sites of (at least) Elsevier and Kluwer, and you can obtain individual articles, as long as you have approached them through the VU. All information can be found at:

www.access.vu.nl.

Well-known science databases you can look at are (not all entirely publicly accessible,

most of them accessible with a VU-account):

• ABI Inform – ProQuest:

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb

• ScienceDirect (Elsevier):

http://www.sciencedirect.com/

• Scirus:

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/

• Google Scholar:

http://scholar.google.com/

If you use statistics in your thesis, useful Internet sources on how to use them are:

• Hyperstat Online Textbook:

http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/index.html

• StatSoft Electronic Textbook:

http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html

http://www.ubvu.vu.nl/

http://www.access.vu.nl/

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb

http://www.sciencedirect.com/

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/

http://scholar.google.com/

http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/index.html

http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html


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1.2. Collecting data

1.2.1. Choosing a Research Method

During the work for your assignments you will have to develop and/or use one or more

techniques of investigation. You will need to appreciate that the techniques or methods you use act as a filter between the real world and your world of ideas. Put briefly, what

you know about something depends in part on how you observe and measure it. It is

essential, therefore, to understand what is happening when you apply a technique and, in particular, you must be aware of the likely limitations of techniques used. Best

practice, and a key element of good research design, is to select research method(s) which are most appropriate for your objectives.

It is impossible to provide you with a thorough coverage of even the major techniques

of data collection, processing and presentation. Some of the issues of data acquisition, databases and cartographic presentation are covered in GIS modules. There are,

however, a number of techniques that are used repeatedly in many branches of research and which we think it worthwhile to describe briefly here. The coverage is by no

means exhaustive and you should ALWAYS explore the extensive literature on

each of the topics or seek advice from your supervisors.

1.2.2. Experimental Design

Whatever measurement technique or method you use you will need to be aware of the

ideas and principles of experimental design. The ideas of experimental design are usually presented in relation to statistical methods. Statistics was originally developed

in response to experimental problems in agriculture. The design ideas are easily

appreciated for something like experiments on the affects of potash on barley growth. The trick is to appreciate their general applicability both to situations in which statistics

is not on the agenda and to situations far removed from agriculture.

Research is generally about situations that are not simple or obvious. Additionally it is

about situations in which we have to base our arguments on observation or

measurement of real systems. Arguments are based on logic. The fundamental ideas of experimental design are the logic for argument based on empirical evidence.

Experimental design is the set of methods used to make observations in uncertain situations in order to test ideas in such a way that we can confidently enter into

arguments about them.

Medaward (1979) summarised the different kinds of experiments. He used the names

of famous scientists to label them. The Baconian experiment is one in which

observations are made "to see what happens". The idea is that we can understand how systems work simply by accumulating evidence of different instances. This information

then adds to the body of factual information and thereby our understanding will grow.

A second type of experiment is the Aristotelian experiment. This is undertaken to

demonstrate the truth of an idea or theory. Situations are created or observations

selected, which provide results that fit the preconceived idea and which, are taken specifically to demonstrate that it is true.

These experiments are not critical. They are based on inductivist belief that to establish our ideas, or theories, we have to find circumstances that verify them. You should learn to recognise these approaches to observation and to avoid them in your own work.


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In contrast to these two approaches to experimentation are the Kantian and Galilean

experiments. The Galilean experiment explores an idea or theory to a situation in which

it can be refuted. The situation is sought or designed specifically in order to expose the

weaknesses in ideas if they exist. The Kantian experiment is a thought experiment,

perhaps best characterised as a modelling exercise in the form of mental or computer

simulations in order to explore the implications of ideas. Both Kantian and Galilean

experiments involve deducing the consequences of ideas and critically examining the

outcome either empirically or rationally.

This division of experiments into different types is rather entertaining but it is also important. You will appreciate the importance when your supervisor or examiner says

"... but what have you found out, what has been the point of all this work if you only confirmed your assumptions ...?" Or "How have you advanced your understanding of

...?". Again, it is worth interjecting that the thesis is only part fulfilment for the MSc. We

do not expect radical developments of systems methodologies, or theories of systems.

A thesis can be a review of a field of study or of practical applications. But do not lose

sight of the issue of enquiry and experimentation. Think about what your case studies

are going to tell you and about how you are approaching a problem.

Above all ask yourself the hard-nosed question "what am I going to learn from all this?". Experimental design in traditional experimental situations involves, in broad terms,

a number of stages. At the outset it is imperative to decide what is the response variable,

That is exactly what it is you are observing or measuring and will be the basis for you reaching a judgement. The idea then is that you recognise that this response variable

can be influenced by many factors, one or more of which you are interested in. The problem of experimental design is to control the effects of the factors you are not

interested in so that you can relate the response variable to one or more factors of

interest.

How is this control achieved? There are four ways. The first three involve direct control

of the extraneous factors, by physical intervention in physical experiments, or by

sampling strategies in social experiments. The three are elimination, equalisation and balancing. If you were investigating the effect of age of VDU interaction response time

and wanted to exclude the effect of sex you could do this by eliminating one sex from your sample. Alternatively, if it was not possible to do this you could equalise the effect

by choosing equal numbers of men and women in each age category. In your

observation you might suspect that the response time varied through the day differently for men and women. You could control this by balancing the time of observation that is

measuring the subjects at different times of day on different days. With a little imagination you can apply these principles to your own situation.

The fourth method of control is randomisation. This issue controls for the effects of the

extraneous factors, which we cannot identify and/or control in any other way. Randomisation involves the use of some random or non-ordered element in our sampling

procedure. There are many situations where the cases are so few that randomisation is not possible. In such cases, as in all empirical work, we make do with what we have got.

Our problem then shifts to one of deciding what conclusions can be reached on the basis

of our data.

The following texts on experimental design may be useful.

Keppel, G., Saufley, W.H. and Tokunaga, H., 1992. Introduction to Design and

Analysis: A Student’s Handbook. 2nd Edition. W.H. Freeman and Co, New York.

Robson, C., 1983. Experiment, Design and Statistics in Psychology: An Introduction. 2nd Edition. Pelican, Middlesex.


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Each of these texts is suitable for quantitative methods, which are dealt with in the next

section.

1.2.3. Quantitative Methods

For many, quantitative methods mean statistics. You should, however, think about

display before analysis or modelling. Tufte’s (1983) book on the Visual Display of

Quantitative Information is the best illustration of what display is all about. You should expect that your work will be conducted through such display of data without necessarily

any recourse to statistics. Simple scatter plots histograms and charts can reveal the main properties of data. Curve fitting can be done to best effect by the "bold, free hand".

Only in specific, experimental situations should you need to employ statistical routines.

Statistics is the bete noire for many. This is a pity because statistics represent merely

one part of the approach to data handling from measurement to interpretation. It is not

possible here to give details of methods or rules. There are several excellent texts which deal with both or either of non-parametric and parametric methods as well as

statistical models. For example;

Cohen, L. and Holliday, M., 1982. Statistics for Social Scientists. Harper and Row

London.

Ebdon, D., 1985. Statistics in Geography. 2nd Edition. Blackwell, Oxford.

Phillips, J.L., 1992. How to Think About Statistics. W.H. Freeman and Co., New York.

Rouncefield, M. and Holmes, P., 1989. Practical Statistics. MacMillan, London.

1.2.4. Questionnaires

Questionnaires are frequently used as a source in social sciences research. You are familiar with them as a consumer or subject of research. You might imagine it is simple

and straightforward to design a good questionnaire. Be warned it is not! Great care is

needed in selecting the type of question to use in questionnaire writing, design, plotting, distribution and return of questionnaires. Thought has to be given to how the results will

be analysed. Questionnaires are a good way of collecting a lot of certain types of information quickly and cheaply. But their success depends on subjects who

appreciate your intentions and on discipline of the researcher to ask only the questions

that are needed. The following should help you in the design of an appropriate questionnaire strategy;

Barnett, V., 1991. Simple Survey: Principles and Methods. Edward Arnold, London.

Never use leading questions or questions that presume a particular viewpoint

(especially your own). Avoid hypothetical questions and anything that could cause offence or sensitivity. Age and income come into the last category and if necessary are best approached as category bands for example, 40 - 50 years or >£25,000 pa.

Do not underestimate the problems of distribution and return. You will need to be well organised. Devise a system for identifying returned questionnaires if you do not ask for

identifies of respondents; though if you promise anonymity, then keep your word.

If your questionnaire is a sample of the population then you will have to take care over your sample design. A problem will come with non-respondents because of the fact


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that nonrespondents are probably different from respondents and you might end up

with a biased sample. You might also want to plan a follow up survey.

1.2.5. Semi-structured Interviews

Interviewing is a major source of material for research in the social sciences. It is far

from straightforward. The major problems with the use of interviews are the subjectivity.

The progression and outcome of interviewing are strongly dependent on the interviewer and their relationship to the interviewee. It is essential, therefore, that you establish a

consistent and carefully structured way of working. In particular you must treat your interviewee with respect. Their feeling of trust in you, which respect encourages, is vital

if you are to be confident in the validity of results.

In recent years unstructured interviewing has become common, especially for studies of folk history, culture and personal histories. This approach is built on the assumption

that the interviewee is the principle object of the study and that their personal perspective, opinion and knowledge are paramount. Where this is not the case it is

dangerous to assume that the interviewee will respond in consistent ways. Although

the technique is fraught with difficulties, interviewing can provide a rich source of data and ideas. Indeed, some data can be obtained only through interviewing. Two good

starting points reviewing various interviewing methods are;

Bell, J., Bush, T., Fox, A., Croody, D. and Goulding, S. (Eds.) 1984. Conducting Small

Scale Investigations in Educational Management, Harper and Raw, London.

Moser, C.A. and Kalton, G., 1971. Survey Methods In Social Investigation, Heineman, London.

1.2.6. Computer based projects

Many GIS research projects depend on the use of computer facilities. You are familiar

already with operating systems, GIS software, databases and various presentation tools. The problem you will face in using computers is not how to use them but how far

to use them and how to evaluate what you have produced.

To start with we would advise you not to embark on any project that requires access to

hardware, software and databases for which you are unsure of their availability for your

research. Considerable effort may need to be exerted to implement software and gain

access to hardware or databases and in the period in which the thesis should be

completed you should not spend time in fruitless pursuit of impractical goals.

At the outset you should have a clear idea of what your computing problem is. First,

recognise if your research problem is one of, what we will call, ‘development’ or ‘application’. Development can be of software algorithms or databases or modelling. In

applications you will operate GIS or databases, or use existing systems with an emphasis

on the solution outside the computer system. The distinction is most important, if

seemingly trivial, because often in development, problems are open ended. Experience shows that inordinate resources can be expended on solution of seemingly minor

problems. You should be cautioned against projects that involve software development unless you and your supervisor are confident of progress.

In addition, if you do choose to develop a computer-based project it is essential that

you try to apply an acknowledged methodology for the design and development of your project. If you need a starting point to review some of these then you should revisit the


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GIS in organisations and project management modules. The following texts will also be

of help: Allen, C.P., 1991. Effective Structured Techniques: from strategy to CASE, London:

Prentice Hall.

Gilb, T., 1988. Principles of Software Engineering Management,: London: Addison

Wesley

Vonk, R., 1990. Prototyping: The Effective Use of CASE Technology, New York: Prentice Hall

Barki, H. & Hardwick, J., 1994. Measuring User Participation, User Involvement and User Attitude, MIS Quarterly, March 1994 pp59-82.

Checkland, P.B. and Scholes, J., 1990. Soft Systems Methodology in Action,

Chichester: Wiley,

The staff has experience of several hardware and software systems and of applications in a wide variety of areas. You are eligible to call on that experience and to be directed

to other academics and vendors who may help with specific problems. You cannot expect substantial training in new software from the Course Team, although every

effort will be made to assist you. It is also important to remember that producing a

prototype or developing an application will not be sufficient for your MSc, you will need to show that you are able to critically appraise your work. This will, undoubtedly, involve

applying one of the other research methods described previously in this section.


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2. Writing a Research Report for your Assignments

2.1.Structure

Besides the explanations in Module 1 – Section zero on how to write reports and

essays for your assignments, we expect you to include at least the following elements

when writing an assignment report:

- Title page, including the module name and assignment number and name,

your name, your intake (e.g., September 2014) and student number, and the

date;

- Table of contents, you can use the default Word-TOC if you want, with a

maximum of 3 heading levels (e.g., Chapter 1, Section 1.1, Paragraph 1.1.1).

Please also include the Reference-list and, if applicable, Appendices in the

Table of Contents;

- Page numbers;

- References, to be included behind the conclusions, before the appendices.

See Section 2.3 for instruction on how to refer to sources and how to build the

reference-list;

- Maps (if applicable): when you include maps in your assignment reports or

essays, we expect you to follow cartographical rules as much as possible and

include map elements such as a scale bar, a north arrow, a clearly readable

legend and a figure caption and/or map title.

2.2.Language and writing

First, the choice of language: it is normal that you submit your thesis in English, but in

exceptional cases it is acceptable to write it in Dutch. The following comments about writing clear and plain English however, apply equally well if you are writing in Dutch.

The purpose of language is to transmit ideas. The hallmark of good writing is clarity

and organisation. To write well you must have your ideas organised. This means you must have some strategic overview of what you want to write and the ability to produce

ordered sequences of statements. The necessary logic of your argument must unfold

as one reads successive sentences and paragraphs.

Writing should be structured not only at the strategic level, but also at the ‘tactical’ level. That is, our sentences and phrasing must be clear and logical. Construct sentences around single ideas.

Avoid sub-clauses, detailed qualification of points and complex strings or argument.

Break complex things down into simple ones. In all that you write try to use what

Gowers calls "plain English" (Gowers, 1986). Plain English means avoiding pomposity,

vagueness, tautology, clichés, jargon (where inappropriate) and ‘adorned’ words where

plain, simple words and phrases will do. Plain English is a question of the choice of the

correct word as well as of structuring word sequences.

In scientific writing (try to avoid the term ‘academic’) you should try to use the third person. It is the natural style of disinterested, impartial and critical writing. It helps you to avoid the use of opinion as fact and to structure arguments.


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You should get into the habit, or improve the habit, of going over what you write in order to improve your use of English. Remove unnecessary or misleading words and

phrases. Everyone has his or her favourites. For example, ‘very’, ‘obviously’ and ‘basically’. The first rarely adds emphasis. The second is used invariably when

something is far from obvious. The third has no meaning in most usage. Probably you

have your own list. Try to extend it and refine it by consulting texts on writing English,

such as: Gowers, E., 1986, The Complete Plain Words., London: Pelican

Wood, F.T, Flavell, R.H. & Flavel L.M., 1987, Current English Usage, London:

MacMillan. When writing, try to produce whole first drafts of chapters for re-writing and for criticism

by your supervisor or by others. It helps the reviewer if whole chapters (at least) are

considered at once, since so many elements of judgement rely on being able to relate different parts of the structure and on appreciating major sections of your argument.

2.3.Referencing and Citing

What is a referencing system for? It is a shorthand way of constructing arguments by

referring to previous work. The system is easily and often abused in order to impress.

You should be honest with references. Do not add them for weight unless your argument

is about the large number of studies. The list of references causes problems for most

students. It can take a great deal of time to compile. Be aware that examiners commonly

check the accuracy of lists and ensure that citations in the text are in the list, and vice

versa.

The best way to create a correct reference list is to maintain a card index (or database

like Reference Manager or Endnote) system as you go along. Creating a list retrospectively can be a nightmare. There are a number of systems for citing references

in text. Avoid those that use footnotes. They are clumsy and wreak havoc with your word processing.

It is best to use either a numbering system, with each reference having a number placed in brackets, which reflects the order it appears in the thesis. More commonly citations are made by the name of authors and date of publication.

Conventionally the name appears as Jones (1984) in the flow of text. When a string of references are given it is normal to enclose them in brackets such as at the end of a sentence (Jones, 1994; Smith, 1985).

If there are two authors use both names (Carrot and Stick, 1937) but for more authors use the form (Cobley et al., 1927) in the text while giving the full list of authors in the reference list.

2.3.1. The Harvard Reference System

It is commonplace nowadays for the Harvard System of referencing to be used. This is

an alphabetic list of the references at the end of the thesis. A summary of some of the main elements of the Harvard Systems is given below;

At the end of the report, references quoted in the text are listed alphabetically by author and by date of publication, for example;

Brim, B.J., 1966, Attitude changes in teacher education students, Journal and

Educational Research, Vol. 59, No. 10, pp.441-445.


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Finlayson, D.S. and L. Cohen, 1967, The teacher’s role, British Journal of Education

Psychology, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp.21-31.

Steele, M., 1958, C• MEd thesis, University of Manchester, p.70.

Where an author publishes more than one item in a particular year add a, b, c, to the

date, for example. Corwin (1961a) and Corwin (1961b).

Authors may include individuals, organisations, committees or government departments.

When more than two people are responsible quote either the first editor, for example.

Tibble, J.W. (ed.) or, if no editor, the first name appearing on the title page followed by

et al. for example, Layard, R., et al.

Citing

In the text quote the author and date of publication only unless you refer to the same

book more than once and you include page or paragraph number in the text reference

for example, Lovell (1969, p.20), Lovell (1969, p.102).

Editions, reprints and date of publication.

Distinguish carefully between;

• books revised and updated - quote the latest edition, for example. 3rd Ed. 1972.

• books reprinted (text unchanged) - quote the date of the first publication. Checklist for describing a book.

Copy all relevant information from the title page (not the cover) of the book.

• author(s) or editor(s) (surname followed by initials).

• date of publication (quote most recent edition - ignore reprint dates).

• title (sufficient for identification).

• edition (if other than the first).

• place of publication.

• publisher (some abbreviations are acceptable).

• page number(s) where relevant.

For example;

Banks, O., 1976, The Sociology of Education, 3rd ed. Batsford, London, p. 21-23.

For an article in a journal, write down: author, date, title of article, title of journal, vol. no., pages. For example:

Robins, E., 1971, A comprehensive reform of higher education, Higher Education Review, Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 3-22.

One important remark is that the Harvard System is not the ‘one-good’ reference

system. There are alternatives which can prove to be as useful. The important thing

with referencing is that you choose one system and stick to that system throughout

your thesis as to systematically account for all the source material you use. You will

find useful information about referencing in the “library” on the UNIGIS website, under

the heading English Language / Reference and Writing Aids.


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2.3.2. Plagiarism/fraud

Remember that you MUST include ALL references to other people’s work. In many

cases, you will be writing in your own words using information derived from other authors, and you will include the references as explained above. If, however, you are

including a direct quote in the original author’s own words, you must put the whole

citation within “inverted commas” as well as naming the author as mentioned above under ‘Citing’. Figures and tables which are not your own must also have the reference

quoted next to the title of the figure or table.

If you do not include references, then you are guilty of plagiarism. It is very easy to

copy large amounts of material from the Internet, but the thesis must be your OWN WORK – you will be signing a disclaimer stating that your thesis is in fact your own

work (see the next chapter). The UNIGIS staff shall be checking the final version of

students’ work to verify that it is indeed original work. See the Education and Examination Regulations for a description of the consequences of detected plagiarism.

For more information on how UNIGIS deals with fraud, see Article 3 of the Examination Board’s Rules and Guidelines.

2.4. Handing in the Assignments

For each module the assignments are only to be handed in, when ALL assignments are ready for correction (except Module1) before the deadline for each module. Please see “Timetables Semester September 2015 and February 2016” for deadlines. If the deadline cannot be met, the student has to apply for an extension with the tutor of the corresponding module and discuss the additional time needed. The assignment(s) is (are) to be handed in only in a digital version via email to the tutor and to [email protected]. A hardcopy is no longer necessary. The grades will be received by the student within 4 weeks after the deadline.

mailto:[email protected]


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3. Presenting before an audience

3.1. Preparation

3.1.1. Audience

Please keep in mind for whom you will give this presentation. Who will the audience

be? Students? Specialists? The level of knowledge of your audience will determine your use of language.

3.1.2. Content

What is the goal of your presentation? What do you want to tell the audience? Your formulation should be precise, but don’t loose yourself in details. Keep an eye on the main point.

3.1.3. Context

In what context will you give your presentation? What is the program of the day? How long are you allowed to speak? Are there other speakers and what are their topics?

Should you bring your own laptop? How many people will there be? Tip: be there on

time to get acquainted with the room and the technical device.

3.2. Structure

3.2.1. Introduction

What do you want to say? What is your message to the audience?

How will you do that? What is the procedure of your presentation? Give an overview of essential points (on board, sheet)

Why are you saying it?

The introduction has to be short and compact. The audience wants to know what they can expect. Show the structure of your presentation and start with a catching phrase.

3.2.2. Middle part

This part is the actual presentation. It has to be build up by 3 or 4 connected central points, so the main line is clear. Main and sub points should be clearly distinguished.

3.2.3. End

Summary or conclusion should be given. Feedback to main goal of presentation. Finish

with another catching phrase, last impression is important too. Possibly you could make time for answering questions.


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3.3. Presentations

Pay attention to:

• Behavioural aspects that support the delivery of information (vocal sound,

gestures, enthusiasm, positive reaction)

• Rhythm of your presentation (main points, pausing, notes, speed of speech)

• Interaction with audience (observing, eye contact, asking and answering

questions)

• Alternation in presentation (vocal, speed, giving examples, use of media)

• Handling tension (preparation, writing text down, don’t hide your fear, show it)

Suggested literature (in Dutch)

• een onderzoek voorbereiden (ISBN 90 5574 376 3)

• een onderzoek uitvoeren (ISBN 90 5574 373 9)

• een onderzoek rapporteren (ISBN 90 5574 374 7)

• een onderzoek presenteren (ISBN 90 5574 375 5)

Documents

Educating GIS Professionals Worldwide