Academic exercises

Citing references, paraphrasing, writing a bibliography and error

correction.

1. You are writing an essay about making ethical decisions in

journalism. On page 60 of the book detailed below, you find the following
quotation (underlined), which you want to quote exactly:

“One of the challenges we face in the process of ethical decision making is

to heighten our level of moral reasoning, to expand our skills at doing
ethics. Many journalists say they make ethical judgements based on their
“gut reactions”. While it is natural to respond in such a way, these gut
reactions only provide an entry point for confronting an ethical dilemma. At
this gut-reaction level, we tend to see ethics in stark black and white,
suggesting that the distinction between right and wrong is quite clear and
that the answer is intuitively obvious...

It is important for journalists to be willing to struggle with the grey areas of

ethical dilemmas, to develop the capacity to recognize competing principle s
within a case, to hear opposing positions...”

Exact quote example:

Black, Steele and Barney (1999) state that we need to “heighten our level of
moral reasoning” in regards to ethics in journalism.

Title: Doing Ethics in Journalism – A Handbook with Case Studies

Author: Jay Black, Rob Steele and Ralph Barney

Published by: Allyn & Bacon

Published in: 1999

Published in: Massachusetts

2. You are writing an essay about making a motion picture. Your next
point is about “The Scene”. On page 38 of the book detailed below, you
find the following quotation, and you want to quote the parts which are
underlined:

“The story is an uninterrupted flow of developments. But the scenes of a

motion picture represent only certain events from among this continuous
stream. We must consider the motion picture as a story of which certain
events are told and others are not. The former are contained in the scenes,
and the latter take place between scenes.

The scene can be defined as a section of the entire story in which a certain
happening occurs. Now every happening occurs at a certain place and a
certain time...”

Quotation example:

Furthermore, Vale (1998) explains making of a motion picture as an

“uninterrupted flow of developments (…) representing only certain events (…)
that are told (contained in the scenes) or not told (contained between the
scenes)” Moreover, the author defines the scene as “a section of the entire
story in which a certain happening occurs”.

Title: Vale’s Technique of Screen and Television Writing

Author: Eugene Vale

Published by: Butterworth-Heinemann

Published in: 1998

Published in: Massachusetts

3. You are writing an essay about scheduling TV programmes. On pages

173-174 of the book detailed below, you find the following quotation. You
want to quote what Maltby wrote:
“...it is possible to run a channel such as Channel 4 as a commercial concern,
with only 10 per cent of the total viewing figures, or an entire 24-hour
satellite station such as Asia Business News with high production values, on a
tiny fraction of the Asian television market. Maltby (1989) notes this
development in relation to the type of programming developed on the US
networks:

In the developed world, further expansion of the media involved the

exploitation of increasingly specialised markets for higher-priced media
commodities such as financial information or “quality” television...”

Example of secondary referencing:

Maltby (cited in McQueen 1998, p.173-174) states that …

Title: Television – A Media Student’s Guide

Author: David McQueen

Published by: Arnold

Published in: 1998

Published in: London

4. You are writing an essay about the analysis of production costs. On

pages 57-58 of the book detailed below, you find the following
quotation. You want to quote the part which is underlined:

“The art of good management is to capture the benefits of internal and

external economies and, of course, to avoid the onset of internal and external
diseconomies. Ideally, firms will want to operate at the level of output which
corresponds to minimum unit costs over the long run or what is sometimes
termed the minimum efficient scale (MES). This represents the technical
optimum scale of production for the firm...”
Example of quotation:

Nellis and Parker (1997a) state that “the art of good management is to
capture the benefits of internal and external economies and, of course, to
avoid the onset of internal and external diseconomies. Ideally, firms will
want to operate at the level of output which corresponds to minimum unit
costs over the long run or (...) the minimum efficient scale (MES)”.

Title: The Essence of Business Economics

Author: Joseph G. Nellis and David Parker

Published by: Prentice Hall Europe

Published in: 1997

Published in: Hertfordshire

On page 66 of the same book, you then find the following quotation, which
you want to paraphrase:

“The sort of factors which tend to influence the elasticity of supply include
the extent to which production costs change as supply is altered; the
existence of spare capacity; the extent to which the firm carries stocks and
the extent to which the firm can switch capacity from or to alternative
productions. Ultimately, the responsiveness of supply has a time dimension –
the longer the period the firm has to adapt to the price change, then the
more elastic (responsive) supply is likely to be. In the very short run, of
course, it may not be possible for a firm to change its supply at all, in which
case supply is said to be perfectly inelastic (it has a zero price elasticity).”
Example of paraphrasing:

Furthermore, Nellis and Parker (1997b) in the same book discuss the
relationship between the supply and factors affecting it arising from
economies of scale, the demand, businesses’ ability to adjust to the demand
and product adjustments and/or alterations dictated by the market needs. It
is also highlighted that the level of the price elasticity of supply may have a
direct effect on firms pricing strategies.

5. You are writing an essay about intercultural communication in the

classroom. In sections 5.1 and 3 respectively of the websites detailed
below, you find the following quotations and you want to quote the parts
which are underlined:

“Culture is separated from the individuals or the event itself, being viewed
both as the source of a problem and as a means of explaining the problem
away without, however, solving it. Cross-cultural comparison, analogous to
contrastive linguistics, identifies differences, and these are used to accou nt
for or to predict communication problems.”

Example of quotation:

According to White, (1997b) “culture is (…) viewed both as the source of a

problem and as means of explaining the problem away without, however,
solving it.”

Title: Going round in circles: English as an International Language, and

cross-cultural capability

Author: Ron White

Web address: http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cl/SLALS/circles.htm

Published in: 1997

Published by: The University of Reading

“The differences which may be observed in inter-discoursal communication
are strongly influenced by expectations and styles of interaction having their
origins in those universal attributes which we label ‘human nature’, in the
learned behaviour which we term ‘culture’ and in the unique characteristics
of the individual, which we call ‘personality’,...

Of these influences, culture is likely to be the most potent because,

according to Simons, Vazques and Harris (1993, p209), we can assume that at
least 80% of what you react to in others is cultural and that 20% or less is
personal.”

Quotation example:

Furthermore, Simons, Vazques and Harris (1993, p.209 cited in White 1997a)
suggest that “we can assume that at least 80% of what you react to in others
is cultural and that 20% or less is personal.”

Title: Closing the Gap between Intercultural and Business Communication

Skills

Author: Ron White

Web address: http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cl/SLALS/closing.htm

Published in: 1997

Published by: The University of Reading

6. Write a bibliography for the references in the exercises above.

BELLIS, JOSEPH, PARKER, D., 1997. The Essence of Business Economics. Hertfordshire:
Prentice Hall Europe
BLACK, J, STEELE, R, BARNEY, R, 1999. Doing ethics in journalism : a handbook with case
studies. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon
MACQUEEN, D., 1998. Television. 1. publ. in Great Britain ed. London [u.a.]: Arnold
VALE, E., 1998. Vale’s Technique of Screen and Television Writing. Massachusetts: Butterworth-
Heinemann
WHITE, R., 1997a. Closing the Gap between Intercultural and Business Communication
Skills [viewed Jan 10, 2018]. Available
from: http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cl/SLALS/closing.htm
WHITE, R., 1997b. Going round in circles: English as an International Language, and cross-
cultural capability [viewed Jan 10, 2018]. Available
from: http://www.rdg.ac.uk/AcaDepts/cl/SLALS/circles.htm

7. Proofread the paragraph below and find the 15 errors:

Comparative study of animal help to show how man's space require are
influenced in his environment. In animals we can observing the direction, the
rate, and the extent of changes of behaviour that follow changes in space
available to them as we can never hope to do in men. For one thing, by using
animals it am possible to acelerate time, since animal generations is
relatively short. Scientist can, at forty years, observe four hundred forty _
generations of mice, while has in the same span of time seen only two
generations of his own kind. And, off course, he can be more detatched about
the fate of animal.

Error correction - corrected forms are in (brackets).

Comparative (Comprehensive) study of animal (animals) help (helps) to show

(to understand) how man's space require are influenced in his environment
(how humans’ activities influence animals’ natural habitat). In animals, we
can observing (it can be observed that) the direction, the rate, and the
extent of changes of behaviour that follow (following) changes in (living)
space available to them (is not apparent in humans.) as we can never hope
to do in men. For one thing, (In this case) by using (investigating) animals it
(I) am possible (able) to accelerate (accelerate) time, since animal (animals’
lives) generations (are) is relatively short. Scientist can, at (over the period
of) forty years, observe four hundred forty _ (four hundred and forty)
generations of mice, while has in (whereas during) the same span (amount)
of time seen (they can observe) only two generations of his own kind
(humans). And, off (of) course, he can be more (the scientists can be more)
detatched (detached) about (from) the fate of animal (animals).