It is not only a courtesy but also a legal obligation to cite the work we have used to create our work. Thus, learning the rules of proper citation is essential when studying at university. Plagiarism, as the unacknowledged use of another's work, is then considered a gross misdemeanor that carries severe penalties.
- We should always cite the primary source (i.e., the original author, not someone who has already adopted the idea).
- Cite in a consistent style.
- We follow the chosen citation standard (at the PdF you will most often encounter the APA standard or ČSN ISO 690 - check with the department which standard they prefer).
- We write down information about the document right away; in retrospect, not all the information necessary to write the citation may be available.
- Citation generators and managers (e.g. Zotero) can make working with citations easier.
The basis of any successful search, whether on the Internet or in databases, is the correct definition of keywords. These are the terms that most accurately describe the topic of our work.
What do properly defined keywords look like?
Most often these are nouns or noun phrases in the first case.
For example, to find resources for the thesis The role of a teaching assistant in the education of pupils with Down syndrome at a special primary school, we could choose the following keywords:
teaching assistant, Down syndrome, special primary school
The key words can then be further expanded to include synonyms (words of similar meaning) or parent and child terms.
Since every article and book in the database is described in English (even if the article is written in Czech), we need to translate our keywords into English as well, to ensure more search results.
In the next step, we enter our English keywords into the selected search engine. In the case of MU, we recommend using discovery.muni.cz. Here you can search almost all available databases at once with one search query.
You can also search specific databases, a list of which can be found at Portal of electronic information resources.
You've managed to write the paper and now you have to present it in front of your classmates and the teacher. How to "sell it" properly? Adequate preparation is important. First, you need to be clear about these basic things:
- To whom you will speak (You must present in the "language of your tribe".)
- What do you want to say (What is the main message? Ideally, if you can express it in one sentence.)
- Where will you speak (In what setting? Are you familiar with it? If not, find out about it beforehand if possible. You won't get sidetracked by technical equipment, for example.
- How much time you will have available (It is not good to finish too early, but neither is it good to overstretch the allotted time.)
If your presentation is to be supported by slides, remember that these are only meant to be a supplement, not the basis of your presentation. No one can concentrate for long periods of time on reading the text and listening at the same time.
- Forget about reading the slides verbatim.
- Slides should be airy, not cluttered with text.
- Images and photographs must be of sufficient resolution (and beware of copyright!).