BA (HONS) EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES

Dissertation Guide

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Title: BA (ECS) DISSERTATIONS Head of Department: Ms Sheelagh Carville Adviser of Studies: Dr Lousie Quinn Module Co-ordinator: Dr Colette Gray

Aims The focus of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to engage in independent study and learning. They will investigate an area of interest related to early years issues by engaging in a small scale research project. Learning outcomes On completion of this module the student will be able to:

Use established research methodologies involved in both quantitative and qualitative approaches;

Design and implement a small scale research project employing appropriate methodologies;

Access information from a variety of resources. e.g. using electronic data bases;

Adopt critical approaches to selecting and analyzing support material;

Use independent study skills;

Compile and write a report from a small-scale research project. Teaching and Learning

In the preparation and completion of their dissertations students will experience a variety of teaching and learning methods and techniques. Knowledge provided in lectures, group seminars and peer tutoring will be further enhanced by the guidance and advice provided during individual consultation sessions by dissertation supervisors.

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Transferable skills

Students will develop the ability to:

Engage in self-initiated, independent study;

Access and review literature and cite references accurately in written form;

Design, collate and analyse data using a range of research methodologies;

Interpret and effectively communicate research findings in written form;

Use ICT in the development of personal competence.

The recommended time frame for the submission of each section is as follows:

DISSERTATION SECTION

SUBMISSION DATE

Literature review

TBC

Methods

November (4th wk)

Results

February (4th wk)

Discussion March (4th wk)

Introduction Conclusion & Recommendations

April (1st wk) April (2

nd wk)

Abstract April (3rd

wk)

Variations on the time frame given for each section must be agreed with individual supervisors prior to the submission date;

Bound dissertations should be submitted by (date to be advised)

Draft sections should not be submitted after April 30th Part time students who elect to delay submission should note the deferred

date is: date to be advised

Draft sections should not be submitted after September 30th

In order to further enhance communication with dissertation supervisors, students are expected to access their Stranmillis email account on a regular basis;

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Students should note that the progressive nature of supervision means that large portions of work should not be submitted for consideration all at one time, or close to the final submission date.

Some Useful Sources: Please note: a number of books are held on consultation for use in the library. Amos Hatch, J. (2007) Early Childhood Qualitative Research. Taylor & Francis. Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2007, 6th Ed) Research Methods in Education, London: Routledge Gray, C. & Carville, S. (2008). Ethical research practices across disciplinary boundaries: the process of research involving children with a visual impairment. Childcare in Practice, 14, 2, 217-228. Gray, C. & Winter, E. (2011a). Hearing voices: Participatory research with preschool children with and without disabilities. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 19, 3, 311-322.

Gray, C. & Winter, E. (2011b). The Ethics of Participatory Research Involving Young Children with Special Needs. In D. Harcourt, B. Perry & T. Waller. Researching young children's perspectives: ethics and dilemmas of educational research with children. (Chp. 2, 26-37)Taylor & Francis

Greene, S., Hill, M. (2005) (eds). Researching Children's Experiences: Approaches and Methods. London: Sage

Heath, S. (2009). Researching young people's lives. London, SAGE

Involving children in research. (2008) Compendium of papers and reflections from a Think

Tank co-hosted by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and the New

South Wales Commission for Children and Young People on 11 November 2008. Available

at:

http://kids.nsw.gov.au/uploads/documents/InvolvingChildrenandYoungPeopleinResearch.pd

f

Palaiologou, I. (2012). Ethical Practices in Early Childhood, London, Sage. Punch, K. (2009). Introduction to research methods in education. London, SAGE Roberts-Holmes, G. (2006) Doing your early years research project. A step-by-step guide. Paul Chapman Publishing.

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Sharp, J (2012). Success with your education research project. |London, Learning Matters: Sage

Silverman, D. (2006). Interpreting qualitative data : methods for analyzing talk, text and interaction. London : SAGE Strauss, A. L. and Corbin, J. M. (2008) Basics of Qualitative Research: techniques and

procedures for developing grounded theory. London:Sage.

Tisdall,K.M., Davis,J.M. & Gallagher.M. (2009). Researching with children and young

people. Research design methods and analysis. London. Sage.

Walliman, N. (2004). Your undergraduate dissertation. The essential guide to success. Sage Study Skills.London. Wilkinson, D. & Birmingham, P. (2003) Using Research Instruments: A guide for

Researchers. London: Routledge. Falmer.

Yin, R. K. (Robert Kuo-Zuir) (2003). Case study research: design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA; London: Sage Please Note: Additional resources concerning the ethical implication of research involving children and vulnerable groups are available in the Dissertation module, Queens online in the folder ‘Suggested Additional Reading.’

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT READ IT CAREFULLY AND RETAIN IT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

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REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT

Requirements

1. A dissertation module is taken at Level 3 of the BA (Hons) ECS degree course. The dissertation will normally be around 8,000 words in length.

2. The dissertation module is taken as a double module. It commences in Year 3,

Semester 2 for students on the part-time pathway and in Year 2, Semester 2 for students on the full-time pathway.

3. Although a thesis requires a student to develop an original research project, a

dissertation may involve the replication of a study. It does, however, require a student to extend and develop an existing knowledge base.

4. Students are strongly advised to accomplish a considerable amount of work on the

dissertation during the initial stages. 5. A candidate will normally submit a completed dissertation on the required date in the

May of the final year of their degree course. Opportunities for a deferral of submission until the September of the final year of study do currently exist for part-time students only. Notification of such intentions to defer to the September submission date, by part-time students, should be made in writing to the Adviser of Studies.

6. NB: A student who fails to include a signed dissertation permission/ethics form, provided

by their supervisor, will not have their assessment results for their dissertation made available to them, until they produce the form.

WARNING Attention is drawn to the following extracts from the Regulations for Examination leading to Primary Degrees of The Queen’s University of Belfast. “A dissertation, essay, laboratory report, or any other similar work not undertaken in an Examination Hall but submitted by a candidate in partial satisfaction of degree requirements must be the candidate’s own work and must not contain any plagiarised material or material copied from the work of another candidate”. “Plagiarised material will be deemed to be passages from other works (or a paraphrase of such) incorporated without acknowledgement and with the intention of it being taken to be the candidate’s own work. Passages from other works may be quoted only if shown as quotations with acknowledgement of the sources and similarly may be paraphrased only if the sources are acknowledged”. Any breach of the above Regulation will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence. Complaints procedure

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Where a student is concerned about the supervision provided he/she should raise the matter with the supervisor in the first instance:

– If the student is not satisfied with the outcome, or is concerned about raising the matter directly with the supervisor, he/she should raise the matter with the Dissertation Module Co-ordinator, Dr Colette Gray;

– If the student is concerned about raising the matter within the College, he/she should raise it with the Dean;

– A student is required to raise any concerns about his/her supervision as early as possible, and prior to the deadline for submission – failure to do so will be taken as evidence of a lack of problems in any subsequent appeal.

Guidelines for Supervision 1. Over-supervision should be avoided; once the title and framework are agreed the

student should begin to work independently. Written feedback will be provided by supervisors in response to the submission of draft material for consideration, with supervision meetings arranged to support this feedback. The supervisor should ensure that regular contact has been maintained, before the date of submission.

2. With the exception of the first meeting, a student will usually have a maximum of 6

meetings with their supervisor. A record of each meeting, signed by both the supervisor and student, must be kept for inclusion in the Appendix section of the dissertation (see Appendix 3).

3. It is not advisable for a supervisor to have any discussion with the student about the

likely assessment grade the dissertation would secure. 4. Once a dissertation is officially submitted it should not be returned to the student for any

purpose whatsoever – nor should the student be permitted to submit additional material for inclusion.

5. A copy of the “Dissertation Guidelines” adhered to by all tutors is enclosed at the end of

this document (Appendix 1), along with a sample “Dissertation Response Proforma” (Appendix 3 & 4).

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GUIDELINES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DISSERTATIONS These Guidelines, prepared by the Librarian, have been written to provide guidance on the physical make-up of the dissertation, subject to any special requirements which may be made by an individual Department, and which will be issued in a separate document by that Department. 1. Format

Dissertations should preferably be word processed in Ariel, size 12 on one side only of A4 paper, in double spacing with a left-hand margin of not less than one and a half inches.

2. Binding

The dissertation must be securely fixed between boards. The use of ring binders is not permitted. Binding of the required specification can be carried out by the Learning Support Services of the University College, but requests for this must be made to the Unit at least one clear week before the date of submission (see also Appendix 5).

3. Order of Contents The order of contents shall be as follows:

(a) Title This should be as specific as possible e.g. gender differences in the play preferences of nursery school children. Try to avoid lengthy titles (approx. 15 words should be sufficient). This page must also contain the author’s full name, the statement ‘Dissertation presented in part fulfillment of the requirements for the degree for Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies, Queen's University, Belfast’, the name of the candidate’s department (ie. Early Childhood Education Department) and the month and year of submission. (b) Dissertation Declaration Form A signed and dated copy of the Dissertation Declaration Form (see page 9) must be included here.

(c) Abstract This is an exercise in succinct writing (less than 200 words). It should contain:

A general introduction to the area under investigation (2 – 3 lines);

The aims and objectives of the study;

Some detail about the group under investigation e.g. 25 boys and 23 girls from two local nursery schools participated in the study;

Methods used e.g. a postal questionnaire and one-to-one interviews;

A general statement of results e.g. consistent with previous research, boys showed a preference for action-oriented games, while girls preferred passive less active pursuits.

A final concluding sentence to highlight the importance of the project.

It should be presented as a single paragraph of continuous prose.

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(d) Acknowledgements (optional) The help given in the preparation of the dissertation by any individuals or institutions may be acknowledged here. Rather than refer to an individual supervisor, if you wish, you may acknowledge the support and assistance of the Early Childhood Studies Team. (e) Contents page Lists all the chapters of the dissertation and the page number where the chapter begins. If diagrams and tables have been used they should be individually titled and listed on a separate contents page. (f) Introduction A short introduction, approximately two pages in length, should be included before the literature review. This section provides a general overview of the area under investigation and provides a rationale for the present study. Research aims are stated and the relevance to the field of Early Years highlighted. A simple test of a good introduction is that by the end of this section the reader will have a clear understanding of the context of research in this area and of the specific questions which will be addressed in the small-scale study. (g)Literature review The literature review will be longer and should include reference to material from previous studies in the area under investigation. It should be written in the past tense and must not include supposition or personal views. It does not describe the small-scale study being undertaken, but it concludes with a paragraph which clearly identifies the aims and objectives of the study. (h) Methods The key to this section is Replication. By providing exact details on how the study was conducted, the researcher enables others to repeat the research and to confirm or refute the reported findings. Note: Citations should be used sparingly (perhaps two or three), with justification of the methods included. Where survey instruments are used, a reference to the original author(s) may be warranted. Written in the past tense, this section should include the following details:

Design: Briefly inform the reader about the type of approach adopted. e.g. a qualitative/quantitative approach or both was used to gather data. This section should not become an essay on the advantages and disadvantages of methodological procedures, but should highlight your knowledge and understanding of the advantages of your chosen methodology. You may use two to three citations to support your chosen method.

For example: Given the small sample size (n = 8) it was considered inappropriate to employ quantitative methods of data collection. A review of the research literature (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2002) suggests that one of the advantages of qualitative methods is the fine grained detail it can provide. Therefore, to thoroughly explore the sibling relationships of identical twins aged between 3 and 4 years old in their first year of nursery school, a qualitative approach involving one to one interviews with parents and teachers (n = 12) and classroom observations (n = 6) with identical twins was deemed appropriate.

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You should also give some indication abut how the ethical implications attached to your study were considered and dealt with.

Participants: This subsection includes the identifying features of the subject group e.g. age, age range, sex, key stage or other relevant information.

Materials: Describe all the materials used e.g. how a questionnaire was constructed, was it informed by other research, was it scored on a Likert scale or did it contain dichotomous (Yes/No) responses? Was it a postal survey or did you hand it out to a group, how was it returned to you and was it piloted first? This section should also include examples of the type of questions constructed for the interview or questionnaire tool. Examples of all instruments used should be included in an appendix section

Procedure: Begin with a statement regarding the ethical implications of the research and how you have ensured you followed ethical procedures. Bearing in mind the need to maintain anonymity and confidentiality, you should inform the reader about how, where, when and what was done. Give sufficient details about the procedures involved for future replication. For example, if interviews were conducted – how were the responses recorded and how were they analyzed?

(i) Results The results section analyses and reports the findings. It also includes, where appropriate, graphs and tables. Graphs and tables must be accompanied by a description of the results. (j) Analysis and Discussion This section discusses the findings in detail relating them to previous research findings. It also provides an opportunity to tie together all the disparate threads of the study. It is good practice to begin this section by briefly reminding the reader of the specific questions under investigation. (k) Conclusions & recommendations In the final section of the report you should highlight why the study was considered important, identify the key findings and who will benefit from the findings. You should try to maintain a critical dimension to your own work by pointing out the limitations of the study. This section should also make recommendations for the implementation of future research projects. Avoid ending your dissertation with a quotation. Since this section reflects your views and experiences of this small research project, writing in the first person is wholly appropriate here. (l) References All references included in the body of the text should be fully referenced here. See Appendix 6 (M) Appendices To maintain confidentiality, identifiers - including the names and addresses of settings – should be removed from all materials included in the appendix section.

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This section should include:

A signed Dissertation Permission/Ethics Form [failure to include this may result in a delay in the processing of results for your Dissertation!];

A signed record of all supervision visits;

If used, a sample of the: – Letters to schools, parents/ guardians; – Participant permission form; – Observation schedule; – Questionnaire survey; – Interview questions.

(N) Ethics Form A copy of the ethics form signed by you, your supervisor and the class teacher/provider if children are involved, must be included here. NB: the final mark for a dissertation without a fully signed ethics form will be withheld until it is supplied.

(O) Dissertation Consultation Proforma A copy of each proformas completed by your supervisor, and signed by both you and your supervisor at dissertation meetings, is included in this section. This section is not referenced ion the body of the dissertation.

Each has a separate Appendix number and should be referenced in the body of the text. 4. Pagination The pages should be numbered in a single sequence starting on the first page of the text proper. 5. Permission to Photocopy Each student is required to sign the attached declaration. Before submission of the dissertation this declaration must be affixed to the inside of the front cover. 6. Word limit The word limit for the dissertation is 8000, with a 10% margin. NB: Students who exceed the word limit may be penalised. Further guidance on the preparation of dissertations, and on recommended systems of citing bibliographic references can be found in the texts listed on page 3 of this guide.

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STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

A College of Queen’s University Belfast

DISSERTATION DECLARATION I do / do not* give permission for this dissertation to be photocopied for the purpose

of private study.

*Please delete as applicable

Signed:

Date:

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Appendix 1.

STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE A College of Queen’s University Belfast

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies

DISSERTATION GUIDELINES (STUDENT COPY)

The following guidelines will be applied by all tutors:-

The ethical implications of the research must be discussed with the dissertation supervisor at the beginning of the study. If permission is granted for the research to continue, then permission must be obtained from the school principal/placement manager to conduct the research in that setting. A signed record of permission (cf. Appendix 2) must be included in the Appendix section of the dissertation.

Where children are involved, permission using an opt-in permission form must be obtained from the parents/guardians of all research participants.

With the exception of the literature review which may be seen twice, tutors will only look at each draft chapter once and provide feedback;

This feedback and individual meetings between a student and their supervisor will be recorded on a proforma (cf. Appendix 3 & 4) and included in the Appendix section of the dissertation.

Students should provide individual sections of material well in advance of a consultation meeting for tutor consideration;

Material for tutor consideration must be submitted to Early Childhood Education Office;

Tutors will record individual consultations with students on a record sheet, signed by both the tutor and student (cf. Appendix 3);

Students must pre-book a session with an individual tutor at a mutually convenient time;

In order to further enhance communication with dissertation supervisors, students are expected to access their Stranmillis email account on a regular basis.

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Appendix 2

STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE A College of Queen’s University Belfast

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies

Dissertation Permission/Ethics Form

Dissertation Supervisor Student Name:………………………………………………………………………….. The above has been granted permission to conduct research in part fulfillment of the Early Childhood Studies (Hons) Degree The proposed topic of research is:……………………………………………………… The proposed methods of research are:………………………………………………… The proposed sample will comprise:…………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Signed………………………………………….Dated…………………………………

Research Setting (if applicable) Student name: Has been granted permission to conduct research in this setting. Position in setting:……………………………………………………………………… Signed………………………………………….Dated…………………………………

Dissertation Student I confirm that information gathered in the course of this study will be used only for this research and that all names and identifying features will be removed prior to reporting. I have discussed the ethical implications of this research with my supervisor. Signed………………………………………….Dated…………………………………

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Appendix 3

STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE A College of Queen’s University Belfast

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies

DISSERTATION CONSULTATION PROFORMA NAME OF STUDENT: YEAR GROUP: DATE OF MEETING: TIME OF MEETING: The following points were discussed and agreed at today’s meeting: Action points for next meeting:

TUTOR SIGNED: ______________________ ________DATE:___________

STUDENT SIGNED: ______________________________DATE:___________

A copy of this response has been retained by the tutor for reference

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Appendix 4

STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE A College of Queen’s University Belfast

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies

DISSERTATION RESPONSE PROFORMA NAME OF STUDENT: YEAR GROUP: CAMPUS: The following comments are supplied for your consideration in relation to the Draft Dissertation material submitted by you for review:-

NAME OF TUTOR: _______________________________________

TEL.NO: _______________________________________________

E-MAIL: _______________________________________________

SIGNED: ______________________________DATE:___________ A copy of this response has been retained by the tutor for reference

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Appendix 5

STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE A College of Queen’s University Belfast

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies

Binding of dissertations These notes offer general guidance. Closer to the date of submission further information will be issued regarding any changes in costs or timescale. HOW MANY COPIES? You are required to submit two copies of the dissertation. A copy of the ethics form signed by you, your supervisor and the class teacher/provider if children are involved, must be included here. NB: the final mark for a dissertation without a fully signed ethics form will be withheld until it is supplied. 2 HOW SHOULD THEY BE BOUND? Both copies must be bound by the Fastback system provided by Learning Support Services. This is a durable form of adhesive binding using dark blue flexicovers embossed with the crest and name of the University College. No other form of binding is allowed. You may order additional copies bound by the same method for your own use. You should ensure that all the copies are printed on 80gsm white A4 paper. 80gsm is the normal quality of photocopy/printer paper. Do not use a lighter or heavier paper. Be sure to leave both an inner and outer margin of at least 3cms on the pages of text and any other contents of the dissertation (tables, charts, maps, illustrations, etc.) 3 WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COPIES? When they have been assessed one copy will be returned to you and the other will be retained by the University College and deposited in the Library for consultation. When you hand over the copies for binding you will be asked to sign a Copying Declaration Form, which will be bound in at the front. This will indicate whether you give permission for copies to be made of extracts from the dissertation after it has been deposited in the Library. The LSS Technician will give you the form to complete. 4 WHAT DOES IT COST? The cost of binding is £10.00 per copy. Dissertations must be deposited with Learning Resources, on a memory stick, no later than two days before the submission date. The completed binding will usually be ready within 24 hours, and you will be advised of the collection time when you leave the work in. Students travelling to the College are advised to contact Learning Resources by telephone first. Please remember that this is a time of year when a large number of dissertations have to be bound, if you leave your work on the day of

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submission there can be no guarantee that it will be ready in time. Equally, there is always the risk of delay caused by matters beyond staff control. Work handed in on the day of or after this date will be subject to a surcharge. Remember if you leave it very late you might miss the submission deadline.

5 LAST MINUTE CHANGES Once the copy has been bound it cannot be unbound, so if you suddenly decide to add or change something you will have to provide a complete copy and pay the cost of a new binding. If you have any queries about the binding service please contact Learning Resources (028 9038 4437) during office hours. OMAGH STUDENTS Students in Omagh and Monaghan wishing to have their dissertations bound in Stranmillis must bring in person a copy of their dissertation on a memory stick to Learning Resources where it will be bound while they wait. Please contact Learning resources first to ensure a member of staff is available to bind your work. You may make you own arrangements to have the dissertation bound elsewhere. Please note however that it must conform to the standard set out above. Commercial binders may take longer to process the job and their charges are likely to be higher than those quoted. If intending to use a commercial binder you are advised to check in good time how long it will take them to complete the work. The submission date for the two bound copies of your dissertation is Friday 11th May 2012

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Appendix 6

STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE A College of Queen’s University Belfast

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies

Dissertation Team

TUTOR Contact Details

Ms. Sheelagh Carville S.Carville@stran.ac.uk 028 9038 4369

Head of Department

Mrs Bev Hutchinson B.Hutchinson@stran.ac.uk 90 384363

Dr Colette Gray C.Gray@stran.ac.uk 028 9038 4449

Dissertation Module Coordinator

Dr. Barbara McConnell B.McConnell@stran.ac.uk 02890 384373

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Dr Bronagh McKee B.McKee@stran.ac.uk 028 90 384 405

Dr. Dorothy McMillan D.McMillan@stran.ac.uk 028 9038 4335

Dr Louise Quinn L.Quinn@stran.ac.uk 90 384353

Advisor of Studies

Mrs Karen Hanna K. Hanna@stran.ac.uk 028 9038 4369

Mrs Paula Carlin P.Carlin@stran.ac.uk 028 9038 4358

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Appendix 8 STRANMILLIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE : BA (ECS) Level 3 ASSESSMENT CRITERIA Appendix 1

GRADE A B C D Fail

Focus & Selection

Focus on & interpretation of assignment rubric is excellent

All issues are directly focused on the assignment rubric

Only relevant material has been selected

Demonstrates independence of thought and critical judgement

Original and reflects a degree of individuality

Focus on & interpretation of assignment rubric is very good

Most issues are directly focused on the assignment rubric

The majority of material selected is relevant

Some independent thought is evident

Focus on & interpretation of assignment rubric is good

A satisfactory number of issues are directly focused on the assignment rubric

A satisfactory selection of relevant material is evident

Focus on & interpretation of assignment rubric is appropriate

A minority of issues are directly focused on the assignment rubric

The selection of relevant material is limited

Focus on & interpretation of assignment rubric is inadequate/poor

The focus is predominantly/entirely on irrelevant issues

The selection of relevant material is poor/absent

Over reliance on lecture material

Understanding & Criticality

Evidence of extensive/wide background reading from appropriate academic sources

Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the topic & related issues

Ideas and frameworks are analysed critically

Relevant professional practice is critically reflected on in relation to the topic

Evidence of a very good range of background reading from appropriate academic sources

Demonstrates sound understanding of the topic & related issues

Ideas and frameworks are analysed to good effect

Some aspects of professional practice are critically reflected on in relation to the topic

Evidence of a good range of background reading from appropriate academic sources

Demonstrates satisfactory understanding of the topic & related issues

Ideas and frameworks are described with some analysis

Aspects of professional practice are mainly descriptive, with some reflection

Evidence of a fair range of background reading from appropriate academic sources

Demonstrates a superficial level of understanding of the topic & related issues

Ideas and frameworks are mainly descriptive

Professional practice may be described but lacks reflection

Evidence of minimal/no background reading from appropriate academic sources

Demonstrates little/no understanding of the topic & related issues

Poor/no understanding of ideas and frameworks

Professional practice is largely absent/ irrelevant

Coherence & Structure

A lucid, coherent line of argument is present

A well-defined structure is present with ideas clearly linked

A coherent line of argument is present

Well structured with a logical progression of ideas

A satisfactory line of argument is present

Structure is in evidence but lacks development

A recognisable line of argument is present

A loose structure is present with ideas inadequately linked

Line of argument is poor/absent

Poor/no obvious structure

Presentation & Expression

Written expression is fluent

Accurate spelling & grammar

Citation in text is appropriate

Reference section is appropriate

Written expression is good

Mostly accurate in spelling & grammar

Citation in text is mainly appropriate

Reference section is mainly appropriate

Written expression is satisfactory

Occasional lapses in spelling & grammar

Citation in text is generally appropriate

Reference section is generally appropriate

Written expression is weak

Inaccuracies are widespread in spelling & grammar

Citation in text contains some errors

Reference section contains some errors

Written expression is poor

Inaccuracies in spelling & grammar are very prominent

Citation in text contains major errors/ is inaccurate.

Reference section contains major errors/ is inaccurate.

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