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Academy Documents

Please access the Students' Policies & Forms through this link. The following documents are all available in the link - Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct,  Students' Privacy Notice, Deferral, Suspension, and Cancellation Policy, Assignment Extension Policy, Re-Sit Policy, Complaints Procedure Policy, Equality Policy and Student Disciplinary Policy.

Sessions' Venue

All sessions will be held at 21 Academy's Training Centre in Naxxar

21 Business Centre, No. 20., Triq in-Nutar Debono, Naxxar NXR 2525

Monday sessions 09:30 - 12:30hrs (compulsory signature)

Wednesday sessions 17:30 - 20:30hrs

Saturday sessions 09:00hrs - 17:00hrs

Lecture Schedule & Notes

Lecture notes will be available during the week following the respective lecture. Schedule dates are indicative and may change. All changes, if any, may be communicated via email, SMS or telephone calls.

LectureDateTimePresentationNotes (If Any)
Lecture 0106 July 202409:00 to 17:00hrsPresentation 01
Lecture 0210 July 202417:30 to 20:30hrsPresentation 02
Lecture 0313 July 202409:00 to 17:00hrsPresentation 03
Lecture 0417 July 202417:30 to 20:30hrsPresentation 04
Lecture 0520 July 202409:00 to 17:00hrsPresentation 05
Lecture 0624 July 202417:30 to 20:30hrsPresentation 06
Lecture 0727 July 202409:00 to 17:00hrsPresentation 07

Lecturer/s  

Ms Mary Ann Puli

Lecture Summaries & Suggested Reading 

Lecture 1 - Foundations of Academic Writing and Research Skills

In this lecture, we will:

  • Understand the purpose and importance of research and academic writing
  • Identify and describe the key features and common types of academic writing
  • Differentiate between the formats of long and short writing tasks
  • Recognise and utilise the essential components and standard text features of academic writing
  • Learn to construct simple and complex sentences effectively
  • Learn how to develop coherent and well-structured paragraphs
  • Apply learnt skills through practical writing exercises

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.

 

Lecture 2 - Finding and Critically Evaluating Appropriate Resources

During this lecture we will cover how to:

  • Identify the most appropriate types of texts for academic work
  • Utilize effective strategies for locating relevant material in the library
  • Navigate and employ electronic resources for academic research efficiently
  • Apply effective reading methods to enhance comprehension of written texts
  • Recognize and interpret standard text features, including abstracts
  • Conduct and practice critical analysis of texts by challenging their reliability and assessing their value

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.

 

Lecture 3 - Mastering Academic Integrity and Effective Essay Planning

In this lecture, we will cover the following topics:

  • Defining plagiarism and understanding its implications in academic work
  • Applying proper methods for acknowledging sources to avoid plagiarism
  • Summarising and paraphrasing sources effectively
  • Developing and implementing good study habits
  • Recognising the importance of planning in the research and writing process
  • Analysing essay titles to understand the requirements and scope
  • Utilising brainstorming techniques to generate ideas for essays
  • Determining appropriate essay lengths based on assignment guidelines
  • Creating detailed writing outlines to structure the essays

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Locker, K. O., & Kaczmarek, S. K. (2014). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.

 

Lecture 4 - Summarising, Paraphrasing and Proper Referencing in Academic Writing

In this lecture, we will cover the following topics:

  • Identifying the characteristics of a good summary
  • Understanding and applying the stages of summarizing
  • Defining paraphrasing and its importance in academic writing
  • Using effective techniques for paraphrasing sources accurately
  • Explaining the importance of using references in academic work
  • Properly formatting and utilising citations and references
  • Recognizing and applying appropriate reference verbs in academic writing

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Locker, K. O., & Kaczmarek, S. K. (2014). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.

 

Lecture 5 - Harvard Referencing, Critical Analysis and Structured Composition

In this lecture, we will cover how to:

  • Apply the Harvard Reference System accurately in academic writing
  • Use quotations effectively within the text
  • Understand and use abbreviations in citations
  • Correctly handle secondary references
  • Organize a list of references systematically
  • Refer to sources properly within the work
  • Take a critical approach when analysing and incorporating sources
  • Structure paragraphs clearly and cohesively
  • Introduce and link paragraphs to create a logical flow
  • Write effective introductions and conclusions for the essays
  • Structure introductions to provide clear context and purpose
  • Develop substantial opening sections to engage the reader
  • Craft well-rounded conclusions that summarise key points
  • Rewriting
  • Proofreading
  • Structure conclusions to reinforce the main arguments of the work

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Locker, K. O., & Kaczmarek, S. K. (2014). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.

 

Lecture 6 - Addressing Common Language Issues in Academic Writing  

During this lecture, the following topics regarding common language issues will be covered:

  • Cohesion
  • Definite Articles
  • Numbers
  • Passive and Active
  • Punctuation
  • Singular and Plural
  • Style
  • Time Markers

 

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Locker, K. O., & Kaczmarek, S. K. (2014). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.

 

Lecture 7 - Navigating Key Language Challenges in Academic Reading and Writing

The following topics regarding key language difficulties when reading and writing academic texts will be covered:

  • Approaches to Vocabulary
  • Abbreviations
  • Nouns and Adjectives
  • Verbs and Adverbs
  • Conjunctions
  • Prefixes and Suffixes
  • Prepositions
  • Synonyms

Core Reading List

  • McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2013). How to Write for University: Academic Writing for Success. Pearson.
  • Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). Cite Them Right. The Essential Referencing Guide. Macmillan Education

Supplementary Reading List

  • Bailey, S. (2019). The Essentials of Academic Writing for International Students. 3rd ed. Routledge.
  • Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. Red Globe Press.
  • Locker, K. O., & Kaczmarek, S. K. (2014). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Swetnam, D. and Swetnam, R. (2020). Writing Your Dissertation. 3rd ed. Plymouth: How to Books.