Written Assignment Guidelines (30% of course)

Purpose

You will prepare a research paper that critically engages any issue in the cruise industry that is of interest to you. It must be different from your group presentation topic, although it can be in the same broad topic area. Also, it should not replicate material covered in the lectures. When thinking of topics, ensure that your theme is not too broad (in which case it cannot be adequately covered by the word length) nor too narrow (in which case there may not be sufficient academic sources). During the first class (Week 1), an overview of the course lecture content will be provided so that you can begin thinking about your topic as soon as possible.

More specifically, the paper will

describe the situation with regard to the designated issue,

explain why this situation exists or existed, and

prescribe strategies that could result or is resulting in optimal outcomes for relevant stakeholders. These strategies may be derived from the literature, and/or may consist of your own suggestions based on your critical analysis of the issue.

Information Sources

You will base your research on secondary material (e.g., academic journals, trade publications, Internet, books, travel guides, newspapers, social media, etc.). You are required to use at least 15 sources in your final written report, of which at least 5 must be academic (e.g., journal articles, academic books). If you are unsure whether a particular source is academic or not, please check with your lecturer. All sources must be cited and sourced using proper APA formatting protocols.

For referencing support go to the Library webpage (http://www.griffith.edu.au/library/workshops-training/self-help-resources/referencing/). I have also included the OWL Online Writing Lab at Perdue (see Learning@Griffith Assessment) as an additional resource since it explains in-text citations and how to cite Internet sources.

Due date

Final research paper is due on the 20 May, 2016, 6 pm. Your paper must be submitted through Turnitin; hard copies will not be accepted (see Assessment Written Assignment folder for your submission points).

Structure

The following report outline should be followed:

Title Page (include title, course name, student name, and word count)

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction (include statement of purpose, method, outline)

2.0 Description of the topic (with sub-sections)

3.0 Explanation for the patterns (with sub-sections)

4.0 Prescription; suggested strategies for optimal outcomes (with

sub-sections)

5.0 Conclusions (summary of main findings)

Appendices (if required)

Reference List (APA)

Word length

The text will consist of about 2,000 words (+/- 200 words), not including the title page, table of contents, figures, tables, appendices and reference list. The text length must be noted on the title page, since Turnitin will count everything. All sources listed in the Reference List must be cited in the paper, and all citations must appear in the Reference List.

Quality Control Questions for Final Written Report

Research

Are you using considerably more than the required number of sources?

Are you using a good variety of sources? (e.g., various academic, government)

Are academic sources (e.g., refereed journal articles, academically oriented books, etc.) well represented?

Have your web-based sources been carefully selected?

Are the sources relevant to your topic?

Are your sources up-to-date? (depending on the nature of the topic)

Are all sources in your Reference List actually cited in your paper?

Are all citations in your paper contained in the References?

Are sources used evenly in your citations? (i.e., do not overemphasize just one or two sources)

Is your research adequately cited? (all information obtained from your sources should be cited; not doing so is to risk charges of plagiarism)

Is the topic supported with adequate and relevant information from your sources?

Does the paper provide an appropriate balance between descriptive material and the analysis of the material?

Organization

Have you included a Table of Contents?

Is your paper paginated?

Does your Introduction include a clear statement of purpose, a methodology, and an outline?

Is your paper organized into a logical sequence of sections and, if warranted, subsections?

Do your thoughts flow in an orderly and logical sequence?

Do the Conclusions derive logically from the body of the paper?

Do the Conclusions summarize the main findings of the paper?

Presentation

Is your paper grammatically sound? (e.g., complete sentences & paragraphs, appropriate punctuation)

Do you limit the use of personal pronouns only to where their employment is essential?

Do you write in a direct, clear, non-verbose style?

Is your paper free from spelling mistakes and typos (do not rely on spell check!)

Are direct quotations used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary?

Do your citations and References follow acceptable parameters of APA style?

Do you use tables, figures and appendices to usefully augment your text, and are these of a high quality?

Does your paper have a sharp, professional appearance?