ORIENT002: ORTN002: Academic Orientation Module
The Academic Orientation Module is designed to help the student to brainstorm ideas for their future research at an
early stage of their studies. This means that by the end of the module you are required to present an assignment
which is aimed to help you to formulate three main research ideas ( you need to be able to collect data in the field. If
you living in Australia then you need to work and do the research within Australia) , one of which will become your
research topic later on.
Working on this assignment is a vital stage to be completed by each of the candidates on the way to writing the
research proposal, which is considered as one of the fundamental documents submitted by you to the Administration to
enable you to commence your research. The research proposal perfecting module follows this Academic Orientation
Module. Therefore, the Academic Orientation Module is designed to help you generate your research ideas at the
outset in preparation to enter the Research Proposal Perfecting module.
INTERESTING TO YOU: As mentioned it will take you between 36 and 60 months and the topic must hold your
attention;
DOABLE: Doability means that the research can be completed by you. It is your research and so you must
have access to the sample population that you will be using. If you want to study leadership amongst
astronauts but you do not work at JPL, NASA or the European Space Agency then the “doability” of your idea
is low.
MUST HAVE A GAP: In choosing a topic you must be able to identify a gap in the literature that you may
explore and upon which you can do research. So you want to select a topic where there are still areas that can
be researched.
MUST HAVE SEARCHABLE LITERATURE: The topic that you choose must have literature available that you
will be able to research. If you choose a topic or domain that is cutting edge and very new it might be very
exciting but if there is little literature written on the domain then researching it will be difficult.
ASSIGNMENT
You are required to submit the 10 pages document using the template provided exclude bibliography
section. In this document, you must have three research ideas outlined based on the questions below.
When thinking of possible research ideas, please answer the following questions:
1. What are the main academic works, which are to be considered as the pillars of the theoretical component of
the research?
2. What are the main and the most valuable academic works (seminal authors) as well as to justify why they and
not others are relevant to your research idea?
3. What is the scientific novelty and relevance of your research?
Giving answer to this question you should think of potential contribution you are going to make by conducting
this research.
4. Is that research doable for you?
Answering this question, you must think of the cost, timeline, accessibility of the information.
Every statement you make must be supported by the statements of your academic colleagues (relevant references),
as we cannot just make statements “taken from thin air”. Therefore, while working on this assignment, please
conduct a preliminary literature review and systematize the information about the giants of the academic thought in
your area of expertise along with the research questions. The assignment must also include the bibliography.
NOTE: Please note that from now on your knowledge acquiring process is different than what you have been used to
in the past. During your Bachelor and Master degree, you were being taught. Within a Doctoral program, you are
learning and it is you who determines what is relevant for you to learn depending on the topic that you chose. Note
that your supervisor is not there to give you a reading list. He or she is there to be a guide. It is up to you to learn
what materials you must read and what to take from those materials. This is a type of metalearning.
Source: McGowan, 2016
DOCUMENT FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS
we only use the university Formatting Standard. More information, as well as the templates, can be found below.
APA REFERENCING STYLE
Please make sure that you use APA referencing from the very beginning as we only accept documents with the
bibliography adjusted to the APA Referencing Style. Any other referencing style will be considered as a technical
failure and your document will be rejected. The extensive guide on APA Style can be found here:
Colomb: Primer Chapter On APA
APA Referencing Guide – University of Western Australia
Purdue Online Writing Lab
APA Style Website
ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATES
It is imperative that students had in assignments formatted in line with the university standards for formatting. All
assignments handed in that do not adhere to the formatting guidelines art immediately returned to the student. Thus,
one must be diligent and complete this task correctly from the beginning.
Use Only Academic Language: Do NOT use a common language. You must impress the reader.
Do Not Be Overly Wordy: Good academic writing is clear. It does not use flowery language.
Do Not Use Compounded Sentences: Academic writing is concise and to the point. Writers should refrain from
using compounded sentences with many subordinate clauses. This simply losses the reader and often hides
your main point or issue being discussed.
Construct Your Paragraph Correctly: Paragraphs are to be a minimum of 3 sentences long: introduction, main
thought, and linking sentence. Paragraphs revolve around a single thought. When you change the main
thought, you start a new paragraph. You also do not simply start a new paragraph simply because it has a lot
of lines in it. The breaking of a paragraph is wholly determined by the main thought moving on to something
new.
Paragraphs Lead To The Main Thesis: A thesis is a main premise that you are trying to get the reader to
understand. A thesis runs through whatever you are writing. It is the journey that you are taking the reader on.
Single sentences from paragraphs, paragraphs form sections, sections from chapter and ultimately chapters
from your dissertation or manuscript. A thesis is something that you build up using the process of linking
thoughts within sentences together within paragraphs to form sections and ultimately chapters. Paragraphs
are not simply a collection of various thoughts. They must be logically linked together and must form a thought
process that becomes a narrative.
Formatting is Critical: All academic writing is well formatted. Poorly formatted writing or documents detract from
the message of the words on the page. Thus, part of your job as an academic writer and scholar is to make
sure that the presentation of your thoughts on paper is done in a clear and wellformatted fashion. That
formatting for the purposes of Monarch must adhere to the Monarch Standard formatting rules.
Grammar Is Critical: As an academic, it is critical that you master grammar. Poorly formed grammar or
incomprehensible sentences due to poor grammar reflects very poorly on the author. If your grammar skill is
lacking, then it is your responsibility to improve them.
Spelling Is Critical: A manuscript that is peppered with spelling mistakes or typographical errors seriously
detracts from the content of the document. It is your responsibility as an academic writer and scholar to ensure
that your work is error free. This can not be emphasized enough.
COMMON WRITING MISTAKES
Candidates must make sure that they are writing at a graduate level which means absolutely no grammar or spelling
errors. Bad grammar and bad spelling seriously detracts from your final document and will not be accepted. Please
refer to the document below for some of the most common errors to eliminate from your document as well as view
the videos.