The academic world has a unique set of rules and code of conduct. To equip students with good practices of professional writing, CLASS organised a lecture on scholarly writing and academic honesty on 27 September 2016. Over 50 CLASS students attended the lecture to learn more about professional writing and how to prevent plagiarism.

Dr Peppina LEE, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Curriculum), greeted participants and advocated the importance of using correct citations and observing proper academic conduct. Dr Birgit LINDER, the guest lecturer from the Department of Asian and International Studies, discussed the essentials of “why to write”, “how to write” and “keeping it honest”. Dr Linder introduced the typical structure of an academic essay, and techniques and styles for citation and referencing. Although noting that the students might find the rules complicated at first glance, Dr Linder encouraged the students to learn through on-going practices, and she offered resources for self-help. “Academic referencing is like climbing a mountain at first”, Dr Linder said, “but once it is done, you will feel accomplished.”

The participants appreciated that the lecture has raised their awareness of academic honesty and also prepared them for applying the general style of academic writing and to acknowledge references in a proper format in future assignments. “The lecture has greatly enriched my knowledge and skills on academic writing and improved my confidence on writing”, said Ms WONG Wing-ki, a fresher of CLASS.

The CLASS Lecture on Scholarly Writing and Academic Honesty was specifically designed for students of liberal arts and social sciences, aiming to introduce to them the concepts of academic honesty and the typical writing and referencing styles in academic writing. The participants were given pre-lecture exercises to acquire the basic concepts of academic honesty. Students were asked to spot common mistakes in writing and referencing during the lecture. The exercises were followed by discussions, video highlights and interactive practices during the lecture to deepen the students’ understanding of scholarly writing and referencing.

Cover: Students in the lecture.

Photo 2: Dr Birgit Linder discussed the essentials of scholarly writing and academic honesty.