Academic Skills

Trong bài luận, ghi tham khảo nhằm xác minh hay công nhận đã trích dẫn ý kiến, hay sử dụng từ ngữ của tác giả hay nguồn tài liệu khác.

Lấy ý kiến hay trích dẫn tác giả khác nhưng không ghi nguồn tài liệu tham khảo là đạo văn.

Ghi tham khảo còn để giới thiệu người đọc tìm thêm các tài liệu khác có trong danh mục tham khảo, giúp họ hiểu rộng hơn vấn đề đang được đề cập. Đó là tinh thần của học thuật: cùng tìm hiểu để khám phá chứ không giấu diếm.

Ghi đúng cách còn chứng tỏ sự chuyên nghiệp và nghiêm túc trong học thuật. Vì vậy dấu chấm câu rất quan trọng – một điều mà các bạn sinh viên ít lưu tâm.

Tiến sĩ Hồ Đắc Túc dịch cách ghi tham khảo theo hệ thống Harvard, bấm vào đây để tải về máy (pdf, 248k).

Reading is an important step in the learning process.

Reading requires time for reflection.  

Think about the amount of time you need to read by looking at

 the purpose of your reading (to acquire facts or ideas?),

* how much time you need to read.

* when you are the most alert (morning, afternoon, or evening?)

You will often be given a reading guide that is directly relevant to your lecture program. Reading before the lecture/class helps you to better understand the material and participate in discussions.

Depending on your purpose, adopt some of the following reading strategies:

• Scanning. Use scanning when you want to locate a specific                

             piece of information in a text.

• Skimming. When you are reading quickly by skipping details

             and examples. Skimming is best used when you are trying to

                         determine if the text is relevant to your purpose:

1. carefully read the introduction, conclusion, and

             abstract (if any),

1. look at headings and sub-headings,
2. read the first and last sentences of each paragraph

             and sections which present a summary or conclusion.

You should take notes of what you have read. Note-taking avoids you having to re-read the original text.

Reading Skills

Reading is an important step in the learning process.

Reading requires time for reflection.

Think about the amount of time you need to read by looking at

• the purpose of your reading (to acquire facts or ideas?),
• how much time you need to read.
• when you are the most alert (morning, afternoon, or evening?)

You will often be given a reading guide that is directly relevant to your lecture program. Reading before the lecture/class helps you to better understand the material and participate in discussions.

Reading strategies

Depending on your purpose, adopt some of the following reading strategies:

• Scanning. Use scanning when you want to locate a specific                

             piece of information in a text.

• Skimming. When you are reading quickly by skipping details

             and examples. Skimming is best used when you are trying to

                         determine if the text is relevant to your purpose:

1. carefully read the introduction, conclusion, and

             abstract (if any),

1. look at headings and sub-headings,
2. read the first and last sentences of each paragraph

             and sections which present a summary or conclusion.

You should take notes of what you have read. Note-taking avoids you having to re-read the original text.

The following sections aims to help your speaking to be clearer.

Word stress

The accurate pronunciation of word stress is a very important feature of English speech.

To determine which syllable receives stress, you need to check a good dictionary. The stressed syllable is usually marked with an apostrophe sign preceding it. For example: g’lobal, sustaina’bility, de'velopment  

Word endings

Many speakers of Vietnamese can say individual consonants but cannot reliably use them at the end of a word.

For example, you may not be able to clearly pronounce the difference between words such as:

tile, type, and tide.

Giving a presentation requires you to prepare your talk, present confidently, respond to questions, and use visual aids such as PowerPoint slides.

Preparing your talk

What is the purpose and content of your talk? How much detail can you cover in your allotted time?

You need to consider the following:

• What does your audience need to know about your topic?
• What do you want them to remember?

All presentations need an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

The Introduction:

Introduce yourself, your topic.

• Tell your audience what you will present.

The body:

The detail of your subject depends on the time available.

Conclusion:

• Finish with a message which you want your audiences remember.

When you are asked, do: 

• Paraphrase the question to clarify it.
• If you don’t know the answer then simply say so, or ask suggestions from the audience. 

Use a dictionary to enhance your vocabulary.

A thesaurus is also a kind of dictionary which provides words with closely related meanings.

Collocations

Some words that are used together are called collocations. For example ‘strong coffee’, ‘rigorous process’, and ‘sustainale development’.

Collocations can be formed from various combinations of adjectives, nouns, prepositions, and verbs. For example:

• adjective + noun:
               The students highlighted some useful tips on how to prevent            

             food waste at home.

• adverb + adjective

             It is technically feasible to reduce energy consumption across

            campus.

 noun + noun:

•             A lot of energy wastage is a result of people failing to switch

            off lighting when not in use.

• verb + preposition/particle (also known as phrasal verbs):
               You can cut down your carbon food-print by

             reducing meat consumption.