CORE1403 Academic English for University Studies
Writing Assignment 2 (W2) – Academic Blog Writing (35 %)
TASK
Produce a written academic blog post to share your main research findings from TWO sources
about your project topic. You can imagine that this academic blog will be published on the
HKUST website.
REQUIRED TYPES OF SOURCE TEXT
1. A website or news article (online or paper / in English); AND
2. A magazine, journal article, or book excerpt (online or paper / in English).
This is an individual task, and your own sources should be different from those of your group
members in Written Assignment 1. You can use the same source text in your Written
Assignment 1.
ORGANIZATION
When writing the blog, you should:
1. begin with an interesting title;
2. include a very brief introduction of the topic;
3. summarize and synthesize your major findings from the two sources;
4. critique your sources and show your good understanding of source selection;
5. include necessary and proper in-text citations and a reference list under the most
updated edition of APA style
There is no need for you to give suggestions or recommendations, but if you feel such a need,
you can provide a short statement of advice for the topic.
TARGET AUDIENCE & LANGUAGE STYLE
Your blog will be read by the public and academic audience including university students. Use
a neutral/semi-academic style, as appropriate for the audience.
FORMAT & LENGTH
Submit an MS Word document on Canvas. Your blog should be 800 words ± 50 words,
excluding the reference list. Shorter assignments will be marked down by 1 competency level
across all assessment CAfLs. For longer assignments, content beyond the 850th word will not
be assessed.
ASSESSMENT CORE AREAS FOR LEARNING (CAfLs)
Synthesis (SY), Written Language (WL) and Coherence (CO)
TIPS FOR CONTENT
When reading and analysing your sources, consider the following questions to help you
summarize, critique and synthesize the articles:
CORE1403 Academic English for University Studies
• What are the main ideas or arguments of both sources?
• What are the important details provided about these ideas or arguments?
• What is your reflection on the ideas of the sources?
• How can the two sources be meaningfully compared?
• In what ways are the articles similar to or different from one another?
• How are ideas in one source supported, built on or challenged by the other source?
• How do the articles compare in terms of content or purpose?
• How do the sources compare in terms of credibility, reliability or authority?
• What else can be researched on to extend the knowledge on this topic?
You should focus on some of these questions and organize your answers in a logical order.
You can also address other important questions or aspects not mentioned in this list.
USE OF SOURCES
• How do I find suitable sources?
It may take some time to find appropriate sources; this is a normal part of the research
process. Remember that researchers often read many sources in the process of
identifying good ones to use. Make sure you have the right source types for your two
different sources. Check out the following resources on Canvas to help you find
suitable sources:
1. “Online Library Session” (Module)
2. “Extra Support” (Module) > “Referencing Tips”
• How do I reference my sources?
APA 7th edition style should be followed when composing your reference list. Your
referencing skills will be assessed under Synthesis (SY). Study these resources for
correct referencing:
1. “Online Library Session” (Module)
2. “Extra Support” (Module) > “Referencing Tips”
WHY DO THIS TASK?
Through this task you should be able to develop your critical thinking skills, academic
literacy skills and academic communication skills, which transfer to many other types of
tasks at university and the workplace in the future.