Research Report Assignment

One of the summative assessment items for Photographic Practice 6 is your Research Report which you will present in its final written form to the assessment panel, together with your folio work. For details of other assessment items please refer to p28 of the booklet.

This Research Report should be of a minimum of 2000 words. For ease of development, the report has been divided into two parts:

PART1: Industry Report written version due WEEK 10, 23/09/08, oral presentation of the report to the class in WEEKS 11 &12.

In this segment you should include both primary and secondary research into the specific industry where you are heading. This research will enable you to hit the ground running after you finish your degree. The approach to your research depends on the actual industry, but it is often advisable to start with concrete tasks - choose a number of photographers who you might be able to contact and survey. It is better to have in-depth knowledge and understanding of a specialised area than a lot of generalised knowledge that cannot be applied. As you do research online, keep adding the contacts/blogs/websites and EXAMPLES of images to your blog.

When you write up the final report you can have an appendix which includes emails, interviews and all the information from your primary research efforts.

PART2:Folio Report due Week 14 (04/11/08)

In this segment you will analyse your own work and how it has progressed during the semester. If you have been a good blogger you should have a lot of the information for this segment readily available on your blog. You should be able to articulate your concepts and how they developed during the semester. You should also be able to write about the technical challenges and resolutions. Be honest about your progress - it is not meant to be a report of how fabulous you always are, but rather the real challenge(s) of developing this body of work. Reflect on the photographers and exhibitions you found inspiring and where your work might take you in the future.

Methodology
You are completing a Degree. Even if you do not go onto further studies, a DEGREE means that you are able to think, research and communicate in a professional and rigorous way. As you do your research make sure you maintain links and notes to reference all information that is not originally yours or common knowledge. Please please please follow the exact reference guidelines which can be found at "Acknowledging the Source", available in the library for $2.

Any information in your blog or your report that is not properly referenced may constitute plagiarism. You will receive by email guidelines to ethical research and information sheet on plagiarism.

Spelling, grammar, clear writing....all those things are also important for a professional report. If you have trouble writing please get help at the Study Skills centre.