Requirements for the coursework: structure and formatting

Coursework is a form of independent research by students to confirm and consolidate their knowledge, typically during the second and third years of study at a higher education institution. Completing coursework is one of the initial steps for an academic in realizing their research plans. This type of work does not necessarily aim to introduce groundbreaking ideas to the scientific community. Still, it should contain elements of novelty and, like any other scholarly work, address contemporary issues, thus being a relevant investigation.

The minimum length of the text is 15 pages, while the maximum is 45 pages.

The coursework is significant for students due to several reasons:

• 1. Writing this type of research primarily develops the author's critical skills and helps them organize their knowledge on a specific topic.

• 2. Coursework represents a substantial piece of work with an adequate number of pages, requiring the author to effectively present their opinions, provide arguments for and against if the topic is debatable, or thoroughly address a particular issue, complementing it with conclusions from each section.

• 3. It provides an opportunity not only to theoretically analyze a problem but also to conduct practical research.

• 4. Writing coursework aims to summarize the author's observations, teaching them to conclude the processed topic concisely and explain their opinions.

• 5. Students acquire skills in formatting the work according to specific requirements (evaluated based on the student's ability to cite sources correctly and format appendices and the bibliography).

• 6. An obligatory stage of defending the coursework is presenting the research to the evaluation committee. Therefore, the student must prepare a presentation demonstrating their ability to briefly analyze the conducted work. An optimal number of slides for a successful presentation is 15, and the presentation itself should last up to 10 minutes.

• 7. In the case where the coursework is a study in the realm of social sciences, the researcher hones their skill in data collection by creating relevant surveys and questionnaires.

Stages of working on coursework research:

Identifying scientific interests: The first stage in developing coursework is defining your scientific interests. Consider what you want to achieve, prove, or explore in your research (this could be a specific problem, period, or phenomenon).

Formulating the topic: Develop several versions of the topic that represent the content of your entire work. The topic should be enclosed in quotation marks (this rule applies to any other text that needs to be enclosed in quotation marks).

Deciding on the subject and object of research: The subject has a narrower focus; it's a specific topic considered in the context of something, i.e., the object of research, which could be a particular phenomenon.

Determining the aim and objectives of the research: Based on the subject and object of the work, define the purpose and tasks of the research. In the conclusion, the author must mention how they dealt with the tasks and what results were obtained.

Working with the literature base: The author of the coursework should inquire in advance whether there is enough literature on their topic and what additional sources of information can be used. These sources need to be formatted after the appendices of the work, using an alphabetical index and following approved formatting requirements for coursework.

Writing the text: The work should include sections and subsections, with headings highlighted in bold. Each section will require a brief conclusion. During this stage, it's advisable to periodically consult with your academic supervisor and edit the text accordingly.

Tips for choosing a topic:

• 1. Consider your interests and previous work: Take into account your interests and refer to your previous assignments such as essays or scientific articles. 

You may already have some groundwork that can be developed into a full-fledged research project, so make use of it. If this option doesn't suit you, think about your strengths, interests, and knowledge. Ask yourself questions like, "In which field can I be useful?" "What has recently caught my attention?" "Which topic can I expand on and explore further?"

• 2. Find a balance between a narrow and broad topic.

Coursework doesn't require students to make profound conclusions or solve specific problems. As the author, you have the opportunity to maintain a balance between a narrowly specific topic (ensuring you have access to enough sources) and a research area with broader parameters (which should be avoided considering the limited scope of the coursework and the realistic number of tasks you can accomplish).

• 3. Ensure focus: Make sure your research topic doesn't branch out into other questions or issues besides those you plan to investigate. Avoid overly complex or vague topics.

Sometimes, research topics can be overly complex or lack specificity. They might describe related phenomena but fail to unify your inquiry as a researcher. Your topic should be clear, logical, and free of unnecessary words or difficult-to-understand constructions.

Structure of the coursework:

Introduction: In the introduction, the student indicates the relevance of the research, methodology, and objectives, and identifies the object and subject of their work. While coursework doesn't necessarily have to contain novelty, it should include elements of it to avoid being identical to previous research.

Relevance of the topic: It's recommended to highlight the significance of the studied process or phenomenon for the present.

Research objective: The objective is formulated according to the topic of the coursework and defines what the author aims to achieve by completing their work. It clearly outlines the goals and expected results of the research.

Research methods: In this section, it's necessary not only to list the methods but also to explain the purpose of each method used in the research.

Main part: The main part consists of three chapters dedicated to investigating a specific question and disclosing the chosen topic.

Practical part: The practical part may not always be present in coursework, as it depends on the student's specialty. Humanities disciplines often focus on theoretical aspects, while technical ones may involve material testing. When writing the practical part, it's essential to address questions such as "How can the set goal be achieved?" and "What constitutes the object of research?"

Theoretical approval should be equal in size to the theoretical part, occupying up to 30% of the entire work.

Conclusion: In the conclusion, the student should summarize the main points of their work and present them as answers to the assigned tasks.

Appendices: Appendices, which include schemes and other graphical objects, should be placed on separate pages. Appendices are numbered according to the alphabet. Illustrations should have numbers and titles.

List of references: The list of references should consist of verified scientific works and monographs. Electronic sources, if used, should be formatted as a separate list. The number of literature sources depends on the specialty and department's requirements, with a minimum of 20 positions. When formatting the literature, adhere to the rules of DSTU 8302:2015. The literature should be arranged alphabetically and numbered (achieved by sorting in ascending order in MS Word).

Formatting rules:

Page numbering: Page numbering starts from the second page, with the numbers placed in the top right corner of the page.

Table of contents: The second page of the coursework should contain a table of contents with page numbers corresponding to the sections of your research. Subsections should not be placed on separate pages; this rule applies only to chapters.

Introduction: Allocate one or two pages for the introduction.

Main research: The main research should consist of three to four chapters, clearly structured with paragraph breaks and subsections. Subsection titles should not repeat chapter titles, and each subsequent subsection should thematically relate to the previous one.

Conclusion: In the conclusion, divide the text into paragraphs or sub-points corresponding to the objectives set in the introduction. Each objective should be analyzed in the conclusion.

Footnotes: Footnotes are formatted at the bottom of the page using a separate line.

Citations: In coursework and other types of student works, citations include both inline and bibliographic references. Inline references are moved from the text to the bottom of the page, and the information from the reference should be duplicated in the bibliography. For inline references, after creating the bibliography, the ordinal number of the source used for writing the fragment of the text and the page of the source should be indicated in square brackets after the respective fragment.
 

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