Critical thinking can sometimes mean being negative, but it is mostly about 'thoughtful' thinking which can also be positive. In Critical Thinking: an exploration of theory and practice, Jennifer Moon states "it starts with the expectation that received wisdom may not be correct or the only valid view". This can be condensed to looking at something from all angles, whatever it may be. It's about using objective judgement in your own & while viewing others' work, challenging (constructively) the decisions made along the way. I believe I have a good grasp of what critical thinking is & feel confident enough to use it as a learning tool.
It is important to acknowledge sources to protect from being accused of plagiarism. In Dissertation Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Mark Breach states that "plagiarism is intellectual theft" which gives an indication of how severe the penalties can be if you are tempted. Although most students wouldn't even consider cheating in any capacity, it is possible to accidentally plagiarise by failing to cite sources correctly, which will be picked up by a plagiarism detection service such as Turnitin. It is important to ensure you put quotation marks around text you have copied from either a book or the internet & also use a standard referencing system, even if you have put the information into your own words. This is something I have struggled with in the past because I read lots of different information, compose a summary in my own words, then forget where all my different sources were. To avoid this in the future, I'll endeavour to make a note of sources as I go along, periodically adding them to a bilbiography.
It is important to acknowledge sources to protect from being accused of plagiarism. In Dissertation Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Mark Breach states that "plagiarism is intellectual theft" which gives an indication of how severe the penalties can be if you are tempted. Although most students wouldn't even consider cheating in any capacity, it is possible to accidentally plagiarise by failing to cite sources correctly, which will be picked up by a plagiarism detection service such as Turnitin. It is important to ensure you put quotation marks around text you have copied from either a book or the internet & also use a standard referencing system, even if you have put the information into your own words. This is something I have struggled with in the past because I read lots of different information, compose a summary in my own words, then forget where all my different sources were. To avoid this in the future, I'll endeavour to make a note of sources as I go along, periodically adding them to a bilbiography.
Critical Thinking: an exploration of theory and practice, Jennifer Moon, 2008, p. 19-34
Dissertation Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Mark Breach, 2009, p. 123-133
Dissertation Writing for Engineers and Scientists, Mark Breach, 2009, p. 123-133