Structuring the research investigation

Quick note - Your teacher may give slightly different advice on exactly how to structure your essay. We strongly recommend you read a wide variety of exemplar research investigations and academic texts (including their bibliographies) to get a feel for how you want to structure your research investigation. 

The ingredients to a perfect essay

No matter what structure you use, in order to get an A/B in this essay, you will need to include these:

1) Introduction/abstract 

2) Definition of key terms, including current issues and debates surrounding them 

3) Detailed textual analysis of primary research 

4) Use of secondary research to elaborate on point made 

5) A definite argument, that is clearly established initially and referred back to throughout the body of the essay

Structuring an academic essay 

This advice is general. It can be used for other media essays, the MS4 exam and even other subjects.

Introduction

- Your introduction needs to introduce the topic (context) and outline your thesis – what is your argument? How will the essay be structured? You need to answer the question right from the beginning.
- Write in an authoritative manner – your essay should be convincing. Rather than 'I think that...', you could write: 'This essay will argue that [...]'

Definition ArgumentContext

DAC
Definition – what key terms and theories are you going to be discussing? Define them!
Argument – What is it that you’re going to be arguing? Set it out now, so the examiner knows exactly what it is you are talking about!
Context – what are the texts that you’re going to be writing about? Give a brief overview

PEA

Discussion:
Point (this will often take the form of a theory) Evidence: Back up every point with solid evidence. This will stop you from making unsupported generalisations. In this instance, your evidence comes from primary research!
Argument: This is where you go back to the question and relate your point to your argument. Explain your evidence and show why it is important – be analytical not just descriptive. Use secondary research, for example references to books back up your argument!

Conclusion:

- The conclusion should adequately sum up your argument.
- Do not try to bring any new points into the conclusion, it should be bringing together all paragraphs and briefly listing your main points, and end with a final reflection.

Variations

This is just one suggestion of how to write an academic essay. Though we have seen it work again and again, it might not be the best structure for you!
You might prefer PEE, PEEL, PEC, PEAL or any variation. The important thing to remember is that structure leads to sophistication and clarity.

Suggestion of theories to help

Gauntlett –Collective Identity (rep) 

Mulvey – The heterosexual male gaze (rep) 

Baudrillard – Hyper-reality (rep) 

Dyer – Stereotypes (rep) 

Hebdige – representation of groups – Sub Culture (rep) 

Levi Strauss – binary oppositions (rep and narrative) 

Neale –repetition and difference  (genre) 

Bourdieu – cultural capital

TOP TIPS

1) Put the references to visual and technical codes in your essay in bold. For example “in the video to Wrecking Ball (2013), Richardson predominantly utilises mid shots to emphasise the relationship between the performer and the setting. Furthermore, the extensive use of slow motion editing simultaneously emphasises not only the destruction of the setting, but also the nudity of Cyrus.”

2) Make sure each and every paragraph has one specific point. If you’re going off on a tangent, you can simply move the point to another paragraph!

3) Ensure you use the conventions of academic essays. Consistently use the Harvard referencing system. Make sure every song title is in italics. Make reference to when each song/album/video was released. These little things show excellent research skills through consistency.

4) As soon as you find something, copy/paste the link/title of the book in to Refme. This resource will save you so much time!

Internship opportunities in Cambridge

Check out the Long Road Careers blog for this potentially exciting production assistant internship in Cambridge for this summer. While you're there, we strongly recommend checking out the rest of the site and bookmarking it too.

Research investigation deadlines 2016

For each of the five weeks remaining this half term (and school year!), there is a goal that must be met. 1800 words is a lot, and it's important to start writing as soon as you feel able in order to make sure you complete it before the 15th July.

Each deadline is for the last lesson of the week.

Please click to see in  full size

How to use the Harvard referencing system

Writing an academic essay

When writing an academic essay, it is completely fine to make reference to other books, articles, websites and so on. In fact, it is very much encouraged. However, every time you quote another author, you must make reference to who the author is, and where you found the source.

For your research investigation, you will be using the Harvard style of referencing.

For example, you come across this excellent quote on page 47 in a book on vampire films (called ‘Vampire Films’), written by Michael Collins and published by Long Road Press in 2015:

“The point here is that the vampire cinema is not a genre that has remained utterly stagnant over the last 100 years, but is a genre defined by its very fluidity. While generically Twilight evidences many of the conventions of the classical vampire film, including the notion of undying creature that sustains itself on lifeblood, and the range of methods of dispatching the creature, it adds a fresh range of conventions that perhaps have more in common with contemporary teenage drama than the foetid crypts of Prince of Darkness.”

Great! It discusses exactly what you want to talk about. But it’s also quite long. Typically, you want to cut it down before incorporating it in to your essay, and there are many ways of doing this.
Let’s assume you want to state that Twilight is a very different film from Dracula: Prince of Darkness. You also want to quote this extract. Here are some ways of doing it.

Examples of using the Harvard referencing system within an essay

Example one

Twilight is a very different film from Prince of Darkness, and has “more in common with contemporary teenage drama” (Collins, 2015:47) films than classic vampire films.

In example one, the text has been quoted in such a way that it flows seamlessly with the main body of essay text. If it wasn’t for the citation (the bit where it references Collins), then we would assume it was part of the essay.

Example two

2) Collins suggests that despite sharing many “conventions of the classical vampire film” (2015:47), Twilight instead has “more in common with contemporary teenage drama” (ibid)

In the second example, the essay writer has decided that Collins is important enough to mention in the main body of text. Thus the citation doesn’t need his name, just the date and the page, as we can already assume that the citation is from Collins. The word ‘ibid’ is sometimes used when exactly the same citation has been used twice in a row, to save time and ink.

Example three

3) It can be argued that Twilight is a completely different genre to earlier films like Prince of Darkness, as it is far more similar to teenage drama films (Collins, 2015:47)

In the third example, the author of the essay has decided that she wants to reference the general gist of what Collins is talking about, without actually quoting him. She still must include a citation, because she took this idea from Collins.

Example four

4) For example, Collins argues

“The point here is that the vampire cinema is not a genre that has remained utterly stagnant over the last 100 years, but is a genre defined by its very fluidity. While generically Twilight evidences many of the conventions of the classical vampire film, including the notion of undying creature that sustains itself on lifeblood, and the range of methods of dispatching the creature, it adds a fresh range of conventions that perhaps have more in common with contemporary teenage drama than the foetid crypts of Prince of Darkness (2015:47)

 In the fourth example, she likes the Collins quote so much she has decided to quote all of it, which is fine, though if it’s longer than two or three lines you should include it as an indented paragraph, as shown. This is incidentally a great way of eating in to your word count, but do it too often and your mark will begin to suffer…

Citations link to the bibliography

Why use all these ‘2007:304’s’ and so on? Because they link with your biography, which is situated at the end of your essay. It is a great way of saving time, as you do not need to write out the entire title and details of the book each time you reference. It’s also better for the reader, as they can instantly see who you’re referencing without having to search around for the information. This is one reason why footnotes  have fallen out of fashion with most UK universities .

Why is citation important?

Without citation, you are essentially passing someone else’s work off as your own. If you reference someone, this is great and will earn you significantly more marks. If you do not reference someone, this is known as plagiarism, and it has serious, sometimes even legal consequences. It can be grounds for immediate dismissal at higher education institutions, and at the very least, it is likely that your essay will be given a ‘zero’ by external moderators. You have been warned!

P.E.A, P.E.E, P.E.E.L…

Hopefully you’ll be used to dividing your paragraphs into three or four sections, something like this:

• Point – Your point and theory you’ll be referring to
• Evidence – The primary research you use to back this up, usually close textual analysis
• Argument – Explain why this links to your research question, and use secondary research (an academic source, like (Collins 2015:47) to back up your point of view. 

It's up to you what paragraph system you want to use, but use one, and stick to it.

Some more helpful pointers, including an example Harvard Bibliography, can be found here.

What's the difference between first year and second year Media Studies?

Year 13 has already started, so make sure you hit the ground running!

Welcome back to all Media Studies students! Congratulations on your hard work during your first year exams. At this stage, you (hopefully!) will be feeling a lot more relaxed than you were this time last month. On the other hand, you may well have questions about what it is you are actually doing back here. Put simply, you have now started on your second year, and you will be thrown into the deep end on a challenging but rewarding research essay. The details for this essay shall be explained by your teacher, and through a few accompanying blog posts.

Here are a few ways in which A2 Media is fundamentally different to AS Media, and this is a perfect time to get to grips with the changes. Most of them are pretty exciting!

Wider reading becomes essential

If you have, for some reason not been reading around the subject so far, you will find it becomes essential now. It is an expectation of both the college and the course that you do as much work out of lessons as you do in them. This isn't nearly as intimidating as it sounds. examples of wider reading can include reading and watching

• Academic texts
• Journals
• Magazines
• Dedicated websites
• Films
• Documentaries
• TV programmes
• Textbooks
• Revision guides

Wider reading is not something you should just complete a few weeks before your exam. It is also not something you should just do before your research investigation and then never again. Wider reading should be completed each and every day. It's not like you need to read a super hard academic essay every day. Reading film reviews and newspapers counts and is invaluable. Media Studies is a broad, exciting, and constantly changing field, so enjoy your wider reading!

You must analyse not only the text, but the context

Previously you got your marks through close textual analysis, considering how cinematography, editing, sound, mise-en-scene and the general construction of the text created meaning. Now, you not only have to refer to the text, but the surrounding context in which it can be understood. Why is the text made in this way? Who has made it, and for what purpose? Can it be compared to other media texts? Is it similar to other texts the producer has made?

The coursework is more straightforward than first year

Opinions are divided on this one, but in general, second year students are likely to agree that A2, if not easier than AS is more straightforward than AS. The reason for this is structure. The coursework is of a similar structure, but  an in depth research investigation now takes the place of your storyboard from last year. The tricky report of first year has now been replaced with a very short evaluation. What is really important to remember is that your production (a music video) must refer back to the representation, genre or narrative discoveries that you made in your research investigation. This is a little confusing, but your teacher will explain exactly what you have to do, and when you have to do it.

The exam is definitely more straightforward than first year

The AS Media exam is pretty broad. Even after narrowing things down, pretty much anything can come up, thanks to the unseen texts that you are presented with. The A2 exam does not have this. Instead, you will study in detail nine texts throughout the year, three films, three tv programmes and three musical artists (at the time of writing. Things can still change!). You will need to study these texts in significantly more detail, but the payoff is we can tell you pretty much what you are going to be covering in the exam right from the outset.

So if you felt that the most stressful part of the AS exam was how unpredictable it was, the A2 exam has the potential to be a lot more straightforward. And although the depth you must go in to is significantly more than before, you will take it in your stride. It's arguably a lot more rewarding to study just nine texts in significant detail than many more texts in brief detail!

Good luck, second years!

To the second years taking your MS4 exam tomorrow morning, we at Long Road wish you the very best of luck.

Try not to push yourself too hard on your last day. Make sure to get some sleep, eat a proper breakfast, and aim to get in at 8am. Try to avoid anybody or anything that puts you in a bad mood, and remember; you've spent two years preparing for this! You'll be absolutely fine.

We'll be hanging around before the exam to wish you luck. Come and see us afterwards to let us know how it went!

Revising structure

Here are a few pointers on the MS4 exam, including how long you could spend on each question, and how you could potentially structure a paragraph. Remember, there are many different ways of responding to a question. Just do remember to underline the keywords in each question you pick to help you with your structure.

This post is a slightly revised version of the powerpoint from this afternoon's revision session. Any questions? Please send Michael an email!

Sample timings 

Total length of exam – 150 minutes
Time allotted for each question – 50 minutes

Micro-management 

Intro and argument - 7  minutes
Text one – 13 minutes
Text two – 13 minutes
Text three – 13 minutes
Conclusion  - 4 minutes

Introduction

This can be divided into

Definition

Argument

Context

Using this structure, you would first define the key word of your question, including making brief explanations for why this is important to talk about. You would then make an argument or point of view. Finally, you would discuss the context of your chosen texts, including genre, year released, director, and how the text is interesting for your point of view.

Defining key words

Here are a couple of examples of how you could define key terms

‘Representation’

“Representation refers to the construction of reality. Representations are constructed by the producers of media texts in order to reinforce the agendas, ideals and ideologies of institutions”

‘Audience’

“Contrary to previous thoughts on audiences, both theorists and producers now agree that audiences are complex, and have a variety of different needs, tastes and ways of using media texts”

Argument examples

What argument are trying to make around your keyword?

Here are two potential arguments that you could make at the start of your essay.

‘Genre’

“Genre is primarily used as a shortcut by producers in order to target audiences in the most efficient manner possible. However, many texts can subvert audience expectation, while at the same time conforming to genre conventions”

‘Distribution’

“Distribution is undoubtedly important for musical artists. However, I will argue that other factors, such as star appeal and modern digital technologies are more important for both financial and critical success in the music industry”

The paragraph structure

One way you could structure the paragraphs within your response is by using

Point

Evidence 

Argument

[Theory]

However, there are many other ways of structuring your responses. Just make sure to be consistent and clear!

Explore the different representations of either women or ethnicity in your chosen texts - sample paragraph

P – In Brave, the representation of women is far more complicated. While Merida in many ways is a typical ‘Disney princess’, she has been constructed in ways that subverts traditional gender stereotypes.
E – An excellent example of this is the scene when Merida proves her physical prowess in the archery scene. The use of close up shots show Merida ripping her stereotypical princess costume, and the use of the prop of the bow and arrow demonstrates the extent to which Merida has turned her back on traditional stereotypical representations of women in Disney films, like Cinderella (1950) and Snow White (1939). This is emphasised by the use of reaction shots of the film’s male characters, who are shocked by her unladylike display.
A  – By subverting many of the conventions of the Disney princess, the producers offer the target young, female audience the gratification of seeing a character with a similar lifestyle being in charge, and ignoring the instructions of her father. However, Disney is careful to not subvert every convention. Disney films work to an extremely strict formula in terms of their narrative and character archetypes, and rely on their young target audience being able to identify and relate to modern twists on traditional fairy tales. In fact, when Disney came round to marketing  a princess Merida doll, she was represented not as a scruffy little girl, but a thinner, more glamorous older teenager. This marketing confirms that while Brave in many ways challenges gender stereotypes surrounding women, in many other ways, it is still a typical Disney film, still desperate to attract it’s extremely valuable target audience.

Note - while I have not used a theory here, you could easily mention Mulvey's male gaze, Dyer's function of stereotypes, and so on.

Good luck in your final full day of revision before the MS4 exam!

Recent music industry articles

Here are a couple of recent articles relating to the music industry.

Kanye West pop-up concert ends in New York street chaos (Guardian)

Lady Gaga Says There’s Nothing More ‘Isolating’ Than Being Famous (Entertainment Tonight)

Remember to keep checking the news - Kanye West in particular seems to be constantly in the music press! And everything you read is an example of the effectiveness of marketing, distribution, and star appeal.