Assessment for the CIPR qualifications involves submission of written assignments. This guide gives general guidelines regarding the required writing style and referencing. In addition your study centre will provide specific advice to help you produce professional, well-written work.
You are expected to undertake wide reading of academic and professional sources to develop your understanding of aspects of the syllabus. As public relations is a practical subject, in addition to studying relevant books and journal articles, you should read industry publications, newspapers and be able to research appropriate references available on the Internet.
Recommended reading is provided in the reading list and your study centre will direct you to other relevant resources. In addition, you should be prepared to identify and use other sources as appropriate for any particular assignment.
If you are not familiar with the academic and professional forms of writing and presentation required for your assignments, consult your study centre or reading sources such as those detailed at the end of this document.
In general, all assignments should:
- show evidence of wide ranging, current reading of appropriate material
- follow a logical process in presenting a case, supported by evidence
- demonstrate critical reflection on theory and practice
- express ideas clearly and fluently, using an easy to read style
- use an approved system of referencing to indicate reading and acknowledge sources properly.
You should refer to the marking guidance provided for each assignment for further details of the criteria used in assessing your work.
Types of assignment
You will encounter the following types of assignment during your course:
Critical Reasoning Test
The Critical Reasoning Test (CRT) for the Advanced Certificate qualification asks you to write an essay in answer to an exact question relating to an area of the syllabus. You will be required to present a coherent, well-reasoned answer, to the specified length, drawing on appropriate reading of academic and professional sources.
You are expected to present work that demonstrates understanding and consideration of academic and professional concepts studied on the course. This will be done using academic conventions to ensure evidence of reading is apparent alongside critical reflection of theory and practice.
Planning Assignment
The Advanced Certificate Planning Assignment involves submitting a professional document relating to a given case study. Each element should be written to the required length and in the appropriate professional style. You should be familiar with the writing requirements for any individual task.
Vocational assignments aim to reflect the skills required in practising public relations at the highest standard. This applies particularly to accuracy of grammar, spelling, use of language and presentation.
Critique
The Critique involves secondary, independent research with the submitted assignment to be written in a conventional academic style.
You will be required to select, and agree with your study centre, an area of investigation. You must determine the focus of your investigation and review existing knowledge, including published literature, from all relevant areas. To demonstrate your understanding of the topic, you should relate this area of investigation to an organisation of your choice – this may, or may not, be the organisation you work for.
You should present a brief account of the issue, why it is appropriate for study and its relevance to public relations. Set out a precise aim for your investigation. You should substantiate points using references to relevant sources throughout the report.
It is likely that there are limitations to your investigation, which should be acknowledged and considered. It is better to be honest rather than make unrealistic or unsubstantiated claims. Be careful in drawing conclusions, particularly in relation to cause and effect.
You may use tables, graphs and other devices to illustrate your work. These should be clear and their relevance should be explained.
The approach taken throughout should be reflective rather than descriptive. It is important to demonstrate understanding of supporting or contradictory views. You should include conclusions and recommendations for change where appropriate.
Any background material, raw data, or supporting information may be included in an appendix. This should be for reference only and not impact on the clarity of discussion in the main body.
Writing style
All assignments should be written in accurate, easily understood language. Plain English should be used, but the work should not be informal. Slang and colloquialisms should be avoided. Any abbreviations or contractions should be clarified.
The reader should always be able to understand what is being communicated, particularly when persuasive arguments are made.
A confident style of writing demonstrates understanding and knowledge. You should not lecture or criticise the reader and avoid asking questions where it is better to demonstrate understanding.
Accurate grammar, spelling and use of language are all important elements of working in public relations. Work that shows flaws or errors will be penalised when assessed.
All work should be clearly structured so that the content and flow of ideas are apparent. Sub-headings and other presentational devices may be used where appropriate to clarify the structure.
Academic writing
In the case of academic assignments, you should write in an impersonal style (third person), eg, "it can be seen that…"; reflecting caution and lack of emotion.
A clear direction should be apparent in taking the reader through a logical sequence of ideas from introduction to conclusion. Ideas should be linked through use of sentences and paragraphs that contribute to a clear line of reasoning. Ideas should not be random and unrelated.
Opinions should be justified with reference to reading, reasoning, examples and evidence. Unless you are stating an absolute position, use qualifying phrases such as "it seems", "it is probable that", "the evidence suggests".
Work should be analytical and reflect understanding of different perspectives, which should be assessed in an informed and critical manner. It should be recognised that there may be no right or wrong answer, particularly in relation to complex investigations. You should question positions on the basis of objective identification of limitations. Following clear evaluation of the evidence, you should be able to make valid recommendations.
You should take the position of an objective onlooker; avoiding emotional language. Be prepared to challenge your own arguments to avoid bias.
Writing should be objective, precise and avoid apologising for any weaknesses in your own studies or approach to the subject.
Referencing
The Harvard style of referencing (author-year style) is required.
Check you have acknowledged all sources used and been consistent in your style of referencing. You should check published reference guides for details in relation to how to refer to books, journals, articles, broadcasts, discussions, personal correspondence and websites.
In using this system, students need to do two things:
1. In the text of your work provide references to your source by giving the surname of the author and year of publication. If you are using the author's name as part of a sentence in your text, (eg Bean says….), then put the year of publication in brackets, (2007). If you are not using the author's name as part of a sentence in your text, then put both the author's name and the year of publication in brackets (eg, Bean, 2007). Where a work has two authors, give both names; where there are three or more, give the first author's name, followed by "et al". For example, Grunig and Hunt, 1984, or Cutlip et al, 1985. If referencing more than one source published by an author in a single year, you should reference as Bean, 2003a, then Bean, 2003b and so on. Electronic sources such as WWW pages, electronic databases and electronic journals are cited in the text in much the same way as traditional print sources, with the exception of page numbers. The author's name is followed by a publication date, but no page numbers are listed. If no publication date is available, and this might be the case for WWW pages, then where the date should go, insert the date of when you accessed the article. If no author is listed for an electronic source, use the title of the publication in the same way as you would for any other anonymous source.
Consider how you introduce the ideas of authors to avoid repetition of phrases such as "says". For example, "Grunig and Hunt (1984) says…whilst Cutlip at al (1985) argue…Brown (1997) suggests…"
2. Produce a bibliography at the end of your work . This will be a list, in alphabetical order, of the author's surname, then the full title and year of publication of the books, articles and other sources referenced in your work. Titles of books and magazines should be underlined. For example:
Online sources should be listed in your bibliography:
Example: Brooks, G. (2006) Digital Branded Content: The risks and rewards of the branded blog Brand Republic [online],
Example: Schofield, J., 20 May 2006. Yahoo is winning in the portal wars. GU technologyblog. Available from: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/[Accessed 22 May 2006]
Further details of referencing in the Harvard style can be found on websites of the major universities.
Presentation
You should very carefully proof read every assignment before handing it in. Grammatical, typographical and spelling errors will be penalised. A spell-checker can be useful when word processing work, but remember this will not eliminate every problem, such as the correctly spelt word in the wrong context (i.e., conservation instead of conversation) nor accidentally used plurals.
Make sure that the assignment is of the correct length (stipulated in the assignment briefing documents). Any work that is under or over the word count may be downgraded. Word count should be included at the end of all assignments.
Assignments should be word processed and, if hard copy is required by the CIPR or your centre, presented on A4 paper, using only one side of the paper. A header detailing your candidate number and consecutive page numbers is essential in the event of any pages becoming loose. Work should be clearly presented on a page with margins of at least 2.5cm and preferably 1.5 line spacing.
Work should be presented according to the instructions provided by CIPR or following advice given by your study centre.
You should keep a copy of all your assignments, and ensure that work is submitted using a secure delivery route that can be monitored.
Seeking guidance
You should read carefully the briefing documents provided for any assignment and ensure that you understand exactly what is required of you. Seek clarification from your study centre or CIPR on anything you do not understand.
Marking guidance confirms the requirements for individual assignments. You may also be able to look at assignments submitted by former students as examples.
If you experience any problems or need further assistance in writing or presenting your work, please discuss your concerns with your tutor. They may be able to look at examples of your writing and give feedback on how it can be improved. Of course, any assignments submitted must be entirely your own work and tutors are not able to comment on CRT assignments prior to submission.
Useful reading
BARRAS, R, Students Must Write , 2nd edition, Routledge, 1995
BARTRAM, P, How to Write a Press Release , 2nd edition, How to Books, 1995
CRYSTAL, D, Rediscover Grammar, Longman, 1988
FOSTER, J, Effective Writing Skills for Public Relations, 3rd edition, Kogan Page, 2001
HOWARD, K, SHARP, JA, The management of a student research project, Gower Publishing, 1983
MURPHY, H A, and HILDEBRANDT, H W, Effective Business Communications, 6th edition, McGraw Hill, 1991
TUCKER, K, DERELIAN, D and ROUNER, D, Public Relations Writing, 3rd edition, Simon & Schuster, 1997
