A lecturer at the KNUST Business School, Dr. Ellis Akwaah-Sekyi, has advised final-year students of KNUST Business School to avoid plagiarism and produce original content for their research work.
This, according to Dr. Akwaah-Sekyi, will either fill a gap in existing knowledge or add to knowledge.
He further stressed the declining reading culture among students which does not contribute to producing original work, and said that reading is the only way students can achieve effective literature review and avoid plagiarism, and be able to produce original content for their research work.
Dr. Akwaah-Sekyi gave the advice when he addressed final-year undergraduate students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Business School (KSB), during a seminar organised to fortify their knowledge in basic research.
The programme was among others meant to assist the students produce research work that not only meets academic standards but also makes an impact in the world of academia.
The research seminar is the fifth of its kind since the 2016/17 academic year when it began, and this year it was done in two sessions – with the first session held online through zoom video conferencing.
In attendance were more than a hundred students from the department of Accounting, Banking and Finance at the School.
The research seminar sought to leverage the synergic effect of combining the expertise of a number of lecturers in various research areas which span choosing a good research topic, doing an effective literature review through to referencing.
It provided an opportunity for students in attendance (video) to have challenges on their project work addressed.
Among the things discussed were the common pitfalls of research that students should avoid, as they do not contribute to a very good presentation.
Since its establishment in 2005, the School (KSB) – which belongs to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been one of the fast-growing wings of the university in terms of student size and facilities.
Freda Acquaye, a student participant at the seminar said the programme has helped her a lot. “For example, I realised that I have made so many mistakes in my research work, so I need to go back and correct them. Again, I learnt that to improve my work I will need to read, read and read a lot more around my topic.”
The Chairperson of the ceremony and Coordinator for Undergraduates at the Department of Accounting, Banking and Finance (KSB), Dr. Beatrice Danquah Sarpong, expressed appreciation to both the student body and her colleagues for helping to make the session impactful.
She was hopeful that the guidance given to students will translate into good research projects yet to be submitted.
