Early on in the essay planning stage, I discussed the core structure of the report with my supervising lecturer. We outlined key areas of interest which would form the chapters of the report, which we then assigned an approximate proportion of the report’s word count. These proportions varied as the report was developed, but I found it useful to have an idea of the depth I could explore each section whilst staying roughly within the word limits available.

Another new technique used for this learning goal, was to write an early draft report halfway through the module, under exam conditions. With such a vast research topic, I found that one relevant article or paper would lead to another and another and so on. My supervisor suggested that we select a deadline to stop all researching and at that point to write the first report draft within a few hours, without any internet or library resources, relying only on the research notes I had made to that point.

This exercise was useful as it confirms how much was gained from researching in a  short space of time. By drafting the report halfway through the module, I had plenty of time to refine and improve it, and the work became more manageable and less stressful. It is certainly a technique I will employ in future learning goals.