Gobbets
Gobbets are very short essays used to train your analytical and scientific writing skills. You will write 2 gobbets, and review one gobbet. The subjects on which you should write, and the deadlines for handing in, are listed below. Choose your own title, based on the subject you are given and what you want to say.
Graded gobbets
Lots of good work in the gobbets, well done.
Gobbet 1: G1S1, G1S1R, G1S2, G1S3, G1S4, G1S4R, G1S5, G1S6.
Gobbet 2: G2S1, G2S2, G2S3, G2S4, G2S5, G2S6.
For reviews, S1 should review G2S2, S2 should review G2S5, and so on. Both S5 and S6 should review G2S1. Note that I will not release my grades and comments until all the reviews are in.
Reviews: G2S1r5, G2S2r1, G2S3r2, G2S4r3, G2S5r4, G2S1r6,
Grading criteria
An acceptable gobbet has a relevant title, sets out one clear hypothesis, and then analyses it using evidence and logical argument. It includes at least one reference, and ends with a reference list, which includes all of the works cited in the text, and no others. It is written in grammatically correct English, and is easy to understand. It is in pdf format, of no more than 500 words (excluding the reference list), and written on a single page.
In an outstanding gobbet the hypothesis or question is interesting, and it is answered convincingly. Furthermore, the gobbet is a pleasure to read. And it is handed in on time.
An acceptable review is no more than 200 words. It makes a clear case for whether the gobbet should be classed as acceptable, outstanding, or neither. An outstanding review is also convincing, and offers constructive criticism.Subject areas
Here are the subject areas for this year's gobbets. Note that the subject should not be used as the title for your gobbet: the gobbet should be focused on a specific hypothesis which fits within the given subject area, and the title should reflect that.
| Deadline. | Subject area. |
| Late Nov. | Analyse the relevance of the standard DHSS model (Cobb-Douglas production function of labour, capital, and resources, a finite stock of a resource which is free to extract, and a single product) to environmental policy. |
| Mid Dec. | Choose a policy question related to sustainability and analyse the relevance of one or more of Solow's three mechanisms. |
| +1 week. | Review. You will be assigned a gobbet to review. |
Submission
Please submit your gobbet anonymously here: Upload. For the first gobbet, name the file G1S.pdf. Do not write your name anywhere on the gobbet. I will add a code, changing the file name to (for instance) G1S7.pdf. If your gobbet gets this code then you are student 7, and gobbet 2 should be submitted with code G2S7.pdf.Submitting revised gobbets. Revised gobbets should also be uploaded. Assume you are student 7 and need to revise gobbet 1. Then you should name it G1S7R.pdf. If you need to do a further revision, then use G1S7R2.
For the review, please submit as G2SYreviewbySZ.pdf, where G2SY is the gobbet you reviewed, and Z is your own code.
References
The primary purpose of references is to position your contribution within the overall academic discussion, helping the reader to see how your input fits into the overall picture and giving the reader guidance about what further reading she should do to deepen her understanding.
There are two methods to refer to literature within your text, as illustrated below.
- "Aghion and Howitt (1992) build a model in which new ideas replace the old, leading to the phenomenon of creative destruction."
- "Creative destruction, the process in which new ideas destroy the profits flowing to the owners of old ideas, is crucial to growth in the long run (Aghion and Howitt, 1992)."
There are no other acceptable ways of citing material. For instance, it is not OK to put the name of a source at the end of a paragraph.
Revisions
If you do not hand in on time, or if your gobbet requires revisions, there are two opportunities to hand in a new version during the course. The first deadline for revisions is exactly one week after the original deadline. (Note that since it may take me several days to mark the gobbets this implies a very short turnaround for you.) The second is on the last day of the course. After that you will have the opportunity to hand in revisions each time there is a resit exam (including the first resit).
More on scientific writing and gobbets
Check out this link.
