Academic Support Session (Week 2)
Focus: Assignment 1 clarity + how to spot a research gap + how to start your reading
This session helps you:
• understand exactly what Assignment 1 requires
• avoid common mistakes around AI use, sources, format, and submission
• learn a practical strategy for identifying a research gap
• learn a realistic way to begin: topic → keywords → sources → themes → gap
1) Assignment 1: What you submit (two parts)
Submission deadline: 28 February
In this session, the date is 11 February, so you have around 16–17 days remaining at the
time of delivery.
Study tip used in the lecture: Instead of thinking “deadline is 28th” (which feels far
away), think, “Today is the 11th, deadline is the 28th → I have ~16 days”. This makes the
timeframe feel real and reduces procrastination.
Part A — Two-minute video presentation (PechaKucha / pitch style)
What it is:
A 2-minute (120 seconds) video
A high-level synthesis (not a detailed literature review)
You summarise:
• your emerging theme(s)
• your research gap
• why the gap matters
• Slides requirement: 5 slides
• Slides should contain images, not text (visual prompts)
• You do not submit the slide deck separately — you submit only the video.
Delivery requirements:
• Speak to camera (direct eye contact)
• Delivery should be fluent and dynamic (minimise “um/uh”)
• Your student ID card must be visible throughout (university requirement)
• Recording tool: Recommended/required format: Record using Microsoft Teams
Practical interpretation:
You can build slides in PowerPoint, but you should present/record in Teams (presenter
mode with your “talking head” + slides).
Part B — Annotated bibliography (Word document)
What it is: You submit an annotated bibliography (not just a list of references). This
means: for each source you include short notes that explain and evaluate it.
Format
Submit as Word (.doc/.docx) (not PDF), because annotated work needs to be checked
properly (e.g., through Turnitin).
Sources:
• 10 sources (choose wisely)
• Each source must include a direct link for validation.
• If links don’t work or sources don’t exist, it may look like AI-generated fake
references → misconduct risk.
What each annotation should do (the “3 questions”)
For each source, you should clearly answer:
• Why did I choose this source?
• What is it about (main contribution/argument)?
• How is it useful for my theme/gap?
2) Topic boundaries: what you can and can’t do
Core topic boundary: Your work must sit inside AI in management
• No company focus is required.
• Industry lens (allowed)
• You may narrow by industry (helps define a clearer gap)
3) AI use rules (very important)
Allowed: AI can be used to generate images for slides
You must acknowledge that the image was AI-generated.
Not allowed - AI is not allowed to create:
• your spoken script/content for the video
• the text for your annotated bibliography
Why this matters:
The module expects your thinking, synthesis, selection, and evaluation - not generated
writing.
4) Common student questions answered in the session
Q1: “Is the video a summary of one article?”
A1: No — it should summarise:
• your themes + gap
• show how ideas connect/disconnect
• the “details” of individual sources belong in the annotated bibliography.
Q2: “Do I need screenshots of articles in the video?”
A2: No.
Q3: “Do I submit the slides separately?”
A3: No — only the video.
Q4: “Can I reuse sources from last semester’s proposal?”
A4: Preferably no (programme wants deeper/new research foundation).
However: you can still use previous learning as inspiration, but build a stronger Year 2
foundation.
Q5: “Is this a resubmission of the previous proposal?”
A5: No. Feedback from the previous work is developmental only (use it to avoid
repeated issues).
5) How to choose a topic (the “personal compass” approach)
A “good topic” isn’t just trendy, it’s one you can sustain through reading and writing.
Start with an honest question
What genuinely:
• bothers you about AI in management?
• excites you?
• feels unfair, risky, confusing, or under-discussed?
• seems important for humans, customers, employees, or organisations?
6) Research gaps: what a gap really is
The key misconception to avoid:
A gap is not “something nobody has ever studied”.
A gap is usually:
• something studied but not deeply enough
• studied in one way only
• studied from one perspective, but missing another
• missing a link/relationship between two important factors
7) A practical 3-step template for writing your gap statement
When you write or speak your gap, use this structure:
Step 1: Acknowledge existing research (what’s already known)
Example pattern: “Research on [topic] has expanded rapidly…”
Step 2 : Identify the dominant focus/trend (what most studies concentrate on)
Example pattern: “It predominantly focuses on [common angle: performance, technical
readiness, adoption rates…]”
Step 3 : State what is under-examined (your gap)
Example pattern: “However, limited attention has been given to [missing
perspective/link/experience/context].”
The lecture provided an example along these lines:
AI adoption research focuses on readiness/outcomes, less on how employees
experience/interpret/adapt in everyday practice.
8) Finding sources: where to look (without AI writing)
Main tool suggested: Google Scholar
Why:
• wide coverage across disciplines
• shows citation counts (helps identify influential/seminal works)
University Library databases, use them especially when:
• Scholar shows an article but you can’t access full text
• you need peer-reviewed databases and downloadable PDFs
9) Choosing your 10 sources strategically
The lecture suggested a balanced mix:
1) Seminal / highly cited papers
Use Scholar “cited by” counts as a signal
These help you show the foundations of the conversation
2) Recent papers
May have fewer citations simply because they’re new
Useful for showing current debates and emerging issues
3) “In-between” papers
Not the oldest, not the newest
Highly relevant to your chosen angle
This mix helps you demonstrate:
• scope (you looked widely)
• relevance (you selected purposefully)
• currency (you engaged with recent work)
10) Reading efficiently to spot themes and gaps
• When reading a research paper, you do not need to read every word equally.
• High-impact sections to scan first
• Abstract
• Introduction (problem + aim)
• Conclusion/discussion (limitations + future research)
• Any section where authors signal uncertainty
“Gap language” to watch for. Look for phrases like:
“limited research…”
“little is known…”
“few studies have examined…”
“remains unclear…”
“future research should…”