I have already discussed what isn't mastery. I mentioned the importance of being able to demonstrate understanding, criticality and synthesis, and how unparaphrased description should not be seen in Level 7 work.
What I mean by paraphrasing is putting what is written by others into your own words, while still crediting the concepts to the original author and giving a citation (posh word for reference).
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, if you directly copy (even if you acknowledge it as a direct quote with quotation marks, page number, etc), it is purely that, a direct copy. This will be picked up by Turnitin or whatever online submission portal you use and be flagged, giving you a high originality report. This could potentially lead to an investigation into plagiarism and a malpractice charge against you, which you really don't want!
The second reason is that directly copying does not demonstrate understanding, it demonstrates an ability to cut and paste. You are studying at level 7 and need to establish that you have mastery of the subject. To evidence understanding, you need to explain concepts and ideas in your own words, justifying and supporting them while also showing critical thinking (see last month's column) and commenting on whether the ideas of others are valid.
One of the best ways to gain understanding is to read around the subject. Otherwise, you are just writing about what you already know – which is likely to be limited – and not building your knowledge. The whole point of academic study is to widen your knowledge and understanding. Reading brings in alternate viewpoints, cements key ideas and allows for deeper conclusions to be drawn, all of which are fundamental to demonstrating mastery.
When you begin reading around a subject, be aware of your own initial assumptions and try not to get emotionally attached to what you want to find. Keep an open mind and gain a broad understanding of the subject. Even if you have strong feelings towards a certain aspect or a good understanding of one area, don't take this as an opportunity for you to rant about what you feel or know already.
As you read, make notes (don't forget to note where you are getting your info from, there is nothing worse than losing a reference and spending ages trying to find it again). Begin to gather your themes, look for the counterarguments and understand their strengths and limitations. Reading broadly before you start to write can help prevent ‘data mining’ – the process of finding only information that supports the point you want to make. At level 7, you should be giving a balanced view of what the evidence suggests and finding the gap in the evidence if appropriate. Consider playing Devil's Advocate, looking for the weaknesses in, and arguing against, your own ideas. Consider ‘why might I be wrong?’ and use this to support further critical discussion. This deeper questioning of self is the start of the path towards transformative learning (we will look at this later).
Often, your lecturers are looking for originality in level 7 work. This is not as easy as it sounds but remembering the following will help you. Don't just adopt the conclusions of the authors you have read, look to find your own meaning and conclusion from the data if you can, and if you can't, say why. Think about what it means for you and your practice. Make it personal and reflective on your own profession and the impact it may have.
If you can present the evidence from a multitude of sources, use it to build and support arguments and interpret the arguments into your own meaning of the subject, then you demonstrate comprehensive analysis, evaluation and originality. In short, you are showing an ability to synthesise the evidence. This is level 7 study.