In what way should the UK CAP Codes (CAP/BCAP Codes) be reformed?
To answer this question you are advised to offer either a macro-level discussion of the
ethics of advertising regulation as a whole or to highlight a micro-level aspect of the
current CAP codes that you believe needs reform. Whichever option you chose, in
preparing your answer you should ensure you have understood the operation of the CAP
codes and the content of the CAP codes. You should also ensure you have a developed and consistent idea about how you think advertising works in markets, the media and
society. Contained within your answer, you should understand your own implicit ethical
and political assumptions. In addition, as one element of this module focuses on the
technical skills of creating persuasive texts, all assignments will be judged in terms of
their language, formatting and style (please follow the writing guide on Moodle).

Marks will be awarded in regard to the following criteria:

1. Does the assignment set out a clear argument that answers the question?
2. Does the assignment demonstrate an understanding of the regulatory system for
UK advertising?
3. Does the assignment justify its argument with evidence and support from
appropriate sources including relevant psychological and sociological theories?
4. Does the assignment offer a balanced account that reflects on its own
assumptions?
5. Is the assignment formatted as academic text with full referencing details?

Sometimes it is tempting to just write a series of relevant paragraphs as they come to
mind when working on assignments. This is especially the case if you leave your writing
until the last minute. But good work requires a purpose and structure. So follow these
tips when preparing your work:

Write for a purpose
Writing can be thought about in terms of problems-solving and story-telling. Writing to
solve problems helps you think through the important issues, work out what you think
about the subject and come to some conclusions. This writing is almost never for public
consumption. Writing to tell a story is often a separate task that produces a document
for public consumption. It’s the story of the issue and your resolution of it (but not a
story of how you resolved it).

Make an argument
There is very little value in repeating the stories of others €“ especially lecture notes.
Instead, you should add value by advocating a particular way of thinking or path of
action. Your argument will be defended through reference to supporting facts, theories
and authorities and through the use of your logic. As such, even writing about the driest
topics is a creative activity.

Make choices
When you write you will always have to make choices (such as which theory you follow,
which cases you explore and so on). Each time, let the reader know that you have made
the choice. The best way to do this is to acknowledge the breadth of options and then to
give a reason for selecting one (and not selecting the others).

€”
Referencing Requirements:
A writing example: the title goes here

Your text should be written in Times New Roman font. It should be set to size 12 with the
text justified to the margins. It should include a title along with any relevant information
such as your student number if appropriate.

Your text should be structured into paragraphs and sentences. Every sentence must be
grammatically correct and include only one full stop. The full stop should come at the very
end of the sentence. That means that if you are including a quotation or citation in the
sentence, like this’, you only need a full stop after the quotation marks and after the citation
details (Author’s surname, Year: page number). The reason for this is that the quotation
marks and the citation details are part of the same sentence. Do not do this: Author A tells us
that you should include two full stops in sentence.’ (2011: 8). The full stop after sentence’
is not necessary.

If you are including a quote of more than 40 words or two long sentences, you should present
it outside of the main text. To do this, you need to introduce the quote in the text. Do not
simply insert a quote and expect the reader to make sense of it. You must spell out its
importance and relevance for your argument. As Cluley emphasises:

When including a quote of more than 40 words, you need to separate it from the main
body of the text. You should include an introductory sentence in the main text that
will typically end with a colon. Then you drop a line and indent the entire quote.
When you do this, you do not need to include quotation marks as the indentation tells
the reader that it is a quote. If you want to edit some of the original text, you can use €¦ to tell the reader that something is missing. [Also] if you need to add or change a
word to make the quotation grammatically correct use square brackets around any
word you have changed. If you do not include the author’s name in the introductory
sentence, you need to include it in the reference details after the quote. Otherwise you
do not need to repeat it (2011: 11).

After a paragraph has ended leave a blank line before starting a new one. You do not need to
indent the first line of the new paragraph. Ideally, each paragraph should be at least three
sentences long and cover one idea. If you find yourself writing paragraphs that are only one
sentence long you need to think about re-editing your work. Indeed, it is important to
structure your text in paragraphs. If you are repeating the same points across different
paragraphs or find that your paragraphs cover more than one point you should think about
editing your work.

Please use the Harvard system for formatting reference information. As the Harvard system
provides a way of in-text referencing for all sources, there is no need to use footnotes and
endnotes. If you finding yourself using footnotes and endnotes you are probably doing
something wrong. If something is important enough to be included in your work, you should
find a way to include it in the main text. If you are using footnotes and endnotes to reference
a source you are not conforming to the standard Harvard system. If you have referenced a
source such as a website and you are not sure how to present the reference details please
check with a style guide. You are not advised to drop hyperlinks into your text. So do not do
this: information on referencing is available here.
At the end of your text you need to include a list of all the sources you have referred to in
your text. The list should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author of a
source. You need to ensure that you include all reference information and that your
references are consistently formatted.

You need to ensure that your text is free from typing errors, spelling mistakes and
grammatical inconsistencies. For example, if you use a comma after a clause in one sentence
you need to do so every time you insert a clause. For instance the previous sentence has a
comma after the clause and this one does not. Similarly, please use British spelling or
American spelling for words such as organization consistently. When you write realized after
organized, they should both use the American spelling (with a z). When using bracketing
commas ensure you use them consistently. In general, avoid using semi-colons even if Word
recommends inserting one. The semi-colon is a useful piece of punctuation but is very rarely
used properly.

Your assignments should always end with a conclusion that draws together the main points of
your text. Typically, this will be one paragraph and should not introduce new sources,
arguments or materials. If you are asked a question, in your conclusion paragraph you should
answer it directly. Following all these simple rules will allow you to produce text which
conforms to the standards of academic English. Then, it is up to you to ensure you
demonstrate your engagement with the module materials, critical skill