CCC8013 The Process of Science

Scientific Literacy Assignment

Intended learning outcomes (ILOs)

ILO1. Discuss the foundations of knowledge and inquiry about science, and how science has

influenced society.

ILO3. Demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply learning about the process of science to new

settings and complex problems.

ILO5. Demonstrate the motivation and ability for life-long learning about science-related issues.

Submission guidelines

• Use the “Template for Written Assignments” document as your cover page and declare the

use of GAI according to the instructions (you can find more details in the documents

“Course Syllabus” and “Important Things of CCC8013”)

• Write your review in 600 – 800 words (excluding the reference list, and any figures and

tables)

• Use Times New Roman and font size 12pt with single line spacing

• In-text citations and a reference list are required

• Submit your assignment as a PDF (.pdf) / Microsoft Word (.docx) file via Turnitin on

Moodle by 10th February 2026 (Tue), 23:59

• Late submissions will be penalized based on the rules listed out in the document “Important

Things of CCC8013”

Grading

This assignment contributes towards 20% of your final grade for the course. See the last page of

this document for the detailed breakdown of how this assignment will be graded.

Instructions for the assignment

In this assignment, you are required to:

• Watch this YouTube Shorts by “Dr. Berg”:

o “Dr. Berg explains the real issue with gluten”

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IWvPDZ4pnJA

• Investigate and evaluate the content of this video, and write a review of 600 – 800 words to

conclude on whether you think gluten is harmful to us.

• As you structure your review, respond to two arguments from the video. State them

explicitly, then explain whether you agree or disagree with the support of information and

evidence from reputable sources.

• Use a variety of sources (e.g., reputable websites, peer-reviewed articles, books) to support

your arguments. Use at least three references in your review (the video does not count).

• Use in-text citations and include a reference list for all your sources at the end of the

review. The reference list will not be counted towards the word limit.

• Beware of plagiarism - never copy and paste from other resources! Paraphrase instead (see

below)

• Use your scientific literacy when reviewing the YouTube Shorts. You can ask yourself the

following, or other relevant, questions to help develop arguments in the review:

o Who is the creator? Is the creator reputable/trustworthy?

o What is the video content suggesting?

o Is the information in the video backed by scientifically literate and convincing

evidence/data?

o Can you find information from alternative sources that support/contradict with it?

Guidelines for references/citations

Proper referencing not only gives credits to authors whose work you referred to, but also helps

readers locate your information sources.

As you develop your arguments, in-text citations are required:

• In-text citations = a short version of a reference, but located within your main text

• Typical format: (author’s last name, year of publication)

o Example: “…Fishes are one of the most diverse groups of animals, making up a

quarter to half of all vertebrate species globally (Stiassny, 1996)…”

• Two authors: list both last names. e.g. (Chan & Ng, 1996)

More than two authors: use only the last name of the first author followed by et al. e.g.

(Halloran et al., 1996)

Apart from in-text citations, a reference list (or bibliography) listing all references used in your

review should be included at the end of the review. As a minimum, each reference in the reference

list should include:

• Journal articles: Author names, year of publication, title, journal name, journal volume,

pages

o Example: Stiassny, M. L. J. (1996). An overview of freshwater biodiversity: with

some lessons from African fishes. Fisheries, 21(9): 7-13.

• Books: Author names, year, title, publisher

o Example: Halloran, M. E., Longini, I. M., & Struchiner, C. J. (2010). Design and

analysis of vaccine studies (Vol. 18). New York: Springer.

• Websites: Author names, date of publication, article title, website name, URL

o Example: Hong Kong Observatory (n.d.) Causes of climate change. Hong Kong

Observatory (HKO): Climate Change.

https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/climate_change/human_activities.htm

Check out the citation guidelines provided by our library. Any citation styles (e.g., APA, MLA,

Harvard) are acceptable, but it should be consistent throughout your work.

Plagiarism (IMPORTANT)

Plagiarism = presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, whether intentionally or

unintentionally. Plagiarism is considered intellectual dishonesty (i.e., cheating) and comes with

grave consequences. See “IMPORTANT: Avoid Plagiarism” document on course Moodle page.

Plagiarism can happen when:

• Copying and pasting text from sources

• Using information without crediting the source

• Using direct quotations excessively (even with proper citations)

To avoid plagiarism:

• Always paraphrase (= rewrite using your own words)

• Paraphrasing DOES NOT mean copying and pasting, and inserting a few extra words

• More information about paraphrasing is available at the “English Support (for Self-

learning)” section on the Moodle page

• Always cite your sources (in-text and reference list)

• Avoid using direct quotations unless necessary. Use quotations marks (“ ”) for quotes.

Turnitin is a plagiarism-detection software. Your assignment will be compared against the whole

internet and other student submissions (past and present), and a similarity score will be calculated.

If plagiarism is detected, you will get zero marks and be referred to the university for further

disciplinary action (e.g., automatic failure for the course).

Grading Rubric (a total of 20 marks)

Content (up to 12 marks)

• 6 marks for each of the two responses for arguments in the video

• You will be scored based on:

o Clarity in the evaluation of the arguments presented in the video

o Logic behind your arguments

o Whether scientifically literate evidence/support from reputable sources are provided

Formatting (up to 4 marks)

• 2 marks for keeping to word limit, and using correct fonts and spacing

• 2 marks for proper citations and references

Structure & Language (up to 4 marks)

• Clear and proper structuring (i.e. starting with an introduction, followed by main body

paragraphs, and finally ending with a conclusion)

• Clarity of language and ability to effectively convey the message

• Correct spelling/grammar/punctuation