Reference Skills for Workplace Research Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply techniques to locate and access relevant information from different reference sources.
• Evaluate the reliability, validity, and relevance of reference sources for workplace research.
• Demonstrate the ability to compile a reference list according to a specified referencing style.
• Apply ethical principles when using and citing sources, including avoiding plagiarism.
• Analyze information from multiple sources to support workplace decision-making.
• Implement a systematic approach to organizing and storing reference materials.

Target Audience

This course is designed for employees, supervisors, and managers who need to conduct workplace research, compile reports, or reference sources accurately. It is suitable for individuals in any sector seeking to improve their information retrieval and referencing skills.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Hands-on practicals reinforce the theoretical concepts by allowing learners to apply search strategies, evaluate sources, compile references, and produce a mini-research report. These sessions ensure learners can independently conduct workplace research using proper referencing skills.

Practical Activities

• Source Evaluation and Search Strategy — Learners work individually to formulate a research question and conduct a targeted search using provided databases and search tools, evaluating sources for credibility. (2h)
• Reference List Compilation — Learners practise creating in-text citations and a reference list in a specified style (e.g., Harvard) using a set of provided sources. (2h)
• Mini-Research Report with References — Learners produce a short research report (2-3 pages) on a workplace-relevant topic, integrating citations and a full reference list, then peer-review each other's work. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.