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Researching for your assignment
Starting your research can be daunting. Using these three steps will get you on your way.
- Unpack your task – what are the keywords you need for searching? Identify keywords to narrow the focus of your research, consider applying search techniques to use your keywords effectively.
- Search using your keywords – where is the best place to start my search? Use the Library catalogue and databases to help you find information.
- Evaluate your resources – is this really what I need to support my work? Always evaluate this information before using it in an academic setting.
Writing for your assignment
Once you have analysed the question and done your research, it's time to review your plan of attack to answer your assignment task. This involves:
- Reviewing and organising your notes into themes
- Referring to your marking criteria and using any information in the assessment files, for example using templates provided.
While there are different types of written assignments, most academic writing has a similar structure comprising an introduction, body and conclusion.
Referencing
- Referencing is an important part of academic work.
- You use referencing to acknowledge the use of other people's work and demonstrate the breadth and depth of your research.
- Referencing properly provides support for your arguments and helps you to avoid plagiarism.
There are many referencing styles such as APA7 and each style has a different format (check your assessment for details of which style you should use). Make sure to follow the format including punctuation and italics.
The Library Referencing Guides include examples of the most commonly used referencing styles.
For more detailed information and advice on assignment writing, see the Library's Write assignments page. Moreover, further help is available and can be requested by contacting the Library.