The following
is designed to assist students with the process of researching and
writing up an assignment for the first time. Several steps in the
process of assignment writing can be identified.
See also our
self-paced tutorial, Know it all! about researching your assignment.
Requires Flash plugin.
Steps
in writing an assignment
The main steps in writing an assignment
are:
- Starting the assignment in plenty
of time
- Analysing the question or defining
the topic
- Identifying and locating resources
- Reading and evaluating the information
found
- Planning your assignment
- Writing the first draft
- Asking someone else to read
it and suggesting areas for improvement
- Checking spelling and grammar
- Writing the final draft
- Documenting your research
______________________________________________
1. Don't leave
the assignment to the last minute
Plan your workload so that you have
plenty of time to complete your work. Leaving your assignment
till the last minute may result in resources held by the Information
Commons not being available as they may be out on loan to someone
else. This may result in insufficient time to complete the assignment
and will increase your stress levels. It may also result in lower
marks than you otherwise deserve.
2. Analysing
the question/defining the topic
Always analyse the topic to be presented
and ensure that you understand what is required. Break it down
into key terms and define them using a specific subject dictionary
if possible.
3. Gathering resources
Sources of information can be gathered
from
- Catalogue searches
- Reference books are good as a
starting point and often have lists of valuable further references
to look up
- CD-ROM and Web based electronic
resources
- Internet searches
- Lecture notes
- Subject guides from the Holmesglen
Information Commons Homepage
- Bibliographies and lists of references
in the books and articles which you read
- Interviewing people and conducting
surveys
- Personal research
4. Evaluating the
information found
- Review the introductions, abstracts
or summaries of articles to confirm their relevance to your
topic.
- Reject inappropriate or unrelated
references to avoid wasted time in reading.
- Select a few general references
and read them carefully to obtain an overview of the information
available.
- Keep track of your sources of
information. Store any photocopies of papers and keep citations
for all materials used.
Return
to top
5. Planning
your assignment
Write an outline which includes main
headings and subheadings.
Many word processing applications
allow you to write an outline and then expand it into a full document.
Later, the outline can form the basis for the table of contents.
You should learn to use a word processing application like Microsoft
Word and learn to use the features available for preparing large
documents.
6. Writing the first
draft
- Once you have an outline, write
a first draft.
- Don't worry too much about getting
every point exactly correct. There will be time when you revise
the draft to check the accuracy of the detail.
- When you have a complete draft,
use the word count facility to check the length.
- If the draft is too short, you
can expand main points, add more background information or introduce
more information from further research.
- If the draft is too long, you
can cut out out repetitive information and try to replace long
winded sentences with more concise wording.
7. Document
your sources of information
Make sure that you have documented
all your sources of information.
Where you are quoting from a particular
source or referring to a particular author's works you must reference
these sources properly and include them in a Reference list. See
our Bibliography and Reference
List - Style Guide for how to do this.
Return
to top
Checklist
Once you have written the first draft,
included the references, and fixed up the detail, you should run
through the following checklist.
- Does the essay answer the question
or deal with the topic that was set?
- Does it cover all the main aspects
in sufficient depth?
- Is the content accurate and relevant?
- Is the material logically arranged?
- Is each main point well supported
by examples and argument?
- Do you acknowledge all sources
and references?
- Have you kept to the required
length?
- Have you checked grammar, punctuation
and spelling?
Structure
of Assignments
An assignment will usually include
the following components
- Title Page
- Table of Contents- (can
be generated automatically by many word processing applications
such as Microsoft Word.)
- Introduction - should
introduce the assignment topic and outline the purpose of the
assignment, including the issues which will be addressed.
- Body -
the main part of the assignment
- Conclusion - summarises
the main points raised in the body of the assignment The conclusion
should be based on the arguments presented in, or the content
of, the body of the assignment. Draw conclusions based on the
information reviewed, refer to the purpose outlined in the introduction
and demonstrate that the purpose has been achieved.
- References or Bibliography.
See our Bibliography and Reference List - Style
Guide for how to set this out.
- Appendices (if any)
References
References must be provided for content
which originates elsewhere whether the content is quoted directly
or indirectly.
A direct quote, table, list, figure
or diagram used from another text must also include the specific
page from which the item or quotation is taken.
There is a subtle difference between
a bibliography and a reference list. A reference list includes
only those references which have been cited in the assignment.
A bibliography may include additional related material which has
not been specifically cited in the assignment.
Do not rely too heavily on a single
source of information. Use texts, journals, videos, databases,
the Internet and other sources where appropriate.
The Internet can provide up-to-date
information, but it can also provide misinformation.
Further
Information
The following references are useful
further reading.
Anderson, Jonathan and Poole, Millicent
(1998) Assignment and Thesis Writing, John Wiley
and Sons, Brisbane.
APA referencing. http://lisweb.curtin.edu.au/guides/handouts/apa.html
APA referencing essentials. http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/apa_ho.html
Smith, Pauline
(1997) Writing an assignment: how to improve your research
and presentation skills,How to Books, Plymouth, UK
Return to top
|
