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(Re)Fresher: Assignment Skills

Get ready for your incoming assignments by brushing up on the essential skills you need to ace them.

Whether this is your first assignment or you’re already an experienced writer looking to refine your work, this collection will help you through the process of completing an assignment. It contains tips, ideas and materials covering everything from the first stages to the final edit.

How to get started with writing

If you aren’t sure how to get going on your assignment it is worth thinking about it as a process. Watch this video to find out more.

How will I be assessed at Uni?

Not sure what the markers are expecting? This video is designed to address some key questions about university-level assessment.

Unpicking the question

A good place to start is with the assignment question- the quiz below will help you understand some of the key instruction words you may encounter which will help you begin the process of addressing the task.

Mapping your ideas

Organising your ideas can seem overwhelming, and it can be difficult to know how to turn a series of ideas into a completed piece of work. In this video one of our PhD students, Nagham explores how to start the process of gathering and organising ideas for an assessment. She also shows different techniques for organising these ideas and shares useful software that can be used in this process. 

Mind map with post it notes

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Introductions and conclusions

Strong introductions and conclusions are a vital part of essay writing. These videos will guide you through the purpose and process of writing them.

Writing an introduction

Help ensure your work gets off to a flying start with this video on introductions.

How to write a conclusion

And learn how to cap it all off and cross the finish line in style in this video.

Finding and using evidence

Credible, reliable evidence is the foundation of any academic assessment. These materials will help you to identify, locate and evaluate the sources you’ll need.

Search Techniques

Although every database and search engine is slightly different, there are some common techniques that you can use wherever you are searching. Applying these techniques will allow you to find more relevant, focused resources and will save you time and stress along the way. **Webpage**

Evaluating information

So, you’ve found some interesting information that you want to include in your work? That’s great! But before you use it, you first need to evaluate it, and decide if it’s suitable for the assignment, essay or dissertation that you’re writing. Let’s see how… **Video**

Critical evaluation of sources

Who, what, when, why, how? Get the low-down on how to evaluate the sources you find with a critical eye and avoid any unreliable information. **PDF file**

Referencing

Referencing is a key part of academic integrity, and also allows you to show off your critical skills and your engagement with the research in your field. These resources are designed to demystify why and how we use references, as well as introducing the referencing tool Cite Them Right.

Teach yourself referencing

Enrol yourself in our Canvas course and learn more about referencing.

Cite them right

Explore Cite Them Right, a comprehensive referencing guide.

Managing long documents

Another essential part of producing an assignment is ensuring you have formatted and organised your information clearly.

 

Identifying your stance

This video discusses how to build an argument, indicate your ‘take’ on the subject, and develop your authorial voice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book and reading glasses

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Editing and proof reading

Academic style

Academic style: making sure that your writing is clear, precise, and appropriately formal.

Proofreading

Strategies to help you edit and proofread your work.

Further support

We’ve also got lots of sessions and support to help you through the assignment process. Check out our one-to-one sessions and our Your Skills programme.

Book a one-to-one

Request a 50-minute tutorial with the Academic Skills Team for bespoke support around academic and study skills challenges

Your Skills Programme

Sign up for our open programme of group sessions covering aspects of academic writing and research to support you as you study.