How to write a assignment

How to write an assignment

What is an assignment • An essay on a particular problem • A review of contemporaneous evidence • An elaboration of a particular aspect of a research

What an assignment is NOT • Not a copy and paste of previous studies or publications • Not a fiction • Not an undergraduate essay without references or supporting evidence

Basic framework • • • • • • • •

Content page Introduction Search strategy Review tools Literature review Discussion Conclusion References

How to start • Read the question carefully • Look for the key words • Ask the tutor what exactly is asked for

Initial planning • Search the key words to see what evidence is available • Read original papers that will guide you to write the assignment

• Write up the plan and get it checked by tutor

Search • Search is the most important part of gathering information and literature. It needs special care. • Search through all sources: Google, google scholar, Pubmed, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus etc. That will reduced source bias. • Contact library of your institute to gather evidence • Look into bibliography and reference section of original papers to gather more evidence • Contacting the authors would be way beyond the scope of an assignment. However, in Dissertation and PhD Thesis that can be justified.

Writing up the real thing • Search again • Write up the assignment in all relevant sections • As you go through the papers, you would be able to modify the whole thing • Write and re-write • Give it to someone to look at for correction

Common mistakes • Delay in starting • Poor planning • Lack of adequate search • Grammatical error

• Plagiarism: a big issue among academic circles. It’s like a crime!

Special attention • Overall look and style of the assignment

• Grammatical errors: use spell checker • Stick to word count +/_ 10% • Follow referencing style as has been advised by your institute. Commonly, Harvard style is used. But your university/ college might a have a modified version.

Final word • You are at the driving seat to write up the assignment • Please stick to the time frame and work hard • Reward yourself for the hard work and punish yourself for laziness