Guidelines for Assignment Preparation and Submission
Preparing your assignment
You may have written many assignments before, but if assignment writing is new to you, the following section may be useful.
Before you start
Read over the topic carefully to work out exactly what you are being asked to do. If the assignment contains any case studies also read the case studies several times to fix their details in your mind. If parts of the topic are unclear to you, discuss them with your work colleagues. Talking about a topic with others will greatly increase your understanding of it.
Plan
Plan your assignment carefully before you start writing. We suggest you take the following steps:
- Think carefully about the topic and what you will write. Time spent thinking will be rewarded later on as you begin to write.
- Read as widely as you can about the topic. Re-read the module, of course, but you may also find texts, workplace documents, journal articles, etc useful. Don't forget to record publishing details of any texts or articles you use in your assignment and include them in a list of references.
- Make notes on the topic. As you develop your ideas for the assignment, write notes under headings and sub-headings. This will help you structure your material in a logical order.
- When you are sure you know what you want to say, and have the information you need, write down a plan of the assignment.
Use Practical Examples
When you are framing your assignment, feel free to make judgements and comments based on your own workplace experience, as long as it is relevant to the topic. Markers will look for evidence that you have understood how the module's concepts apply in practice.
Writing the assignment
Answer the questions
If an assignment has detailed questions these are designed to help you organise your thoughts and to point you towards important issues that you need to address. Make sure you answer all these questions fully, and, if the assignment includes case studies, refer to details of the case studies to support your ideas.
Organise your ideas
Make sure your sentences and paragraphs present a logical sequence of ideas. Check each answer as you write to make sure your points are relevant to the questions and that you have explained the evidence on which you based your answer. Make sure you refer closely to details of the case studies if they are part of the assignment.
Where there are a series of questions in an assignment answering the questions separately and in an orderly fashion will assist you to focus on the relevant aspect of the question. This helps the marker to see you have dealt with each question.
Expression
In order to communicate your ideas clearly, keep your sentences short. Use plain, clear language and avoid unnecessary jargon.
Presentation
Assignments should be double spaced with your Master ID at the top of each page.
Spelling and Grammar
- Most word processors have a checking function for spelling. Don't forget to use this if it is available. Markers will not be concerned about whether you use English or American spellings.
- Many word processors also have a grammar checking function (in some programs indicated by a wavy green underline). It may alert you to incorrect grammar or sentences that are too long. Use the grammar check as an aid to good expression, but don't rely on it.
Note that these functions are not infallible, so always proofread and correct your work carefully as well.
Submitting the assignment
Click here
for online assignment submission instructions.
Assignment due dates can be found on the Academic Calendar available on the Downloads page.