Adding to the pressure, to take care of academic assignments. Here is a detailed assignment writing guide for a postgraduate degree. All you need is some hot coffee and determination to implement what you learn in this guide.
1. Writing The Assignment Introduction
You may be asked the rules of writing an assignment.
The format of the introduction is:
- General statements (better if you focus on the importance of the topic)
- Background information
- Reference to previous work or recent developments
Here’s an example to help you get the assignment drill:
The concept of human cloning isn’t new. Many fetuses die of catastrophic organ failure.
2. Acknowledging Your Sources For Assignment Writing
You are supposed to display your knowledge related to the field, thereby proving that you are aware of the significant sources relevant to your topic. Read AND report the information that has been written. Evaluate and criticize the information wherever appropriate.
- Provide evidence for the arguments you make through accurate citations.
- The citations can include a summary of what you have read or direct quotes from a relevant source.
If you don’t acknowledge the work of other authors and yet use their information, you commit plagiarism which is not allowed. Your professors expect you to come to your own conclusions and not merely copy someone else’s work. You can use a paraphrasing tool, but citations are more effective when it comes to avoiding plagiarism.
3. Right Use Of Source Materials For Your Assignments
You need to walk that extra mile and justify the validity and relevance of your thoughts as well. In UK universities, good academic writing is the one that questions and rejects source materials if necessary.
The word like, ‘assess’, etc. These words indicate that your professors expect you to be critical.
Here’s how a critical use of source materials look like:
Culture is taken for granted from one perspective. It revolves around ideas, assumptions, and beliefs that all members of culture may not be aware of.
Academic culture refers to this system for conducting academic matters. It is about the patterns of expectations that operate at a deep level and impact people’s values, thoughts, behavior, beliefs, and attitudes.
4. Evaluating Sources
The Internet is an excellent resource. Here are the criteria for evaluating sources on the Internet:
Authority
- Is the author’s name provided?
- What about the author’s qualifications?
- Has the author written anywhere else on the topic?
Affiliation
- Who sponsors the website?
- Does the text reflect only the author’s perspective or of an organization?
Audience
- Who is the website catering to?
- Is it relevant to your target audience?
Currency
- Is the website out of date?
- Are all the links updated and working?
Accuracy
- Is the information relevant to your topic?
- Is it factual?
- Can you verify the accuracy of the information?
Books and other materials enter the University library stem after a thorough peer review.
5. Expressing caution
You are most likely to make claims based on what you have read in the sources. Adjust the strength of your claims to match the evidence that you have cited.
Here are the words that can help you express caution regarding your claims in the postgraduate assignment:
| Words that express caution | Examples |
| Modal verbs | Must, should, may, might, could. could have |
| Full verbs | Appear to, suggest, point to |
| Adverbs | Suggest |
| Nouns | Possibility, potential |
| Adjectives | Possible, plausible, probable, likely, potential |
Lecturers often ask postgraduates to interpret the findings of published work.
6. Providing Closure To Readers
Good academic writing encompasses covering a topic which means you need to give it a comprehensive treatment. You have the whole piece of assignment to prove. It is your opportunity to leave a solid impression that your work is coherent, complete, and competent.
Conclusions serve two main purposes:
Summarising your arguments- This is where you string together the threads of your assignment and let the readers know what to take away from your treatment of the literature.
Reflecting on the implications of your case- Take off the blinkers and focus on the most significant points of the essay.
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