LibGuides: Library Essentials: Assignment/Learning Essentials

Before starting an assignment, understand the deliverables

Deadline?

Relative Value (McAdoo, 2015)

Enough time?

Marked your calendar?

Plan time well to prevent last-minute crams

Track deadline using 'countdown' on phone app

Any clashes with other tasks?

Spend more time on assignments with higher grade weightage

Prioritise and manage your time

Use a checklist to manage priorities and deliverables

Assignment requirements?

For groupwork

Understand what is expected

Clarify doubts with your professor

Avoid loss of time in the correction of errors

Set up a collaboration and file-sharing platform (e.g. Google Docs)

Plan schedules with your groupmates

Make sure that the workload is fairly allocated

When doing your assignment, note the following depending on the nature of your assignment

If your topic is to be developed, ask yourself if your topic can be researched?

It is important to choose a topic that you can find sources of information
There will be nothing to support your paper if there is no literature on the topic. For example, you would like to write about lampshades but a Google Scholar search shows 0 scholarly articles

Limited by Assignment Requirements

Make sure that your topic fits your assignment requirements
Remember to scope your topic to allow yourself time to develop and complete a quality assignment
If you are unsure, check with your professor

Apart from your lecture notes, your module will include readings (compulsory and supplementary)

The lecture notes and readings provide background information to do your assignment sufficiently
The more you know about your topic, the better you will be able to write knowledgeably about it
Where would you find the uploaded readings? See below!

Online Readings

Lecture notes
Digitised book chapters or scanned pages
Journal articles
Links to readings

To find your online readings, go to Canvas: your module's Course Readings. Related FAQs can be found here.

Physical Readings

Compulsory textbook(s)
Supplementary readings
Check module reading list
Available on a 2-hour loan

To find your print readings, search for your course number via the library search engine. Your required readings will be located at RBR (Reserve Books and Readings), a section located at the library. Click here for example.

When embarking on a group assignment, consider adopting one of these collaboration tools to accomplish tasks together. Click the links below to find out more, or log in to access the platform directly.

Platforms that allow login using NUS email:

Platform that requires Gmail account:

Google Drive

Final touches before submission

Proofread?

Formatting?

Check grammar and spelling
Minimise mistakes
Proof-read and be thorough
Be professional

Proper formatting for ease of reading
Insert page numbers
Observe font size and type
Ensure citations are indented, if the style requires

Citing?

Check with your professor on the citation style to use
Cite all works and attribute sources to avoid plagiarism
Acknowledge copyrighted materials used
Check that in-text citations are in the bibliography
Do check your references for accuracy and completeness
[if applicable] Have you conducted a preliminary Turnitin check?

Know When to Stop!

Law of diminishing marginal returns
Excessive information may detract from your overall argument
Check that you have not gone off tangent in your paper
Ensure that your paper is within the assigned word count

References

15 foolproof tips for writing a great assignment. (n.d.). University of Essex Online. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from https://online.essex.ac.uk/blog/15-foolproof-tips-for-writing-a-great-assignment/

McAdoo, M. L. (2015). The student’s survival guide to research (pp. 59-72). Chicago: Neal-Schuman.

Re-Using this Guide?

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