Aims and objectives
This module will:
- cover planning assignments
- examine what plagiarism is
- provide guidance on referencing assignments
- explain how assignments should be submitted.
At the end of the module, you will be able to:
- plan your assignment
- understand why you should reference to avoid plagiarism
- locate referencing style guides and referencing software
- successfully submit your assignment.
1. Writing or creating assignments
Plan your assignment
Assignment planner
Use our assignment planner to create a step-by-step plan for completing your assignment with:
- Manageable steps based on the time you have
- Dates by which you should try to complete each step
- Tips for completing each step and links to useful online resources.
Planning your assignment, from Student Support, has information to help you get started planning your essay or report.
Review your lecture and tutorial notes before you begin your assignment. Your lecturer will have mentioned key concepts that will help you with your assignment research.
Manage your time
It’s very important to manage your time effectively. You may have multiple assignments and activities to complete at the same time. Careful planning can save you valuable time, as you will have to:
- research your assignment topic
- write a first draft
- edit the first draft
- rewrite your draft and edit it again
- submit the assignment.
Mark the dates that your assignments are due on a calendar so you can see when they have to be submitted. Allow 3 to 4 weeks to work on the assignment.
Get more tips to help with Time Management and Procrastination.
Student Support have day, week and semester planners to help you stay on track.
Get it checked
It is a good idea to get someone else to read your assignment before you submit it. They may spot a mistake that you missed. Spell check tools often won't find words that are spelt correctly but are used incorrectly in the sentence (e.g.“from” instead of “form”). You can also use a text-to-speech tool to convert your assignment text into spoken words. Then you can listen for any strange sentences or spelling errors.
Take a break
Remember to take regular breaks when writing your assignment. Taking regular breaks will allow you to return to your work with a clear mind and may help you to focus on your writing.
Develop your skills
UQ Student Support also hold study skills workshops; the workshops concentrate on developing skills in research skills, speaking skills, assignment and exam help and are available to all students.
Written assessments are not the only types of assignments that you might be required to create during your time at UQ. The Types of assignments module has information on completing other assessment types, such as videos, audio or presentations.
The right tool
If you need to select a tool to create your assignment, the Choosing the right tool module has information on a variety of software, tools and apps for different tasks.
File-sharing warning
File-sharing services buy, sell or trade academic content. They often portray themselves as cutting-edge and collaborative while offering homework help and study resources. While some sites may offer genuine help services, they are typically businesses which profit from the upload of student-generated and university-owned materials. There are also private sharing sites on platforms such as Facebook, WeChat or other sharing apps.
Risk of academic misconduct with file-sharing
Using file sharing platforms can result in academic misconduct. You should avoid:
- uploading your assessments (exams, assignments or coding) for others to use.
- uploading course materials such as PowerPoint slides or class notes in violation of the lecturer’s intellectual property rights.
- downloading work completed by others and submitting all, or part of it as your own work.
- getting answers for any assessable item such as exams, quizzes, homework tasks etc.
Complete the Academic Integrity Modules to make sure you understand your responsibilities.
Academic integrity and student conduct has more information on academic misconduct.
If you are experiencing difficulty with your course, get help from:
- your course teaching team.
- Student Support - help to prepare for your assignments, plan your work and manage stress.
- the Library - a range of services are available for students to help with assignments and study.
Duration: 
Approximately 30 minutes
Graduate attributes
Knowledge and skills you can gain to contribute to your Graduate attributes:
Effective communication
Ethical and social understanding
Check your knowledge
Check what you know about this topic:
Support at UQ
Access UQ services to assist you with personal or study-related issues.
