Understand your question
It is essential that you understand what the assignment is asking of you before you attempt to answer the question.
- Our useful guide explains how to break down your question, provides the definitions of common task words and outlines ways of beginning to tackle your assignment.
- This Canvas course also contains information and videos about understanding assignments, including how to narrow down a broad essay question.
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Research
The first place that you should check to start your research is the resource list for your module; you can find your module's resource list at the ResourceLists@Bham homepage.
This short video explains how you can find your way around your resource list.
For further support on working with resource lists, see our full guide.
Beyond your modules resource list, you can also use:
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Planning and outlining
Your next steps should be to outline a basic essay structure, and to start planning your assignment in more depth, thinking about the argument you want to make and the references you want to include. You can use the following resources to help you develop a detailed essay plan:
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Writing up
How you write and what you write will depend on the type of assignment you have been set, and also to some extent your subject area or discipline. The following list covers general writing resources, and is then divided up into different areas of writing.
General writing advice
Critical writing
Fieldwork/placement and reflective reports
Scientific writing
Dissertation/projects and literature review
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Referencing
Checking in-text references and compiling a reference list often comes towards the end of the writing process, but it is still vitally important. It is often one of the parts of an assignment that a lecturer will look at first, and always carries marks within a mark scheme. The following resources can help you get your referencing right.
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