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Assignment support

Understand your task

Begin by clarifying the assessment requirements. Read the assignment instructions and marking criteria supplied on your course site. The video below explains more about writing assignments at university.

Video length: 2 min 45 sec.

  • Doing an assignment isn't a linear process.
  • Start by reading the task in detail, so you know what you need to do.
  • The assignment instructions and feedback sheet will explain the structure of your assignment.
  • You can find out more about different assignment types on the Study Help website.
  • You might need to revise your assignment plan as you go - this might happen a few times before you write your final draft!
  • As you read more, your argument should evolve to incorporate new information.
  • Make sure you use reliable resources to support your argument.
  • To interpret your task you will need to identify the content words and phrases - these show what you have to focus on.
  • The instruction words tell you how to approach the content, for example, describing something is different to comparing.
  • Identify the limits of your assignment by looking at keywords, word limits and other instructions.
  • Start the process early to get ahead.

Your search strategy

Planning your search will save you time and is the key to getting the most out of your search results. See the Plan your search page of this guide for detailed information.

See the Find information page of this guide for an overview of where to search and how to search in the Library Collection and Google Scholar. The page also contains guidance on finding key databases and journals in the subject area, as well as other relevant resources. 

You can find further introductory information about searching in the Library research skills guide:

Grey literature

You may need to search for both published literature and unpublished (grey) literature.

Why search for grey literature?

Grey literature:

  • introduces alternative perspectives
  • may be the only source of information (where there is little published evidence)
  • overcomes or minimises publication/reporting bias
  • can be essential in emerging, changing or interdisciplinary research areas
  • may find unique information not found elsewhere, especially in emerging research areas
  • complements published research and fills in the research gaps
  • can contain more local information

The Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) is a research collection and alerting service to the latest information for public policy development and implementation. Find full text research reports, papers, submissions, statistics and more. The APO Collections page has curated collections on focused topics, regional concerns, conference series, and more, including a Culture Collection. 

Want to know more? 

Explore the Grey Literature & Other Sources Guide. 

Research

Searching in the literature is an essential skill. When undertaking a research project, you will need to consult the literature throughout the research cycle. The Searching for Your Literature Review Guide can help you to understand this process more comprehensively.

Explore the research cycle diagram below for more information. Click the plus (+) icons to learn more.

Diagram adapted with permission. Created by Deb Moulton, Learning Advisor, Teaching Innovation Unit, UniSA.

Sage Research Methods is a comprehensive online collection of resources which you can access through the Library. You can explore methodological concepts to help you design your research project, understand a particular research method or identify a new method, and write up your research. Discover full text books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, journal articles and videos on how to create your research project and different research methodologies.

The SAGE Research Methods Map can be used to explore the research methods terrain, read definitions of key terminology, and discover content relevant to your research methods journey.

Screenshot of the SAGE interactive research methods map. The central concept 'Research methods' is shown with narrower terms extending off from it.

If you wish to explore further, the following Library resources expand on research methods and methodologies in the area of creative studies:

Before you start searching the literature, you should consider your research question(s).

Strategies for getting started

1. Identify a broad topic area of interest to help you start thinking about what you might want to research.

2. Do some preliminary searches and background reading to discover more about your topic area including whether it is appropriate, gaps and terminology used.

3. Focus your topic into a research question. Ask who, what, when, why, and how questions.

  • Who does this affect?
  • What do people think about this?
  • When is the best time to do this?
  • Why is this important?
  • How does this work or how can this be fixed?

Make sure your question is:

Answerable
  • Can you investigate or measure it? Is it an actual question and not just a statement?
  • What is your time frame? How much time you have will determine how comprehensive your search is.
  • Can your research be framed as a problem, hypothesis or objectives and aims?

Clear
  • Consider wording carefully. Will your audience understand exactly what you are researching?
  • Remember, every word has nuanced meaning and slight changes in wording can change the meaning of your research question.

Focused
  • Your question needs to be manageable. Too broad and you will have trouble answering it. Too narrow and you will not have enough to explore. Getting the balance just right can take time.

Relevant
  • Are you interested in the topic?
  • Is there an audience for it?

Adapted from the video Developing a research question (7 min 23 sec), produced by the University of Melbourne.

Writing your assignment

The resources below can assist with understanding reflective writing practice. 

The Study Help guide has information on writing academic essays.

Tip: These resources are designed to provide a general overview of academic writing and writing styles. Please refer to your course assessment tab for more resources to support your assessment.

Attend online academic skills workshops

The Student Engagement Unit is offering free online academic skills workshops which are designed to help you understand assignment types, assignment writing, and referencing.

See the Study Help site for more details, including dates and times for sessions. 

Case studies are descriptions of situations which you will likely encounter within your chosen discipline. They may be presented as essays, reports or in specific templates provided to you so you will need to carefully analyse the task you have been given and look at the particular requirements of your assignment.

The Study Help site has useful resources for your studies.

Watch this short video (2 min 53 sec) below for tips on how to write a report.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to machines or computer systems capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence. AI underpins many tools, with examples including web search engines, predictive text, recommendation systems such as those used by Netflix or Spotify, and navigation apps such as Google Maps.

AI tools are constantly evolving. Please refer to the Course Outline or contact your course coordinator for information about the use of AI in assessments and Academic Integrity.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) uses algorithms to generate content (e.g. text or images) in response to a prompt. GenAI tools and apps may help you brainstorm, understand key concepts, or help to improve the clarity of your writing but, before you use them, it is important to understand their risks and limitations. 

This short video by UniSA Online outlines what Generative AI is and considerations for using it in academic study.

Video length: 5 min 38 sec.

Prompt engineering

Prompt engineering is the process of formulating what you enter into a GenAI tool and effects the response that you get from it. The UniSA Teaching Innovation Unit's guide to AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education has some information on how to structure a prompt.

Resources for using AI tools for study

Select appropriate references

While you are finding references, you need to think about whether they are appropriate to use in your assignment. You may be asked to use scholarly or peer-reviewed material to support your arguments. 

You should evaluate all resources before including them in your assignment - even if you found them through the Library Collection or databases.

More help