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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.

Forming research questions

A research question should:

  • Be an open ended question - not answerable by a yes or no
  • Be focused on a specific aspect - not too broad
  • Include task/instruction words like describe, discuss, compare...

Where to start:

  • Think about a topic you are interested in, that you'd like to learn more about
  • Do some quick searching to find some background information. This can help you choose an aspect of the topic to focus on
  • Think of some questions you could ask about the aspect you've chosen

Look at ways to narrow down - think about:

  • a particular aspect of a broader issue (e.g. the mental health aspects of bushfires)
  • a particular country (e.g. Australia)
  • a particular group (e.g. firefighters, farmers, health care workers)
  • a particular timeframe (e.g. last 5 years)

For more information:

The following video on developing a research question (6 min 26 sec) explains what research questions are, why they're needed, how to create a good one, and what to do with them.

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:

Analysis and recommendations

PEST Analysis is a useful tool. You can read more about this here:

Illustration of STEEP acronym: Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political

 

A STEEP analysis examines factors affecting the Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, and Political landscape around your industry or company.

For more information on conducting STEEP analysis:

The below diagram is adapted from Porter's 2008 article, The five competitive forces that shape strategy.

Diagram of Porter's five competitive forces that shape strategy

For more about Porter's Five Forces, see the suggestions below:

SWOT analysis diagram
 
SWOT analysis is a model that analyzes an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to create the foundation of a marketing strategy.
 
Have a look at these sites for help with conducting a SWOT analysis:

SMART is an acronym for the 5 steps of setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based goals.

For more help with SMART objectives, have a look at these sites:

Wicked problems

Watch the video (3 min 53 sec) below for an overview on tackling wicked problems using systems thinking.

Writing your assignment

Now that you have done your research it is time to put all of your information together.

Watch this short video (2 min 53 sec) for tips on how to write a report or access the overview document at the bottom of this box.

 

The LinkedIn Learning course Teamwork Foundations contains a series of short videos (1 hr 25 min total) on what makes a good team and how to be a better team member. Use the time stamps to jump to content you want.

Other useful resources include:

Not all information is "good" so it's important to look critically at the information you find. The resource below will give you some helpful tips and guidelines.

Watch the following video (4 min 39 sec) on how to build an effective argument.

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 affects 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.

Research versus review articles

It is important to understand the distinction between two common types of scholarly articles.

Research articles demonstrate original research and are referred to as primary sources. Review articles, on the other hand, synthesise and analyse current primary research in a specific subject area. Review articles, including literature reviews, systematic reviews, etc, are referred to as secondary sources.

You may be required for your assignments to focus on one or both types of articles.

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