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Provides you with step by step help to start your assessments and develop your research skills during your first year at UniSA and UniSA College.

Understand your assessment task

How to break down your task

Start by reading through all assessment details before researching or writing including:

  • Any assessment templates and examples provided
  • The marking or feedback guide
What to note down Further guidance

Assessment type (genre) and writing style

For example, are you doing a case analysis, essay or reflective piece? Use:

Length of assessment, weighting (marks) and due date

Indicates time you may need to complete it and how much research (references) required. Set personal deadlines for each step.

 Instruction words given

The task words (e.g. discuss, define, analyse etc.) tell you how to answer the assessment properly.

Key content words in the question or task description

 These tell you what the assessment is about and gives you starting points for keywords to search on.

Do you need supporting references, what types and how many?

Most assessments require academic sources like peer reviewed journal articles, conference papers or book. Understanding the type of references you need will help inform where you search.
Referencing style needed

Explore Study help: Referencing website

Still unsure?

  • Use a dictionary to clarify exact meanings of words
  • Ask a classmate or explore relevant course forums. Your question may have already been answered
  • Post your question in a relevant course forum. Others may want to know the same thing

If you still are unsure seek clarification from your tutor or course coordinator.

Assessment types and writing styles

Take a moment to explore the below diagram to learn more about assessment types - select the +.
 

Read the below guide for an overview including examples.

Developing a research question or topic

Use the following advice and strategies to guide you:

Elements of a good research question

  1. Clearly states the specific issue or problem you will discuss or explore
  2. Focused with appropriate scope
    • Too broad you will have too much to cover
    • Too narrow you will not have enough to write about
  3. Researchable - will you have enough academic sources to support your ideas
  4. Analytical - can you produce an analysis or argument of the issue or problem, not just an description
  5. Relevant - are you interested in it and is there a wider interest in the topic

Adapted from Developing your research question, Monash University
 

How to focus a topic

Key steps What to consider

1. Pick a broad topic area of interest

What topic interest you to explore or discuss? For example:

  • Health benefits of chocolate
2. Investigate it further

What key issues or debates relate to the topic?

  • Do some preliminary searches
  • Read a few academic sources to gain insight.

Note down ideas or issues that interest you.
3. Decide on a specific issue to focus on

Reflect on what you have read so far by asking who, what, when, why and how questions.

  • Who does this relate to or impact on (population)? E.g. Older adults.
  • What is the issue? Daily consumption of small amounts of chocolate
  • Why is this important? Does it have long term benefits?
  • How could this help? Is there specific benefits? What are these?
4. Draft a question

It may take time to get the wording right.

What are the benefits and detriments of chocolate consumption on health in adults?

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