unimelb essay writing guide

Research Essentials

• Get started
• Plan to succeed
• Find the right resources
• Evaluate and choose what to use
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This guide describes the four key stages of completing your first university assignment. You can explore each stage in its own section:

   Plan Understand the process before you dive in.

  Find Search efficiently and find a range of sources

  Choose Evaluate the sources you find to create a quality assignment.

  Write Write it up, reference your sources and submit your work.

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• Last Updated: Apr 22, 2024 2:13 PM
• URL: https://unimelb.libguides.com/researchessentials

• Faculty of Education
• Current students
• Academic Skills module

FoE Academic Skills Resources

This module will provide you with a curated set of support resources to build on your study and communication skills. The sections can be used in any order and are independent of each other. Click on the topic titles below left to access content.

• 1. Critical literacy

2. The academic writing process

3. writing tasks, 4. presentation skills, 5. time and task management skills, 6. language and communication skills, 1. critical literacy.

Part of the expectation at the FoE is to be able to critically engage with literature and to represent this critical engagement and interpretation in both written and spoken contexts.

This page provides resources that examine the idea of critical literacy and provide you with practical, useful language to be used in your work to show your critical engagement.

Watch: Cohesive, critical and interpretive writing

This video examines what critical and interpretive writing is.

Other academic critical language resources

These resources provide excellent examples of critical/interpretive language:

• University of Manchester Academic Phrasebank - an excellent language resource for cohesive and critical language
• Cohesive and interpretive language - a short PDF listing interpretive language examples you can use in your writing and speaking.

At the FoE you're asked to write in a range of genres - the task types vary considerably.

The keys to successful academic writing lie in an understanding of expectations, awareness of features of academic style, engagement with critical literacy, ability to write to task (relevance) and engagement with academic literature in both content (ideas) and following conventions of use (how the ideas are presented).

A great approach to producing written work is to develop a process.

To help you become the best academic writer you can be, this page contains resources on:

• analysing the task
• essay writing
• structure & key elements of academic paragraphs
• APA referencing

Watch: Task analysis

This short video looks at how to break down a task - always the starting point for any assignment.

Watch: Writing academic essays - what to do

This video looks at the basic structure of the academic essay, what to include and some key points to remember as you write.

Watch: Structure and key elements of academic paragraphs

This video focuses in on the academic paragraph - the building block of the essay.

APA 7 resources

APA is the referencing style used at MGSE - get to know it:

• APA 7 web resource
• Video outlining APA referencing style
• Unimelb Library Recite Guide
• Referencing Essentials web resource

Sometimes you're asked to frame your writing in a particular way or to carry out a particular task. This page looks at 3 of those focused writing areas:

• Research questions
• Literature review
• Writing reflectively

This page also provides you with two critical sources of information for your research:

• Unimelb library databases
• Google Scholar

Watch: Developing a research question

Developing and writing to a clear research question is a key part of the research process. This video unpacks research questions.

Watch: Writing the literature review

A literature review may be a section of a larger assignment or a complete task in and of itself - either way, it is a very important and common aspect of academic writing.

Watch: Reflective writing

Writing reflectively is often required of you at the FoE - the key expectation is that you move beyond the descriptive into the reflective/interpretive space. Learn more about reflective writing in this video.

Conducting research

To conduct your research most efficiently you must be in the right places.

Go to the Library Guides - choose your study area, choose your subject, then find the Database tab; here you will find links to databases in your study/discipline area - these are great places to conduct research.

Using Google Scholar

Go to Google Scholar > Settings >Library links - type in the University of Melbourne Library into the search box on that page - choose the UniMelb Library to add to your links.

Any search you do in Google Scholar that results in a 'Find it at Melbourne' link means you can access that resource at the UniMelb Library

Being a teacher requires you to communicate effectively and confidently in a range of contexts: the classroom, meetings with colleagues and parents, presentations, conferences, training and PD days etc.

So, it's a great idea to work on these skills now, at university, where you'll get a number of opportunities to practise presenting to audiences.

To help you become the most effective presenter you can be, this page contains resources on:

• preparation, organisation and language used in presenting
• effective use of voice and body language
• use of visuals
• purposeful practice and feedback
• managing presentation stress
• presenting online

Watch: Preparation, organsiation, language and questions

This video looks at getting ready, organising, some language examples and dealing with questions.

Watch: Delivery - Body language and voice

Body language and voice are key presentation tools. Learn more about them here.

Watch: Delivery - Visuals

A key part of a successful presentation is the visual aspect - how it looks.

Watch: Purposeful practice and the power of feedback

The best method for improvement lies in getting specific feedback then practising.

Other speaking and presenting resources

• Managing stress in oral presentations
• Presenting online

The FoE expects you to be able to manage your time; after all, good teachers simply must be good time and task managers!

So, it's very worthwhile developing this skill at university in order to put it into practice as a professional.

To help you become the most effective time and task manager you can be, this page contains resources on:

• time and task management strategies at weekly and semester levels
• tips for managing time
• links to semester planners you can use today
• tips on how to use a semester planner

Watch: Time and task management tips

This video looks at planning your time on weekly and semester levels, setting quantifiable targets and scheduling study sessions.

Read: 10 tips for managing your time

This webpage resource provides 10 practical tips on managing time in areas such as prioritising, managing procrastination, and using tools to manage your time.

Activity: Using a semester planner

Part of good planning mentioned in the video is to have a semester planner.

Using a semester planner gives you an overview of  everything you need to do in the entire study period . This helps you to plan out your semester and is a great visual reminder of what you need to do and when.

NOTE :  printed poster-size semester planners are available at any UoM Library or at Stop 1.

Download a writable PDF and learn more about the semester planner

It's in your interest as a teacher to have the best command over your language that you can.

To help you improve your language skills, this page contains resources on:

• working on your language daily
• developing and expanding your vocab
• working on pronunciation

Explore: 10-Minute English

10ME is an Academic Skills program that examines how you can work on your language in just 10 minutes a day!

Read: 10 ways to improve your English

This PDF presents 10 easy ways to work on your English  every day !

Explore: Other language development resources and programs

Expanding your vocabulary : This quick read takes you through some strategies for working on education-related vocabulary.

Language development : These resources will help you practise clear pronunciation of English and develop your communication skills.

English for Success : This is a language development program made up of 4 modules offered in Canvas LMS, where a language teacher takes you through ways of working on your English communication skills.

Diagnostic English Language Assessment : If you want to look further into the various supports available to you at UoM, you can undertake the DELA.

Academic Skills services

Individual appointments : If you are looking for 1-1 assistance with your uni work make an appointment with an Academic Skills Adviser.

Workshops : Check upcoming AS workshops you might be interested in attending

More about Academic Skills

Learn about academic skills, attend a workshop, get one-to-one advice, explore our website resources.

Contact Academic Skills at  [email protected]

• Academic Skills

Student appointments

Get personalised advice, tips and feedback to help you develop your academic skills. Book an Individual appointment or contact our Writing advice service.

Writing advice service

Fill out the online form and attach a short piece of your written work. Writing Mentors can provide feedback on your work, and advice on how to further develop your writing skills.

Individual appointments

Book a time to meet on Zoom. Academic Skills Advisers can go through a section of your writing with you, discuss strategies for key study areas, or help you access relevant resources.

Compare our services

Writing Mentors: fellow students, recent graduates, tutors – all trained by Academic Skills Advisers

Academic Skills Advisers: qualified language and learning professionals

• 15 minutes for the Writing Mentor to review your paper*
• One submission per assessment
• Unlimited number of sessions per semester
• The service is offered online. Contact the service (see below), fill out a short form with details and attach your paper/task. We email you with feedback usually within 1-2 days. **

* Due to time constraints, we can only look at a short section of work–if you would like longer papers looked at, choose the Individual Appointment service.

** Closed on weekend and University holidays; waiting time may be longer in peak periods e.g. SWOTVAC.

• 30-minute* 1-1 appointment with an Adviser
• 4 sessions per semester
• No more than 1 appointment per week
• No more than 2 appointments on the same piece of writing
• The service is offered via Zoom**
• Book the service (see below). After choosing your date / time, we will email you a Zoom link.

* Graduate researchers are able to book 1-hour appointments.

** Appointments can be offered in-person, if needed, contact Academic Skills at the email below to arrange this.

• A quick focus on short, specific parts of your writing, e.g. selected paragraphs of your draft work, to provide advice and developmental feedback
• Answers to specific questions you have about a particular piece of writing, e.g. referencing, a particular grammar point, development of an argument in your introduction etc.
• In-depth focus on study and communication skills
• Answers to questions you might have about academic work, e.g. incorporating sources, academic voice, critical analysis
• Advice on broader academic skills such as time management, managing reading, strategies for revision and taking exams.
• Advice on improving your English

This service does not offer:

• A review of complete papers unless they are very short. 15 minutes allows Writing Mentors to review short sections of work only.
• Proofreading or editing
• Reviews of anything outside of written work for the University of Melbourne.
• Management of one particular piece of academic writing from draft to finished product over several sessions. We can see students about the same piece of writing no more than twice*
• Proofreading or editing: we want to help you become a better self-editor, so will work with you to develop the skills to do this
• Course planning (See Stop 1 )
• IELTS tests or time-limit exam answers
• IT questions
• Applications to other universities
• Resume, Cover letters (See Careers )

* Graduate researchers are able to see Advisers on a longer term, ongoing basis more than twice for the same piece of work due to the nature of Doctoral / research writing.

Undergraduate and graduate coursework students only

Any enrolled University of Melbourne student *

*If you and a small number (3-4) of classmates or group members have similar questions, you are welcome to join together. Please raise this with Academic Skills before the appointment using the email address below.

• Starts Monday, week 4 of the semester
• Finishes on the Friday of Exam Week 2
• Available during office hours – 9am-5pm
• Not available on days when the University is closed
• Available all year (except for days when the University is closed)
• Note that availability may be limited between semester periods
• No booking required
• Access via Contact button below
• Booking required
• Access via Book button below*
• Book up to 2 weeks in advance

* You can cancel the booking at the same website

Writing advice service*

Please note that any written submissions to Academic Skills must conform to University of Melbourne regulations and guidelines on Academic Integrity .

Further questions about these services? Email  [email protected]

Library Guides

Find useful resources and tools to support your work.

Build your skills in searching, referencing, conducting reviews and managing results.

• Advanced Google Searching Get more out of the google search environment.
• Annotated bibliographies Select and evaluate resources to write an annotated bibliography.
• Indigenous Knowledges Research An introduction to Indigenous knowledge systems and resources.
• Literature Reviews Get started with the Literature Review process.
• New Researchers' Library Guide Library resources and services for research staff and graduate research students.
• New Students' Library Guide Your introduction to Library services, spaces and resources at the University of Melbourne.
• Perma.cc A tool to create a permanent, archived version of a web page with a permanent URL.
• Readings Online For teaching staff - add and manage readings to your Canvas subjects.
• Research Essentials Level up your researching, reading and writing skills in time for first university assignments.
• Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) Discover relevant literature and information to support scholarly teaching.
• Scoping Reviews for Health Sciences and Medicine An introduction to Scoping Reviews of qualitative and mixed-methods studies.
• Statistical and Mathematical Software Where and how to access statistical and mathematical software.
• Staying Current: keeping up-to-date Keep up-to-date with new research in your area by setting up alert options.
• Systematic Reviews for Health Sciences and Medicine An introduction to Systematic reviews, tools and services for researchers in Health Sciences.
• Systematic reviews in Science, Engineering and I.T An introduction to Systematic reviews, tools and services for researchers in Science, Engineering and I.T.
• Text Mining for Search Strategy Development Discover text mining resources and applications relevant to the Health Sciences and Medicine.
• Which review is that? A guide to review types An introduction to a range of literature review types available for research synthesis.

Looking for a special type of resource? These guides show you where to search.

• Aerial Photography Resources Find aerial photograhy resources for Melbourne and Victoria.
• Australian Government Documents Learn how to find and access Australian Government Documents online.
• Company, Industry and Country Information The best business databases for company and sector information.
• eBooks Finding and accessing eBooks available through University of Melbourne subscriptions.
• Finding Theses Locate and access Australian and international theses.
• Geospatial (GIS), Spatial Data and Map Resources Find Australian and international map resources, data sources and GIS software.
• Images A guide to searching and locating images, and understanding usage permissions.
• Map Resources of Victoria A guide to Victorian spatial map resources.
• News and Newspapers Discover Australian and international news and newspaper resources.
• Standards Find and access Australian and international standards.
• Statistics and Data Find and evaluate Australian and international statistics and data.
• Using Archives Starting archival and primary source research, at the University of Melbourne Archives or beyond.
• Using Microforms Find and use microforms from the University's collection.

Get advice on strategic publishing, researcher profiles, and measuring your research impact.

• Altmetrics Alternative metrics to track the attention your works receive online.
• Dimensions An international research data platform on publications, funding, patents and clinical trials.
• Open Research Advice on embedding open practices into your research.
• Research Impact Tools and support to assist with measuring research.
• Researcher Profiles, Identifiers and Social Networks: Maximise your Impact Tips on how to promote your research and profile as a researcher.
• Scholarly Publishing Your guide to authorship and selecting where to publish.

Find the best resources for your area of study, curated by librarians in your faculty.

• Architecture, Building and Planning
• Arts and Humanities
• Business and Economics
• Engineering and IT
• Fine Arts and Music
• Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences

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University of Melbourne. n.d. Tertiary Essay Writing Guide.

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