university of sunderland assignment

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Q. Finding resources for your assignment

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Always start by looking at the recommended reading for each module you are studying on Canvas or at Library Reading Lists.

When you need to read more widely about your subject, please read on.

Plan your search

• What information do you need to find? Think about the topic you need information on and decide which focused and specific words best describe your topic. •  What type of information are you looking for? Think about the level of information you need and where you would find this information. For example, a website may give you an overview of a topic, a book may provide a detailed explanation, a peer-review journal may provide research, and a database may provide statistics. •  Where should you look for this information?  We recommend Library Search. You can also l ink Google Scholar to your University of Sunderland account.

Where to look

•  Start at Library Search to search across our collections and our subscriptions. •  Consult subject-specific resources recommended by your Academic Liaison Librarian.

Focus your search

• Identify suitable keywords, including synonyms, for your topic. •  Be prepared to change your search as you go if you cannot find what you need. •  Add keywords to make your search more specific. Remove keywords to make your search broader. •  Use filters and advanced search options within Library Search and different databases to increase the relevancy of your search results.

Evaluate what you find

•  Who is the author? What authority or expertise do they have on this topic? Could they be biased on this topic? •  Why was the source created? Who funded or approved this source? •  When was the source last updated? Is this information still relevant or has it been superseded by further research?

What is 'peer review'?

Peer review is the "evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others working in the same field"* and is used to maintain quality and provide credibility. You can filter your results in Library Search to only show peer-reviewed articles. You should still always evaluate sources yourself to be sure the information meets your needs.

Record what you read

Always record what you find, including where and when you read it. This will make it easier to retrace your steps if you need to. Anything you use to write your assignments will need to be included in your bibliography and your reference list.

* 'Peer Review' (2020) Available at:  https://www.lexico.com/definition/peer_review  (Accessed: 12 June 2020).

Links & Files

• View Library Reading Lists online
• Link Google Scholar to your University of Sunderland account
• Find resources using Library Search
• View subject-specific resources recommended by your Academic Liaison Librarian
• Share on Facebook

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Study Skills Support

University of Sunderland

Reading for Assignment Success

Hello and Welcome to this tutorial.

Library staff are always talking to our students and one of the things that a lot of students tell us is that when you start your university programme and begin your modules, the amount of reading that you are expected to do seems overwhelming.

The good news is that the library is here to help. As you work through this tutorial you will learn about what is expected but will also find some strategies that will help you decide what to read and how to read (as a student).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Explain the difference between reading as an interest and reading as a student
• Identify critical questions that can be used when reading, writing and when completing other academic activities
• Identify and find appropriate sources to develop understanding of a topic
• Determine when help is needed and where to find support

We think working through this tutorial in full will take you less than an hour. You can also complete a specific section if it is more relevant to the skills you need to develop.

Tutorial Content

• Why students need to read!
• How to read like a student
• Questioning your reading
• Note taking and reading
• What do students need to read?
• Where to find your reading at Sunderland
• An intro to academic journals
• Help & support in your studies
• Tips for managing your reading

Attribution information

• Questioning activity adapted from  My Learning Essentials  developed by The University of Manchester Library, and licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0. My Learning Essentials © The University of Manchester.
• Critical Thinking Model Plymouth University, Learning Development, 2010 and Learnhigher via creative commons NC-SA licence

Images not owned by the University of Sunderland are taken from Unsplash or Pixabay under creative commons licences

University of Sunderland links

• Library Web Page
• Study Skills
• Contact the Library
• Off Campus Library Support

Navigate this tutorial

• 1. Why students need to read
• 2. How to read like a student
• 3. Questioning your reading
• 4. Note taking and reading
• 5. What do students need to read?
• 6. Where to find your reading
• 7. An intro to academic journals
• 8. Help and support in your studies
• 9. Tips for managing your reading

Academic Appeals

If you wish to make a challenge to an assessment decision you must use the Academic Appeals Procedure.  This decision can relate to a module mark you have received, your degree classification or a decision relating to your progression or withdrawal on an academic programme.  You must demonstrate grounds for appeal as outlined in the procedure and be aware that disagreement with academic judgement (simply thinking you deserved a higher mark) is not grounds for appeal.

The Academic Appeals Procedure is located here:

Student Casework (Complaints, Appeals Disciplinary and Fitness to Study)

Extenuating Circumstances

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You may find that as an assessment is coming up that you don't have time to do this due to exceptional circumstances beyond your control. If this is the case, you may need to apply for Extenuating Circumstances.

What are Extenuating Circumstances?

Extenuating Circumstances are exceptional circumstances, outside of a the students control, which have prevented them from either demonstrating or acquiring the skills, knowledge, competencies required to meet the learning outcomes associated with an assessment that contributes to the qualification for which they are studying.

Examples of Extenuating Circumstances might include.

• Bereavement
• Serious short-term illness or accident (for example, something that in employment would have led to absence on sick leave)
• Evidenced worsening of a long-term health condition
• Significant adverse family or personal circumstances

You will be able to request extenuating circumstances in order to be able to submit your assessments at a later date without the grade being capped.

You will be able to view the policy and access the form via the Academic Quality Handbook.

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES | POLICY & FORMS

What happens next?

Once your online Extenuating Circumstances form has been submitted with your supporting evidence, a Programme Administrator will assess each claim and if unambiguous, the claim will be accepted, and you will be advised accordingly by the Programme Administration team.

Students will be notified of the outcome of the Extenuating Circumstance claim within 5 working days of submission where possible, however, timescales may differ slightly in busier periods and in times of institutional closure.

Alternative Arrangements

Where students are unable to meet the specified deadline, they may submit their work late and still have it marked within seven days (one calendar week) of a summative deadline.

Students can submit work late by ONE of the following: 

• Late submission (a penalty will be incurred) up to 7 days post-summative deadline,
• An extension request of up to 7 days post summative deadline. There are no additional late submission options outside the extension period of seven days.

Students can apply to the Module Leader, or nominated representative, for an extension ( normally via university email ) of up to one calendar week. An application for an extension can be at any point up to three (3) days after a summative deadline ASSESSMENT POLICY

University Library Services

Study skills- essay structure.

• Introduction to your Essay
• Main Body of your Essay
• Essay Conclusion
• Essay Reference List

Essay Structure

This guide discusses basic university essay structure. 

A basic essay structure consists of these main elements:

• Introduction
• Reference List

Your essay is usually written in the third person, meaning you will use formal language such as: " it was suggested... " rather than " I suggested... "

It is important that your essay is clear to understand so that you can identify where you have met specific criteria. By producing a clear, well planned essay you are more likely to maintain focus and ensure that you are meeting the specific criteria asked for by your tutor. 

Essays do not have subheadings but are a continuous piece of text. The only subheading expected is to indicate the beginning of your reference list. Your reference list is not included in your word count but citations included in your text are included. 

Below is a link to a document to support you with structuring university essays and a video to support with overall essay structure. 

• Structuring your assignment Use this document to explore examples of how to structure your assignments at university.

If you have any questions after reading this Library Guide you can ask questions at the Study Skills drop in, every weekday on the library website or in person on Thursdays in the Murray Health drop in space between 3:30pm-4:30pm. 

You can book a one to one appointment of up to one hour with a Study Skills Adviser to discuss sections of your work either on Microsoft Teams or at the St Peters Library or the Library in the Murray Health building. You are entitled to two appointments per assignment.

We run Masterclasses, open to all students on a rolling programme on topics such as Academic Writing and Assignment Planning. 

Book an appointment, look at the wider library website and explore our upcoming masterclasses below:

• Library Website
• Book a Study Skills Appointment
• Book a Study Skills Masterclass

Check the University of Sunderland Generic Assessment Criteria below to gain a further insight into expectations for university study. 

• Generic Assessment Criteria Generic assessment criteria all levels

Hull Uni Library (2022) Essay writing: Structuring your essay . Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOvIywTublg (Accessed: 13 February 2024).

• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 4:16 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.sunderland.ac.uk/essay-structure

Four steps to problem-solving in group assignments

Published 26 October 2020

Published: 26 October 2020

As a student, problem-solving is something you’ll develop and add to your skillset. Writing assignments on your own can be challenging. But adding more people to the process creates a whole list of other things you have to think about.

Learning how to reach positive conclusions, not just for yourself but for everyone you’re working with, is something you’ll not only find helpful during your time at the University but well into the future.

There are four basic steps to solving any issue you come across:

• Identifying the problem
• Finding alternatives
• Choosing a way forward
• Implementing the solution

By following each of these steps you’ll find that you can turn a ‘problem’ into an opportunity for growth.

1) Identifying the problem

Without knowing what the issue is, there is no way for you to find solutions for it.

For example, if you’re doing a group project and your work isn’t coming out to the standard you were hoping you could assume it’s a problem with the group.

But if you look a bit deeper you might find that each person is approaching the tasks from a different angle.

Spend some time writing down all the possible problems you’re coming up against.

But make sure you back that up with evidence – avoid making assumptions.

2) Finding alternatives

There are plenty of methods for coming up with alternative ways of working. One very effective tool is mind mapping .

When you're doing a group project, sit down with your team and write out all the ways each of you are thinking about the assignment.

You can then draw lines to how they connect, match them to wider ideas and see if you can create a more structured argument.

Sometimes, simply writing down everything you know is the best place to start when you get stuck.

3) Choosing a way forward

The next step is to make a choice. If you’ve done the task above, you're likely to have several wider ideas to choose from.

This is where learning to compromise and work in a team comes in.

Try and remain objective, listen to the opinions of everyone in the group and be confident in putting your point across.

But set a time for discussion. Once that time runs out, the group will have to decide on a way forward.

4) Implementing the solution

The final step is really what all this has been leading to. You must now actually do the task.

As a group go back to your mindmap and see what smaller ideas were put under the larger topics you decided on in the last step.

Assign one of these to each person in the group.

Between you, agree on what you’ve got to do and how long you have to do it.

Then go away and work on your individual tasks.

Come back together at regular points to discuss, edit and improve but be sure to stick to the tasks you’ve given each other.

Group assignments can be an interesting, engaging and useful way of not only learning about a particular topic but finding out how to work together as well.

With multiple people involved the likelihood of issues coming up increases. But try thinking of every problem as an opportunity to improve.

We’d love to hear your stories of working in groups and how you overcame the issues you’ve come across.

Share with us on  Facebook ,  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  LinkedIn  using #WeAreSunLon.

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