2. Written assignments

• Writing and researching
• Writing tools and techniques
• Editing and proofreading
• Grammar and spelling
• Audience, tone and purpose

There are many different types of written assignments, including essays, reports and reviews. Student Services has resources to help you understand different types of written assignments and how to structure your work:

• Assignment types — outlines the purpose, audience, tone of writing and structural features of some written assignment types, including research essays, reports, annotated bibliographies and reflective journals
• Steps for writing assignments — breaks the assignment writing process into a series of manageable tasks
• During semester Student Services offers workshops to help improve your study and assignment writing skills.

Writing and researching

Online tools and courses to improve your skills:

• The Academic Phrasebank — provides examples of phrases to use in academic writing, including writing introductions, describing methods, reporting results, discussing findings and writing conclusions
• Writing research papers (LinkedIn Learning course, 1h56m) — a UQ login is required. This course covers understanding different types of research papers, researching the topic, brainstorming your focus, developing a thesis statement, writing topic sentences, composing a title, using a style guide and formatting your paper
• Improving writing through corpora (UQx free online course, 8h)  — this course aims to provide you with the tools, knowledge and skills to become a ‘language detective’, using special software to improve your academic writing. Boost your knowledge of academic words and phrases to improve your vocabulary and written fluency.

Writing tools and techniques

• Writing and referencing tools has information on different tools and software to use for your written assignments
• Beginner to advanced training in Microsoft Word is available at the Library, including using styles, sections and tables. Knowing all the shortcuts and tricks can save you a lot of time when you are writing your document
• LinkedIn Learning has many Word tutorials. Choose one that covers the version of word you use. You may like to start with Word Essential Training (Microsoft 365) (LinkedIn Learning, 2h 33m) — a UQ login is required.

Editing and proofreading

Sometimes when we read aloud we say the words that should be there, even if they are not. A text-to-speech tool is a good way of checking the accuracy and flow of your assignment. The tool will only read what actually is written on the page. Study hacks lists text-to-speech tools.

Student Support has information on finding a proofreader.

Grammar and spelling

You can use the spelling and grammar features in your word processing tool (e.g. Microsoft Word and Google Docs) to check what you have written. Some writing tools use generative artificial intelligence to make recommendations. Using AI tools in your studies includes information about what you should consider before using AI writing tools in assessment tasks.

Use the Macquarie Dictionary and Thesaurus if you are unsure about any words. It is regarded as the standard reference on Australian English.

Audience, tone and purpose

To write effectively, you should think carefully about the intended audience and purpose of your assignment. Adjust your tone to suit your audience and the medium you are using.

The Communication Learning in Practice for Scientists (CLIPS) website outlines how the audience, context and purpose affects how you should communicate. The website was developed to help undergraduate science students develop their communication skills but is relevant for students in all fields.