Academic Skills Advice

Infosheet

Common Feedback – Taking Action

Feedback comment / What does this mean? / Action / Recommended resources
1. / You did not address the question fully / This could be because you have not fully understood what the question was asking of you or you have forgotten to explicitly relate each paragraph back to the question. /
  • Before you start your next assignment make sure you are clear about what the question is asking you – are you expected to critically analyse, evaluate or describe?
  • If you have been given a brief make sure that you address all of the points.
  • Be sure not to just write down everything about the topic – make it clearhow your points are relevant.
/ Understanding your essay questions and titles
2. / You did not go into enough detail / This is likely to be an indication that you need to do more research before you start writing, or that you have attempted to cover too much within your assignment. /
  • Don’t try to cover too much – in doing so it is likely that you will end up writing superficially.
  • Identify the key points and ensure that you have fully analysed them(using evidence from the relevant literature).
/ Reviewing, reading and researching skills
3. / Your work is too descriptive / It is highly unlikely you would be set a purely descriptive assignment. Normally the marker is interested in your understanding/analysis of the topic. /
  • Ensure that when you are writing you examine the significance of what you are telling the reader.
/ Critical thinking skills
4. / Your structure is weak / This relates to the flow of your assignment in terms of the ordering of your ideas. /
  • All assignments need an introduction, main body and conclusion.
  • Have a clear plan before you start writing to help you focus on how you will develop your arguments and a clear line of reasoning.
  • Reverse outlining during the editing phase can help you to ensure your work has a logical flow, i.e. write down one/two words that sum up each paragraph on separate pieces of paper. Then rearrange them to make sure they are in the best order.
/ Structuring your essay
24/7 writing skills workshops
5. / Your work is hard to follow / This could be related to your structuring (see above) or syntax (the way the sentence is constructed). It may also indicate that you need to do more edits before summiting. /
  • Think hard about the way you order your sentences; is there a way you could make your meaning clearer? Is there a main identifiable point in each paragraph?
  • Good writers often do several edits and drafts to improve their work. This is a natural part of the writing process.
/ Editing checklist
Drafting, editing and proof-reading
Grammar, spelling and punctuation skills
6. / Your work is not written in an academic style / This refers to the type of language used and can indicate you are writing in informal/spoken language. /
  • Writing in informal language is fine for an initial draft but it is important you edit it to sound more professional.
  • Your work should be written in paragraphs and(with the exception of reflective writing) in the third person.
/ Academic voice
Phrasebank
7. / Your presentation is inconsistent / This could refer to changes in font, text size, or spacing between paragraphs. /
  • It is important that your work is formatted consistently throughout. Inconsistencies can indicate you haven’t checked your assignment or plagiarism (copy and pasting in text).
  • Sometimes formatting errors can be hard to notice on screen. Printing a copy can be the best way of picking up on this.
/ IT help sheets
8. / Your grammar/spelling/punctuation is weak / This could be because you have not thoroughly proof-read your work. /
  • Reading aloud can help you spot typographical errors. Another good strategy is to start from the last sentence and work backwards.
  • Did you know you can access Texthelp Read & Write software on the University computers (start, all programs, productivity software)? This will read your assignment back to you, allowing you to listen for errors.
/ Drafting, editing and proofreading skills
Grammar, spelling and punctuation
9. / Your referencing/citations are incorrect / This could refer to the way you have cited sources within your work or how you have formatted your reference list. /
  • Getting referencing right can be an easy way to gain marks; it just needs attention to detail.
  • Each course uses either Harvard or numeric referencing. Be clear which is expected by your course. Guides for both can be found on the library webpage.
  • Ensure your follow the expected formatting, including the way they have used punctuation within the reference list.
/ University of Bradford Library referencing guide
Referencing, plagiarism and managing sources
10. / You have used inappropriate sources / This means you have not used sources which would be recognised as academic e.g. questionable websites or blogs. /
  • Make sure that you have read the key texts from your reading list which relate to your assignment.
  • Although it can be tempting to use google if you are struggling to find sources it is important that you stick to academic texts, reputable journals and exercise caution when using websites. You may find Google Scholar a useful alternative.
  • The Libraries powerful search engine ‘Summon’ can make it easier for you to find what you are looking for.
/ Summon
Google scholar

E: : 01274 236849@UniBradSkills

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