Writing

Academic writing is a key part of your university journey, and the style may be very differ from how you have written previously. You will need to combine your own ideas with those you have found in published texts, making sure to acknowledge (reference) the work of others as you go. The result should be a clear and cohesive piece of work that follows the structure of your set assignment.

What you will learn

  • The basics of a clear and logical assignment structure, including how to construct introductions, paragraphs and conclusions
  • How to effectively integrate sources, supporting evidence and information into your work through citation, paraphrasing and more
  • Strategies for writing in an academic style, a formal and structured writing method required at university
  • Techniques to write critically, including how to form, critique and counter arguments
  • The specific structure, style and content requirements for each assignment type.

Criteria

Before writing, you should familiarise yourself with the information in your unit materials and marking rubric. This is the criteria your work is being assessed against. View our Understanding the question and Marking rubric guides for more information on unpacking and understanding your assignment requirements.

The structure and academic style sections will cover how to meet these criteria.

Assignment types

The most common written assignment types are:

  • Case studies: an in-depth analysis or investigation of a topic or issue based on a specific example/s.
  • Essays: a piece of writing that presents information and evidence to support an argument.
  • Literature reviews: a critical analysis of existing knowledge or literature within a specific field.
  • Reflective writing: an informal account of your thoughts, feelings, values and assumptions about a topic or experience.
  • Reports: an objective analysis of a specific topic or issue, including background, analysis and discussion. Reports may be based on practical experiments and the testing of hypotheses or research and analyses of existing literature.
  • Presentations: an informational speech on a particular topic using visual aids delivered within a set time frame.

Other written assessment types include short answer questions, discussion board posts, and blog posts.

The following sections of this guide will take an in-depth look at the components that make up academic writing at university.

Resources

As you work through this guide, you may want to refer to the following:

Looking for English language help? Academic and English language development programs are available within each faculty.

Not what you're looking for?

I want to…

Assignment process

Assignments are not always a linear journey, but usually you’ll have to complete the following steps:

UniSkills assignment process graphic A graphic image showing the assignment process. It includes the main modules from the Curtin Library UniSkills assignment guide, and flows from the Getting started module, to the Finding information module, then the Reading and note-taking module, to the Writing module, to the Referencing module and finally the Before submission module. The graphic also is a navigation element and provides the same navigation as the assignment element in the top of page navigation. Getting startedFinding informationReading & note-takingReferencingBefore submissionWritingUniSkills assignment process graphicCurtin LibraryA graphic image showing the assignment process. It includes the main modules from the Curtin Library UniSkills assignment guide, and flows from the Getting started module, to the Finding information module, then the Reading and note-taking module, to the Writing module, to the Referencing module and finally the Before submission module. The graphic also is a navigation element and provides the same navigation as the assignment element in the top of page navigation.