Presentation and Submission of Assignments
It is vital that you read these instructions carefully and refer to them each time you submit an assignment. You must follow these guidelines for each piece of work that you submit.
Word count
- You can find your brief for each assignment on the Blackboard module site.
- The brief will clearly state the word limit for the assignment. If you have any queries about the word limit you should consult the module leader.
- Your assignment must not exceed the specified published word limit by more than 10%. Work that is >10% over the word limit will be penalised by 10% of the available marks, i.e. you would lose 10 marks on this assessment task.
- Most components within the main text of the submitted work, including direct quotes, will contribute to the word count (text within a table doesn’t count). The contents of the appendices and the reference list are not included in the word count.
- Students should also note that expectations of staff are firmly focused on issues to do with quality of work and not just the quantity of words in an assignment. The number of words in an assignment must be accurately recorded on the title sheet.
Presentation
- Your work MUST be presented electronically, with the exception of your placement materials.
- Use a clear font such as Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman using font size 12 and black text colour.
- Your work should be submitted in Microsoft Word format for example .doc or .docx file type. All SHU computers have Microsoft Word installed. If you are using your home computer and you don’t have Word installed or use a Mac you can either use your free SHU Office 365 account to create your assignments in Word online, download and then upload the document to grade centre. OR to create the assignment in Pages and export to Word then upload.
- Text should be presented using double line spacing except for quotes over two lines long which should be indented and single spaced as per SHU referencing Guidelines.
- Pages must be clearly numbered.
- Avoid using bullet points. It is preferable to express your ideas using complete and structured sentences.
- Leave yourself time to proof read for errors and omissions. Marks will be lost if assignments contain numerous errors of grammar, spelling and style, or, if cited references and the reference list do not match or the source material is not properly incorporated in the text.
- Include a title page with the following information detailed in the example at the end of this document. If you have a Learning Contract, please ensure that you copy the wording of the sticker given to you by disabled student support team onto the front page of your assignment.
Referencing
All work must be accurately referenced using the SHU APA method. It is vital that you familiarise yourself with the system and apply it correctly. Please see Referencing guidelines for more detail.
Submission
- To submit you must upload your work to 2 places; to Turnitin (your final draft must be submitted here even if you have submitted partial drafts previously) AND to Grade Centre (as directed on your module BlackBoard sites). A valid assessment attempt must have submitted to BOTH these portals. Failure to do so may result in an invalid attempt.
- You will receive details of your assessment submission dates via your ‘Assessment Diary’ which you can be found on SHUSpace.
- SHU currently uses Turnitin as an online plagiarism checker for students. You may use this as often as you like pre-submission. Details of how to use Turnitin can be found HERE.
- IT problems are not a valid reason for late submission – it is your responsibility to ensure that you leave plenty of time to cope with unforeseen delays.
- The submission deadline is always 4pm on the due date. Please leave yourself ample time to submit PRIOR to 4pm.
Please remember:
- Check your hand-in date and time carefully; late assignments will not be accepted, unless there is an approved extension. Late submissions will be recorded as a fail.
- Keep a copy of all your work and back-up with a USB stick. You should also keep a hard copy of all your submitted work.
- Do not lend your work to another student and do not leave your work (USB stick) where it can be accessed by others.
- Ensure that you are familiar with the Cheating and Plagiarism Regulations
- Ensure that you have accurately referenced all quotations within the assignment and that all references used in the text are accurately identified in the reference list.
- Ensure that you have included a full reference list at the end of your assignment and that you have followed the University guidelines for referencing.
- Any reference to workplaces, patients, clients, carers and their family must maintain anonymity and confidentiality.
- The SHU Assessment Rules & Regulations are available via SHU Space
- If you have any problems which may result in you not being able to meet your deadline contact your Student Support Officer at the earliest opportunity. Please do not wait until the day of submission to raise a problem or ask for help.
