LEARNING AND INFORMATION SERVICES
Guide to Academic and Library
Words
At University you may hear and see lots of words and phrases that are new to you. This tip sheet is
intended to be a quick guide to some of the most common ones.
Abstract
A short summary normally at the beginning of a piece of academic writing.
Academic writing
Writing in a formal style which follows a set of accepted rules.
APA, Harvard and
Oxford referencing
These are the three main systems used with the University for producing bibliographic
references and citations. There are online guides available on our website.
ASSIST
Online chat service providing help and support for all your information needs.
Assignment
A piece of work that you are asked to carry out as part of your course. It can take a number
of forms including an essay, a report, a group project or a presentation.
Athens
A means of allowing access to our electronic resources.
Borrower Number
You will find your borrower number on your ID card. You will need this together with your
PIN to access and operate your library account online.
Summon -Library
Catalogue
Summon our online catalogue allows you to search most of the library's resources, both
print and electronic, it also allows you to reserve and renew books. The catalogue is
available off-campus via the Internet.
Classmark
Shelfmark
The number which appears on the label on the spine of our books. Books are kept in
number order. Books with the same number will be on the same subject.
Dissertation
A dissertation is a major written assessment done as part of an undergraduate degree or a
taught postgraduate degree.
Drop-in Session
A short introductory session that does not need to be booked.
Edition
A new and updated version of a book.
Electronic Book
/Journal
An electronic version of a book or journal which can be accessed and read online. Also
called E-Books/E-journals.
Electronic resources
Electronic or
Online Databases
Materials such as books, e-books, journals, e-journals and databases.
A searchable collection of resources which can include e-journals, conference papers and
e-books
Ref: LS034 | Liaison Services | August 2012
ETHOS
A British Library service which provides access to UK Higher Education theses.
Evision
An online system which allows you to access information and complete tasks essential to
your studies.
Interlibrary loans
(ILL)
If we do not have a copy of a book or a journal article, we can use the Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
service to get hold of it for you.
Information Literacy
The skills required to recognise your information needs, find that information, manage it
and use it in your academic studies.
Journal Article
A relatively short piece of writing on a specific subject, contained with others in one issue
of a journal. You can search for journal articles on particular topics using our databases and
Summon.
Key Word
Learning Centres
The words used in an online search to describe the subject area you are interested in.
A space where you can work individually or as a group, browse our books use our
electronic resources and get help and support from our staff.
Learning Centre
Direct
Library PIN
24 hour a day telephone service for renewals and information.
Literature Review
A critical and evaluative account of material published in a particular subject area.
Literature Search
A systematic and thorough search of all material, print or electronic, published on a given
topic. This can include books, journals and other resources.
Marking Grid
A table which sets out what you need to do to achieve a particular grade in an assignment.
MFD
Printing and photocopying machines found in every Learning centre
Module
A module is one unit of study from a course, each module is assessed separately.
PebblePad
A Personal Learning System or e-Portfolio which can be used for reflective learning and to
record abilities, achievements, experiences and thoughts. You can use PebblePad
anywhere you have access to the internet.
Peer reviewed
Peer reviewed articles are journal articles, which are sent to experts in that subject area for
their comments before publication.
Plagiarism
Passing off as your own, the work of others. Original sources are not given credit.
Proof reading
The process of checking your work for errors in typing, spelling and grammar, and ensuring
that it is presented in a style that meets the requirements of a module.
RefWorks
A web-based reference management system that allows you to collect references from a
range of online sources, manage and organise your references and create bibliographies.
RefWorks is available to all staff and students.
Referencing and
Bibliographies
A bibliographic reference provides the information needed to identify and retrieve material
used in a particular article or assignment. A bibliographic reference would include
Your library PIN is a 4-digit number, which together with your borrower number can be
used to access your library account.
Ref: LS034 | Liaison Services | August 2012
information such as author, title, publisher, place of publication, journal title, volume and
part number. A list of references is often found at the end of a book or journal article.
Report
A highly structured document written in a formal style, the content is divided up into a
number of sections each with a heading.
Reservation
Items already out on loan to another borrower or at another Learning Centre may be
reserved and put aside at a specified Learning Centre.
SCONUL
A scheme which allows students access to the libraries of some other universities.
Self Service
Machines
Machines within each learning centre, which allow you to borrow, return and renew books
and pay fines.
Study Skills
The skills needed to study effectively.
Thesis
A thesis is a major piece of original research produced by a student for a postgraduate
research degree (MPhil or PhD).
WIRE
An institutional repository for University of Wolverhampton research papers.
Wolf
The University of Wolverhampton’s Virtual Learning Environment where resources and
materials for modules are stored. You need a university IT account to access it.
Workshop
An educational event with a small number of participants, where information and ideas can
be developed.
Adapted from
University of New South Wales (UNSW) (2010) Answering assignment questions: glossary of task
words [online]. Sydney: UNSW [Accessed 19 January 2012]. Available at:
<http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/taskanal2.html.>
Hampton, M. (2011) Essays: task words [online] Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth [Accessed 19
January 2012]. Available at:
<http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/studentsupport/ask/resources/handouts/writtenassignments>
Help and Advice
For help and advice on any aspect of assignment writing, including details of workshops please see the
Skills for Learning website at http://www.wlv.ac.uk/skills. Books offering advice on writing
assignments are available in the Study Skills collections in the Learning Centres and as part of our ebook collection.
Cite this work:
Learning and Information Services (2012). Guide to assignment task words [online] Wolverhampton: University
of Wolverhampton [Access date] Available from <http://www.wlv.ac.uk/skills>
To request this document in an alternative format please contact skills@wlv.ac.uk
Ref: LS034 | Liaison Services | August 2012