assignment submission checklist

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10 things to do before you submit your essay

Final draft checklist.

You have finished your essay and you think it is ready for submission. Now go through the checklist below, as it should help you spot possible flaws in your essay before submitting it. You are also strongly advised to have the essay ready between 24 and 12 hours before the final submission deadline (ideally, if not earlier), as some of the “things” in this checklist require reading the essay a few times.

Read your essay for references

1.  check you have referenced every idea that is not yours.

Your marker will look for your own individual voice and original ideas as well as engagement with secondary sources. You have to be particularly careful in differentiating what you have quoted or paraphrased from somewhere else, and what is actually your own opinion. It also has to appear clear to the marker whether you are paraphrasing a source or quoting directly from it.

2. Check your references are accurate and correct

Whether you choose to use MLA or Chicago (footnotes and bibliography), make sure you are following your referencing style closely. If you are in doubt, you should ask one of your tutors.

Is your bibliography in order?

3.  Check you have referenced primary sources as well

This may appear obvious, but make sure you have referenced primary sources too, and the editions you are using. If you are quoting from a play, indicate where in play that particular line is from (eg Act I, Scene II, ll. 123-38); if from a novel, the page number will suffice.

It may be useful to divide your bibliography in “primary” and “secondary” sources, and have the primary sources listed first.

Read your essay for style

4. edit for grammar and spelling.

Look for mistakes in sentence construction, and typos.

5.  Edit for syntax and punctuation

Do the sentences flow as you read them? Is the connection between sentences and also that between clauses clear? It may help to read your essay out loud, or only the sentences that look dubious. Your argument will appear much weaker if the logical links between sentences are not clear. If they are not clear to you, they will not be clear to your reader either.

Is a semi-colon really the punctuation mark you need to separate those two clauses?

6. Edit for style and vocabulary

Avoid vague words and broad, banal generalizations, ie ‘Sappho’s poetry is beautiful’, ‘ The Odyssey is the most famous book in the history of Western literature’, ‘No woman was free to act in Ancient Rome’. Consider whether the words you have picked at central moments in your argument are the best possible words you could use.

Is the register you have used similar to what you would see in scholarly essays? Check if you have used any colloquial words or phrases, as those are generally not appropriate for a university essay. 

Read for argument and structure

7. edit for structure.

Is any paragraph in your essay longer than a page? If so, it may need cutting or re-formulating. Most of the times, long paragraphs read better when they are split into two shorter ones.

8. Check the flow of your argument

Does your argument flow naturally from one paragraph to the next? Is your argument clearly laid out from the beginning? Are you making it clear when you are disagreeing with a source or an interpretation?

9. Re-read your introduction

Your introduction should be neither too short nor too long; ideally, you would aim it to be around 300-500 words (NB: this will depend on the overall length of your essay). Make it sound interesting: your introduction is the first thing your marker will read and it will shape their judgement of your essay as they go on reading it. Of course, an academic essay is not a catchy blog post, but there are many ways in which you can make the first paragraph interesting, such as using a nice quotation from the primary source or one of the secondary sources you have read, or for example engaging actively with the essay question/title. The other thing that the introduction should do is give a sense of what is going to happen in the actual body of your essay: this should not be a summary of your arguments (you do not want to give too much away from the very beginning!), but it should give the marker a good grasp of your essay theme and argument.

10. Re-read your conclusion

Do not think of your conclusion as the moment when you submit your essay in sighs of relief (well, it may be that too!), but rather as the culmination of your argument, when the whole of your essay comes together. It is not enough to write “In conclusion” to conclude. Your conclusion is also not the same as your introduction, although you may want to draw on what you mentioned there and create connections. Similarly as with your introduction, your conclusion is ultimately the last thing your marker will read and you should want to impress them a little. Especially, you want them to feel you have reached a conclusion, rather than simply found one.

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Academic Writing

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Academic Integrity Checklist

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Use this checklist as a guide for preventing academic integrity violations in your work.

 Have you reviewed the assignment instructions carefully?

 If you had questions, did you seek clarification from the mentor?

 If you took notes as you were researching, did you indicate the source material, including page or paragraph number, for information you might use in your assignment?

 Did you put quotation marks around anything that is a direct quote from the source, and did you indicate the citation (including page or paragraph number) in your notes?

 Do your notes summarize the article instead of simply restating the abstract?

 Did you keep a list of all references you have reviewed?

 Did you use quotes sparingly?

 Are quotes included because you cannot state them any better in your own words?

 Are the quotes relevant to the concept being addressed?

 Did you make sure you did not exceed the fair use provision guidelines related to quoting source material?

 Did you support opinions (unless a self-reflection aspect) with research evidence, and then properly cite them?

 Have you provided clarity to the reader by distinguishing between your ideas and those from your sources?

 Were direct quotes presented with quote marks if under 40 words, or placed in a block format if 40 words or more, and then cited using the page or paragraph number?

 Did you ensure that you have not used another student’s work or submitted someone else’s work as your own?

Paraphrasing

 Was information from your resources cut and pasted into your notes?

 Was the information from your sources rewritten into your own words and did you create a citation providing credit to your source?

 Were all original thoughts rewritten in your own words and cited, if the original idea was not your own?

 Have you met the assignment requirement for supporting evidence in number of required references from scholarly sources, including peer-reviewed journal articles?

 Did you display limited use of Internet-based sources?

 Have you indicated the source in which you have used material from to support your assignment?

 Is every source in the reference list actually cited within the paper as required by APA style?

 Are they presented in correct APA format?

Proofreading

 Have you read through your paper to identify?

 Spelling errors?

 Grammatical errors?

 All information is correctly cited?

 Have you made sure that you have not used another student’s work or submitted someone else’s work as your own?

 Have you made sure that all material cited in the paper is noted in the reference list, and that each source in the reference list was actually cited in the paper?

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Paper submission checklist

By john bandler.

Here is a checklist for students to use before submitting their paper or other written assignment. It can also be used by anyone submitting a written product, whether to a school, potential employer, client, etc.

Adapt for your particular purposes, and review this checklist early and often as you continue your writing process.

I have had the privilege to teach students (our next generations of doers and leaders) for many years now, including at the law school, graduate, and undergraduate levels. I do so as an adjunct, and I am not a full-time educator, nor do I consider myself an expert writer. Writing is difficult for me -- sometimes painful -- and requires many edits and proofreads until it is acceptable. Still, I have had a tremendous amount of practice writing, including two books, many articles, plus writing as needed as a lawyer and previously a police officer (lots of reports).

I also have read thousands of written student submissions, and had many conversations with students on the topic. It has given me insight on areas for focus and improvement, and I believe this checklist can be of great assistance for learning and to improve the final product.

The Paper Submission Checklist

• Read (reread if needed) the paper assignment instructions.
• Read (and reread) any feedback or individualized guidance for prior submissions.
• Read John's article How to Write a Paper
• Follow the phased process in the  Final paper project with good effort throughout.
• Read and followed the instructions for the  Final Paper Assignment
• Remember the overall goal is your learning about the subject matter and improving your researching, writing, editing, and thinking.
• For my courses, it should have 5-7 main points (including an introduction and conclusion)
• Summarize the law accurately and make good points.
• Introduction/Issue/hint of conclusion
• Rule points
• Application points
• Your outline should be organized into main points which can then have subpoints.
• Create sections, give them helpful titles (don't just call them "rule").
• More details in my outline assignment .
• Don't spend much time explaining broad concepts to the reader, e.g., what the internet is, what cybercrime is.
• The last paragraph (or two) should conclude the paper (and not break new ground).
• In between the introduction and conclusion, you make various points. Points of law, other points. Each point should have a section header (appropriate and improved from your outline). You might have 5-7 main points in your final paper (including introduction and conclusion).
• Academic integrity is essential. Do your own work, put in your own effort.
• Ensure you have not taken someone else's work and changed some words to merely make it appear different.
• Do you understand, and can you explain everything you wrote?
• Do not review any other student papers, past, present or future.
• Did you properly quote and cite where appropriate?
• Did you properly cite where appropriate?
• See my Guide to citations and references
• Read (yourself, first hand) the relevant portions of every source quoted or cited.
• Get a first draft done early. Do several edits (drafts) of the paper, with time in between each review.
• As you edit think of the following building blocks:
• The start of the paper needs a paper title, date, author name, and course name and instructor name.
• Don't leave a section header "orphaned" at the very the bottom of the page (use a page break to format the page).
• Section headers should be helpful to the reader (and you the writer). So don't use headers like "Point 1", "Rule", "Analysis".
• Review  paragraph structure . Each paragraph should have one topic, with appropriate length (not too long). A paragraph cannot run on for an entire page. New paragraphs should either have an extra line break, or be indented.
• Review  sentence structure . Read aloud if needed. Try to make each sentence clear, with a point, be kind to the reader, with appropriate length.
• Review  word choice . Choose and understand each word used. Try avoid using a ten-dollar word when a one-dollar word works. Avoid legalese. Be kind to reader. Be careful about acronyms and initialisms.
• Review capitalization . A Title of a Paper Should be in Title Caps. Don't use ALL CAPS. Proper nouns should be capitalized, including the U.S. Constitution and First Amendment. Don't capitalize words that aren't supposed to be capitalized.
• Review spacing . Ensure there are no extra spaces or missing spaces. Have a space after punctuation like periods and commas.
• Don't use a table of contents (only very long papers need a table of contents, and your paper for my course is not a long paper)
• Your introduction will introduce your paper.
• Don't use a "running head". But if you do include a running head, it needs to be an abbreviated form of your title (not the words "running head").
• The filename should be appropriate and relevant for the submission, and includes your name and date.
• The submission electronic format should be appropriate for the platform (e.g. PDF, DOCX, but avoid Apple Pages and avoid dotx).
• Law school, 3,000 words not including citations and references
• Undergraduate and graduate, 2,000 words not including citations and references
• Double space
• 1" margins.
• Citations in footnotes
• Paper needs page numbers (bottom right preferred)
• Take advantage of your school's writing center and expert writing coaches (where available). Your submission should note this.
• Take advantage of your school's library and librarians (where available). Your submission should note this.
• Make sure you put in good continual effort and read the above and are ready to submit it.
• Do a final read through. Consider reading it aloud to keep your focus, to hear every word, and improve your speaking.
• Submit to the right place on the right learning management system (LMS) platform.
• Double check to confirm the submission went through properly.

This checklist can help you to improve your writing submission, no matter what the purpose of that writing is. Remember that writing requires effort, editing, and practice.

If the list seems overwhelming, then resolve to improve your writing one step at a time. Then before you know it you have taken many steps that add up to significant progress and you have become a much better writer.

Additional Reading & Learning

• How to Write a Paper
• Final paper project (overview)
• Guide to Citations and References
• Helpful legal resources and links
• How to Learn and Study
• How to Take an Exam
• Students, Learning, and Teaching
• Policy Checklist

This page is hosted at  https://johnbandler.com/paper-submission-checklist. Copyright John Bandler, all rights reserved.

Page posted 12/20/2021. Last Updated 4/27/2024.

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Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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The Ultimate Journal Article Submission Checklist

#scribendiinc

Written by  Cameron Macdonell

If the golden rule of academia is to "publish or perish," then preparing a journal article for publication is like death by a thousand paper cuts, as countless issues must be corrected, from improperly cropped images to wastefully excised content.

This ultimate journal article submission checklist will help you organize, chronologize, and prioritize each aspect of article preparation for academic journal article submission. It is assumed that you have already formulated your hypotheses, determined your methods, gathered your materials, conducted your research, verified your results, and drawn your conclusions. Now, you are ready to put it all together in a coherent text.

Rather than assume that you have already written a full draft of your article, we begin this checklist by breaking the habit of thinking about submission only after you are done writing. The sooner you start thinking about submission requirements, the better; conditions for submission should affect how you write your article.

Sometimes, the conditions are dependent on your discipline. Scientific studies, for example, can have different writing requirements than those of an essay in the humanities (e.g., authorial tone, presentation of evidence, citation of sources). Other times, the conditions are more specific to your target journal (e.g., margin formatting, heading numbers, image captions). The sequential sections of this checklist are broad enough to encompass all disciplines, though individual details may vary from one journal to another.

You can follow along with the article to ensure that you have followed all the necessary steps before journal article submission, or you can download Scribendi's Ultimate Journal Article Submission Checklist to print out so you can follow along.

Let's get started!

1. Selecting a Target Journal

Selecting a target journal is the crucial first step, but how do you select one?

Your topic may be specific enough that you have always had one journal in mind. If not, and if you are unsure about which journal to approach with your article, consider reviewing the sources that guided your research. If several of your sources were published in the same journal, that journal is likely a good fit for your article. If your sources have been published in a variety of leading journals (which is often the case), consider which journal is the most prestigious in your field (e.g., its impact factor). Also consider which aspect of your research you wish to highlight in your journal article.

Choose the most prestigious periodical that has published the most sources you will use for that specific aspect of your journal article submission. Furthermore, if you still need to choose from a group of potential target journals, have a quick look at the journals' respective limitations (e.g., word count, image count, referencing limits). This will let you determine the best available fit with the proposed scope of your article.

Finally, while scanning the limitations of prospective journals, consider your timeframe for publication. If you must publish your research quickly to stay ahead of the competition or for the sake of a performance review, pay attention to the general timeframe, from submission to publication, for any given journal. If Journal Alpha takes two months to receive, acknowledge, peer review, and publish an article, while Journal Beta takes six months to perform the same actions, perhaps a more time-sensitive article should be published with Journal Alpha , even if it is less prestigious than Journal Beta . Likewise, if Journal Alpha releases an accepted version of an article online prior to final publication and Journal Beta does not provide that preliminary service, perhaps a more time-sensitive article should be submitted to the former journal.

2. Checking Copyright Issues

The positioning of this step may seem totally wrong, but you should give copyright issues serious consideration as soon as possible!

First, consider how the research for this journal article aligns with the research from your previously published articles as the author or coauthor. Did you rely on ideas that you (or a coauthor) had developed in a previous paper? Is it enough to cite that previous document, or did you reuse specific portions of that text? If the latter, you will likely need to get permission from the copyright holder of the other publication. The good news is that academic publishers are often happy to let you reuse parts of your own ideas (with the appropriate citation to the original document and perhaps a note of gratitude in the acknowledgments).

Second, consider whether your journal article submission will include quotations from other texts and whether those quotations will fall within the realm of fair usage. Obviously, if you did not quote directly from other sources, this will not be an issue for you. However, for those of you who did quote extensively from other sources, check your target journal's guidelines to determine whether you need to get permission to quote certain texts. Copyright clearance can be quite time consuming and costly to procure, so check whether your target journal has staff dedicated to securing the rights to reproduce texts and whether your target journal has funds dedicated to cover the costs of copyrighted materials. If the answer is "no" to either or both conditions, start organizing these materials promptly. A copyright holder who denies your request may drastically change the content of your proposed journal article.

Third, consider whether you will include images and/or video files with your article. For those of you who will publish an article with nothing but words (and many journals, based on discipline and/or cost, do not require images or videos), this step can be skipped. But, for those of you who must include images (pictures, diagrams, graphs, etc.) and/or videos, there are several factors to keep in mind.

If your images and/or video files are not your own materials (e.g., archived photographs, previously established schematics, celebrated works of art), consider your target journal's procedures to secure the rights to reproduce those materials (as per the journal's procedures to reproduce copyrighted text, in the paragraph above). If your images and/or videos are your own materials (e.g., graphs generated through software associated with your research experiments or video recordings documenting your experimental setup), confirm that anyone appearing in the documents has given you written consent to use their likeness (or that you have sufficiently concealed their likeness). For your own materials, it is also best to check that the documents are consistent before you begin writing about them. If the axial label on one graph lists "Energy (kWh)" and another lists "Energy (kW h)," it would be best to redesign the graphs immediately, with one consistent expression for the unit of measurement (ideally, based on the target journal's preferences).

3. Establishing Formatting Parameters

You have selected your target journal and considered copyright issues; now, it's time to start writing . . . almost.

Before writing, you need to establish the formatting of the document(s) you will submit to the publisher. Some journals prefer one file format over another (e.g., a PDF rather than a Word document or multiple paper copies rather than a LaTeX file). Some journals provide templates (e.g., standardized Word documents or pre-encoded LaTeX files) to ensure consistency in formatting, but others simply list their rules for page size, font size, line spacing, heading style, etc. The key is to follow the publisher's rules precisely to make the best first impression. If the publisher provides a template, use it. If the publisher lists formatting rules, follow them. Period.

4. Writing the Article

There are plenty of articles to help you with this part of the process (e.g., " The Ultimate Essay Checklist ").

Without belaboring the point, it is enough to recommend that you write the main body of the text first, from introduction to conclusion. Second, develop a pithy title to catch the reader's attention; it should be informative and perhaps (depending on your audience) witty. Third, compose your abstract as a concise summary of the article's full scope, following the journal's requirements for abstract length, structure, and keyword creation. Fourth, provide all necessary authorial information, including your complete and accurate name(s), appropriate ranking of the authors in terms of contributions to the article (if you have written a coauthored journal article submission), proper affiliations for the author(s), current contact information for the corresponding author(s), and biographical information for the author(s), if needed. Fifth, acknowledge all support you received for this project, including (but not limited to) scholarships, grants, permissions, and non-authorial assistance (e.g., from students). Sixth, disclose any conflicts of interest. Seventh, create all necessary appendices, such as supplementary tables or additional diagrams. Eighth, organize your references, checking the relationship between the citations in the text itself (e.g., parenthetical citations or referential digits, depending on the journal) and the full bibliographical materials (e.g., thorough footnotes or a final reference list, depending on the journal). Finally, title, caption, and import the figures (for those of you using image and/or video files) either directly within the article or, more likely, as a separate document or folder of images and/or videos.

Once you have completed a full draft of your journal article and its supporting features, you should take a break (an hour, a day, a week, or even a month, depending on your timeframe) before returning to it for revisions. When in the midst of writing your first full draft, all writing may sound great, seem essential, and appear error free. However, after you have stepped away from the document for a while, your refreshed eyes will have a better chance of detecting awkward prose, tangential thoughts, and glaring errors. Eliminate these. You should also have a friend, colleague, or professional editing service read the draft and provide feedback to ensure that your text is clear, concise, and compliant with the guidelines of your target journal.

5. Submitting the Article

With all the details of the journal article finalized, you are now ready to submit the document(s).

First, confirm that the various parts of your article (e.g., the text and the images) are compliant with the journal's requirements. For example, if the journal requests that documents be labeled by lead author surname, short title, and then the word "Manuscript" or "Supplements," follow the phrasing exactly.

Second, start preparing all other information that may be necessary as part of the publication process. For example, if you are submitting to a peer-reviewed journal, the journal's editors may request that you provide a list of potential peer reviewers for them to contact. Have this list ready in case the journal editors request this information right away. As with your selection of a target journal, your list of peer reviewers should include authors from key sources cited in your article.

Third, write a cover letter to the journal's editors, enticing them to read your journal article submission. You have worked hard to complete the document(s) and are thrilled with your results. Make your future editors thrilled to discover your hard work, as well. Finally, send all the materials to the editors.

After following these steps, you will be more than ready to submit your journal article (at last!). Don't forget to download Scribendi's Ultimate Journal Article Submission Checklist for free to prepare your article and ensure that your journal article is submission ready. Happy writing!

Image source:  stevanovicigor/elements.envato.com

Download Scribendi's Ultimate Journal Article Submission Checklist for free!

About the author.

Cameron is an in-house editor at Scribendi. He holds a PhD in the history and theory of architecture, specializing in the relationship between text and architecture. He is also a published scholar, having published one monograph, two book chapters, two exhibition catalogs, one interview, four journal articles, 17 conference papers, and counting! He also has nearly 20 years of teaching experience at universities throughout the world, putting his pedagogical skills to good use when crafting blog posts for Scribendi.

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Student Assignment Checklist

1. check the assessment criteria.

Your module's Moodle page will have all the details you'll need regarding any assessments.

This should include:

• Please read this as this is what the assignment will be marked against
• University grading criteria can be found in the Academic Regulations Section 1 in the Academic Quality and Standards policies  
• Please check the Academic Regulations section 2  in the Academic Quality and Standards policies   regarding late submission penalties and requesting extensions 

• Online submission uses Moodle's Assignment activity. See Submitting an assignment in Moodle
• Required file types (by default you can submit Word document, PDF*, Plain text, Rich text, and PowerPoint, but your tutor may have specific requirements)
• Paper submission (by default written assignments only require submitting digitally, however you may also be asked to submit a printed copy to the administrator's office)

*Please note that a PDF generated by scanning a document cannot be read by Turnitin.  If you want to create a PDF readable by Turnitin then you must save it as a PDF through word or the programme you are using.  Scanned PDFs should only be used when it is for handwritten work or for anything you don't have in a digital format (such as developed photographs or scrapbooks)

2. Academic study skills

The University of Chichester Skills Team has a dedicated academic skills advisor who can support you in your studies.

Please check the Study Skills Moodle page for guidance on:

• Academic writing
• Referencing
• Essay planning & structuring
• Critical thinking & writing
• Dissertations
• Exams & revision
• Reading & note-taking
• Presentations & posters
• Grammar & punctuation
• Reflective writing
• Time management/organisation

3. Formatting your assignment

Please check with your module tutor for any formatting requirements, such as:

Page numbering

Double spacing

Font type and size

All assignments should include the student number in the page header. Please do not include your name on submissions as assignments are marked anonymously. 

For support with these and other areas, please contact our IT Skills advisor

4. Submitting your assignment

Now that your assignment is written, it's time to submit it to the Moodle page.

Here are some steps to follow:

• File naming: make sure you include your student number in the file name , for example, 00361288_assignment_final.docx (do not include a question mark "?" in your file name as this can cause issues with downloading in some cases)
• If you have dyslexia , you no longer have to do anything to highlight this to your tutor. Digital dyslexia stickers are automatically added , for your tutor to see, from your central student record
• To submit a written assignment, please see the  Submitting an assignment in Moodle help guide
• File size restrictions may apply. If your file is too large, please see the  Files are too large to submit to Turnitin  help guide
• Please make sure you check that the file you have submitted is the correct and that it opens (is not corrupt) by clicking on it to open up, and check the Turnitin report (step 5, below)

5. Using Turnitin to check references

Once your assignment has been submitted, Moodle will run it through Turnitin to check originality. This will result in an Originality Report , which highlights content that it recognises from websites, online journals and previously submitted assignments.

Please note:

• You are not aiming for a specific %
• It is not all about plagiarism. Turnitin may highlight quotes and sections of your bibliography,  so take the opportunity to review the originality report and check you have included a reference when needed
• If you have any questions about referencing then you can contact the Academic Skills Adviser

Please take a look at our Turnitin for students guide for full details.

6. Collecting feedback in ChiView

You will receive an email when any module assessment feedback has been released.

To access your feedback:

• Log in to chiview.chi.ac.uk (there is also a link to Chiview on the Moodle homepage

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Assignment submission checklist

Written by Sam Redmond and Keith Schwarz

This handy checklist is designed to help make sure your code is fully ready to go before you submit it. Before you send it in for, take a few minutes to work through this checklist.

Functionality

✅ I’ve double-checked the assignment handout and made sure that what my code does matches what it’s expected to do.

✅ I’ve reviewed my code one line at a time. I understand each line of code I’ve written, why it’s there, and why it’s necessary.

✅ I've run all of the provided test cases against my code and resolved any test failures.

✅ I've supplemented the provided test cases with tests of my own. For each part of the assignment, I’ve written at least one test case to make sure it works well in the common case.

✅ For each part of the assignment, I’ve thought of at least one edge case that could cause problems and designed a test case for it. (And ideally, I’ve done this for multiple edge cases!)

✅ I’ve read the CS106B Style Guide at least once in its entirety and asked questions to my section leader about any parts I don’t understand.

✅ Each of my functions, conceptually, performs a single task.

✅ The dense parts of my code are commented, and those comments describe what the code accomplishes rather than merely restating the logic in plain English.

✅ Every function I’ve written has a comment preceding it that explains what the function does, what its parameters are, and what its return value (if any) means.

✅ I’ve updated the comments at the top of each of the files I’ve edited with an explanation about what the code in that file does and anything unusual that a reader should keep an eye out for.

✅ For each container class I’ve used ( Vector , Map , etc.), I can justify why I chose that particular container type rather than another container type.

✅ The code I’ve written does not use any global variables.

✅ The code I’ve written does not use the goto keyword.

✅ All of my variables and functions clear and descriptive names.

Final Submission

✅ I’ve auto-indented my code in Qt Creator.

✅ I’ve handled all the TODO s in the code and removed any comments from the starter files describing what I need to do.

✅ I’ve removed all cout statements left in the code that I used for debugging purposes.

✅ I’ve removed all commented-out blocks of code that are no longer necessary.

✅ I’ve read the “Submit" section of the assignment handout and confirmed that I’m submitting all of the required files.

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Turnitin (& Moodle) assignment submission: checklist for students

We are often contacted by students worried about why their submissions to assignment dropboxes are not succeeding. Here are some of the most important things to check.

Your document: please check

• Your filename must be no longer than 40 characters (you may get an error message if your filename is too long: it will be “XML Response could not be parsed”).
• Your file size must be less than  100 MB unless you have been advised otherwise. Audio or video files can be much larger if they are submitted via the MediaSpace button. See How to submit a media file to a Moodle assignment
• Number of pages must be less than 400.
• It must have a minimum of 25 typed electronic words .  If most of your PDF document is a scanned image, combine it with a text-based PDF containing a title and/or introduction that includes at least 25 electronically recognisable words. Recommended ways to scan documents for assessment 
• Your filename must not contain unrecognizable (non-alphanumeric) characters in the submission title, such as & , . ( ) % # ‘ “ / \ – { } [ ] < > : ; @.
• Your t ext must not contain spaces between e v e r y   l e t t e r.
• There have been reports that using headers have prevented students from being able to submit their assignment. If your submission is not initially accepted please remove the headers and try submitting again.
• If at all possible, keep to ONE column of text per page and avoid fully justifying text.
• During submission please keep titles relatively short . Long titles affect the rendering size of files downloaded from Turnitin such as your feedback.
• Accept or reject all changes/edits in your document and switch off Track Changes before submitting it (if you don’t do this, Turnitin will match everything in the deleted and formatted text, thus falsely inflating the similarity index).
• Your file must be an approved file type. There is a list of supported and unsupported filetypes . On the whole Micorosoft formats and very generic formats like RTF and TXT are accepted, while Apple formats such as .pages are more problematic.   Turnitin may ‘accept’ other filetypes, but they do not generate a similarity report nor can they be marked using Feedback Studio, so please stick to the file types listed above. PDF is always recommended.

System requirements

• Check the system requirements for using Turnitin at their website.
• *.moodle.nottingham.ac.uk
• *.turnitin.com
• *.turnitinuk.com
• *.turnitincdn.com
• ajax.googleapis.com Some University computer room computers have popups disabled when you first log on. Read error messages closely as the instructions are usually included on how to allow pop-ups from these sources.

While submitting

• When submitting to (or, if you are staff, marking in) Turnitin for the first time you will be prompted to accept the Turnitin End User License Agreement (EULA). This must be accepted or you will not be able to submit assessments.
• If you are using a Mac we would recommend using a browser other than Safari, at least until you have accepted the user agreement – e.g., Chrome or Firefox.

Successful submission and receipts

Turnitin will send you an email receipt which you will receive in your University email inbox.   When you have submitted successfully, a popup will appear showing the Turnitin Paper ID and the first part of your text (this pop-up is unformatted, but your file will  retain the formatting). It’s recommended that you note down the Turnitin submission ID number and/or print that web page (Use the “Print Screen” button).

As well as the emailed receipt, Turnitin also provides students with the ability to print a digital receipt at any time, once you have submitted.

• Click on the title of your submission from the same page where you submitted your assignment.
• The Turnitin Document Viewer will open, showing the document you uploaded.
• Click on the ‘Download’ icon.
• Select the ‘Digital Receipt’ option to download and print your digital receipt.

If resubmissions are allowed within an assignment, the first three resubmissions will generate a new Similarity Report within about 10-15 minutes. Similarity Reports for a fourth resubmission and onwards will take 24 hours  to generate. If Turnitin is busy reports will also be delayed. (Submission will show as “Pending” while the report is being generated.) You may also not see the similarity report if  the assignment has been set del iberately assignments NOT to show the originality reports to students.

Unsuccessful submission of assignment to Turnitin

Your submission has been unsuccessful if:

• There is a “Submit to Turnitin” button (try clicking on this link to re-submit).
• You get an error message, or see a paper title but not the Paper ID

If you have problems, the most likely reason is that there is something wrong with your file – go through the checklist above then click “Submit paper” to re-submit a new, fixed,  file.   If this still does not work then please raise a call with our helpdesk via selfservice.nottingham.ac.uk choosing Moodle.

More information

Submitting assignments and seeing marks

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How To Write An Assignment For College: 7-Point Checklist

College students are given a plethora of assignments every semester. Some assignments are quite crucial and add up to their final grade. This intensifies the whole process of assignment writing and is the reason why many students feel overwhelmed.

At GoAssignmentHelp, our online assignment help experts deal with a variety of assignment requirements every day. They understand how tough it could be for a student to keep up with the research work, planning, writing and editing of assignments. Therefore, they always bring up new ways of making the assignment writing process easier for students.

Today, we are sharing an easy method of assignment writing with a 7-step-checklist that will help you ensure that your assignment is clear, concise, well-structured and professional. This checklist, created by our native academic writers is the perfect way to ensure that you do not miss out any crucial aspect of assignment writing in college.

The Process of Assignment Writing 

‘Assignment’ is a broad term. It can be an essay, research paper, dissertation, project report, lab report and any other form of academic writing. But, no matter which type of assignment you get, some general guidelines go with each of them. Once you master those guidelines, it becomes much easier for you to complete your assignment properly. So just drop your worries and let’s understand the process.

#1 Understanding The Assignment Topic 

Many times students get so overwhelmed about their assignments that they never pay attention to the assignment instructions carefully. As a result, their assignments are not up to the mark. They often miss out some aspects of the assignment topic which might be important for their teacher and their better grades. Therefore, before you even begin your research, read the assignment question carefully and go through all the instructions. You must have a clear objective in mind regarding the assignment.

If you are unable to find clarity on your assignment topic, consult our assignment help experts. They can help you ensure that you are working in the right direction.

#2 Clarity and Structure 

Before you start writing your assignment, you must prepare a clear structure. Decide what would be the main points of the assignment and how the flow of information will take place. Organize all the arguments in a logical order to ensure complete clarity, just like we have arranged this process of assignment writing step by step. You might research a lot about the topic and get many arguments to put forward. Contemplate on this and ensure that you are moving forward with only the necessary arguments that are closely related to your assignment topic.

You can consult an experienced assignment writer in Australia regarding the structure of your assignment. They can help you communicate your ideas in an organized way and win the best grades.

#3 Writing the Assignment 

As you create your assignment, follow this guide. Establish the base of the topic in the introduction with a clear thesis statement (build up the interest of the reader). Put up clear arguments with appropriate examples in the body paragraphs (attain a peak of ideas and knowledge) and finally, sum up the assignment with an insightful conclusion. All these parts should be distinct from each other and yet connect the whole write-up.

“Most of the freshmen year students deviate in the body paragraphs as they are not used to extensive writing. They sometimes present scattered ideas which show a lack of coherence and structure. We help them in identifying such mistakes and ensure that they maintain focus throughout the assignment,” says Pete, who is one of our dissertation experts in Melbourne.

#4 Presentation of the Assignment 

A sloppy assignment would never get you an A grade. You need to showcase that you are a professional who understands the ethics of academic writing. This includes proper referencing and citation. Look out for the margins and line spacing. Page numbers and appropriate headers also put a nice impression. At last, do not forget to add a cover sheet of your assignment that clearly states your name and other information along with the title of your assignment.

Wondering how will you make it happen? Our assignment writers can help you in polishing your assignment and make it submission-ready in no time. They have helped thousands of students in Australia, of various backgrounds and educational levels in elevating the quality of their assignments.

College Assignment Checklist 

If you are creating your assignment from scratch, these four major points stated above will put you in the right direction. Once you have written your assignment whether it be an essay or a research paper, just use this checklist to ensure that you have covered all the basic yet important elements of academic writing.

In case you need any further assistance on how to create an impactful assignment, do not hesitate in contacting our assignment writing experts. Our assignment help experts and subject specialists hail from the top Australian universities including RMIT, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Monash University, UNSW and many more! Their prominent experience with college assignments will help you find your way through college with superb grades.

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Data Carpentry for Biologists

Assignment submission & checklist.

All assignments should be submitted through Canvas

What files to submit:

• Week 1 - one text form, one .xlsx file
• Weeks 2-6 - a link to your Posit Cloud project
• Weeks 7+ - either a link to your Posit Cloud project or a zip of you local RStudio project directory

Code Checklist

Make sure your code matches the provided answers.

• At the bottom of each exercise a set of answers are provided. For full credit your answers should match those provided. For example, if there are three separate plots your code should produce three separate plots.
• Some errors can lead to only subtle differences so check carefully
• Sometimes small differences result from changes in packages. If you see a difference but you think your answer is right, let us know and we can check.

Make sure your code follows the instructions

• It is possible to get the right output even when doing something the wrong way
• To get full credit on assignments you need to both follow the instructions and get the right output

Clean up your code

Code should be easy to read and understand.

• Only include code and comments necessary for the assignment. Remove anything else (e.g., notes taken during class, commented code that isn’t needed anymore).
• Remove extra/duplicate files. Only turn in what is necessary for the assignment.
• Remove any uses of install.packages
• Clearly label problems using comments.

Make sure your code runs like you think it does

Code should run from the start of the file to the end of the file without problems. To make sure this is true:

• Clear the R environment by clicking on the the broom icon.
• Run the entire file by either clicking the Source button or using the Ctrl-Shift-S keyboard shortcut ( Cmd-Shift-S on macOS).

Work with data files appropriately

Code should run the same way regardless of which computer it is run on. In order to grade your code someone will need to run it on another computer. To make sure your code will work on another computer:

• Do not use setwd()
• Use relative paths, not absolute paths. E.g., use data/mydata.csv instead of C:\Users\Batman\DataCarp\data\mydata.csv .
• Make filenames in the code match the actual filenames exactly including capitalization

USING A GENERALIZED CHECKLIST TO IMPROVE STUDENT ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION TIMES IN AN ONLINE COURSE

• Terence William Cavanaugh University of North Florida, College of Education and Human Services
• Marcia L. Lambkin University of North Florida, College of Education and Human Services
• Haihong (Helen) Hu University of Central Arkansas (501) 852-2577 Mashburn 224 UCA | 201 Donaghey Ave. | Conway, AR 72035

Author Biographies

Terence william cavanaugh, university of north florida, college of education and human services, marcia l. lambkin, university of north florida, college of education and human services, haihong (helen) hu, university of central arkansas (501) 852-2577 mashburn 224 uca | 201 donaghey ave. | conway, ar 72035.

As a condition of publication, the author agrees to apply the Creative Commons – Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY) License to OLJ articles. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

This licence allows anyone to reproduce OLJ articles at no cost and without further permission as long as they attribute the author and the journal. This permission includes printing, sharing and other forms of distribution.

Author(s) hold copyright in their work, and retain publishing rights without restrictions

The DOAJ Seal is awarded to journals that demonstrate best practice in open access publishing

OLC Membership

OLC Research Center

Information

• For Readers
• For Authors
• For Librarians

Getting Started Checklist

Please follow the steps below to ensure your first semester as a graduate student gets off to a good start. This checklist will help you prepare for success on your first day and beyond.

Before You Arrive

• Review your admissions checklist in Slate and be sure all official test scores and transcripts have been received.
• Transcripts can be mailed to: ATTN: Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science Admissions Room 232 1001 Emmet Street North Charlottesville, VA 22903
• Activate your  UVA EMAIL ADDRESS . This is the official means of communication at UVA. You received an email after you accepted your offer which contained your UVA computing ID and instructions to set up your account.
• Submit your  PRE-ENTRANCE HEALTH FORM  (doctor’s signature is required).
• SUBIMT A PHOTO  for your UVA Student ID Card by July 25 to have it available for pickup when you arrive on Grounds.
• Check out your  HOUSING OPTIONS .
• Pay all  TUITION AND FEES  unless you are a PhD student receiving full departmental funding. Check with your Graduate Coordinator if you have questions.
• REGISTER  for courses (new student enrollment begins July 1). Speak to your Advisor and consult departmental handbooks for guidance on which courses to enroll in.
• Register with Student Disability Access Center if needed. To request academic and/or housing. accommodations based on a disability or medical condition, register with the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) as soon as possible. To register, go to the  SDAC WEBSITE , scroll down, click on the “apply for services” button, and complete the online form. Questions? Contact the Student Disability Access Center at 434.243.5180 or  [email protected].
• Any person who may be engaged in University Research is required to execute the University’s Patent Agreement and Assignment. You must have activated your email and signed up for Netbadge to complete Patent Agreement.

For International Students:

• Complete all immigration documents for your I-20.
• Refer to the ISO  NEWLY ADMITTED STUDENTS  webpage and complete checklist.
• Complete International Student  ONLINE ORIENTATION .
• REGISTER  to take UVELPE test if you were required to send in TOEFL/IELTS scores.

After You Arrive:

• Check in with your graduate coordinator, whose contact information can be found  HERE .
• Get your  UVA STUDENT ID CARD .
• Learn HOW TO GET AROUND on Grounds with maps and transit options, and get your  PARKING PERMIT  if needed.
• Familiarize yourself with the  UNIVERSITY TRANSIT BUS SYSTEM  that is free to ride and  DOWNLOAD THE APP  so you can access bus routes and schedules from your phone.
• Sign up for  UVA ALERTS  to receive text notifications of imminent threats or emergencies.
• Get your required  STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE  or complete your  HARD WAIVER .
• Become familiar with the UVA  HONOR COMMITTEE  and the University  JUDICIARY COMMITTEE .
• Get to know your way around the School of Engineering with  THIS MAP .
• Check in with the  INTERNATIONAL STUDIES OFFICE  (ISO).
• Check the ISO  ORIENTATION website for details and attend the orientation.
• Take the  UVELPE  test on July 6-8, if you were required to provide TOEFL or IELTS scores.
• Schedule an IMMUNIZATION APPOINTMENT with Student Health and Wellness if you need immunizations for your pre-entrance health form or registration requirements.