| Formatting feature |
Suggested guidance |
| General formatting |
University guidance on font and size of text, together with other assignment submission information, can be found on the Assignments page.
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| Confidentiality: anonymising citations |
For information about how to anonymise citations and references, visit the Cite them Right Confidential Information section.
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| Confidentiality: redacting information |
If you're not sure how to redact information, you could ask Microsoft CoPilot for personalised instructions for the documentation and software you are using. You might want to adapt this prompt below to your own circumstances:
Prompt: Provide clear, simple, bullet point directions on how to redact sensitive information from a [identify your document, eg pdf, Word etc] using [identify your software, eg Adobe, Microsoft etc].
Remember that you should never upload any sensitive information, including employer documentation or data, to GenAI.
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| What information should I remove or redact? |
Check your assessment brief, learning materials, and any employer guidance about what information needs removing altogether or redacting. MS CoPilot offered the following self-check questions:
Who could be identified from this document?
Does this include names, emails, phone numbers, signatures, photos, job titles, or any details that could identify someone directly or indirectly?
Does this include sensitive personal information?
Could anything reveal health information, disability, ethnicity, religion, political views, or other sensitive characteristics?
Am I sharing employer or client confidential information?
Does this include client names, project details, internal reports, financial data, contracts, or anything commercially sensitive?
Am I exposing organisational or system details?
Have I included usernames, system screenshots, internal links, file paths, or anything that could create a security risk?
Is all of this information necessary?
What is the minimum I need to include to evidence my work? Could I anonymise, summarise, or replace details instead?
Have I replaced redacted content clearly?
If I’ve removed something, have I used labels like “[Client Name]” or “[Manager]” so the assessor can still understand the context?
Have I checked for hidden information?
Could there be metadata, comments, tracked changes, or hidden content that still needs to be removed?
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Using more formal and considered language
Academic writing is all about accuracy, and your choice of words should be made carefully. Always avoid using informal words and colloquial expressions, as these don’t look very professional. For example, try not to include contractions (can’t, isn’t) in your writing - simply write these out in full (cannot, is not).
If you use any abbreviations, for example: OT, NC, make sure you have explained them in full first as well as showing your reader the abbreviation you will use: Occupational Therapy (OT), National Curriculum (NC). From then on you can just use the abbreviation.
If you are studying on a course in the sciences, you will be expected to adopt a scientific writing style.
Language Tutorials
The tutorials linked below offer guidance and advice about using more concise, precise and measured language.
Developing an Academic Style (video)
Honing Your Academic Style (video)
Using Concise Language (interactive presentation)
Using Precise Language (interactive presentation)
Using Measured, Cautious and Tentative Language (interactive presentation)
The use of the first person (I/we)
Traditionally, academic writing has tended to avoid the use of the first person. Generally speaking, students are often directed to avoid making statements such as: "Based upon the literature I have read, I think that…" Instead, students across many disciplines are encouraged to make it clear in their writing that they are being objective rather than opinionated by making statements such as: "Based upon the literature, it could be argued that…" This academic style of writing shows the student is not presenting their own opinions but rather providing readers with an argument that has been formed from the research and evidence in the literature they have read. For more examples of academic phrases that help to achieve this academic style of writing, take a look at: www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk.
However, there may be assignments and disciplines where the first person is more commonly used. For example, reflective practice assignments may well require students to write in a mixture of first and third person. Find out more about reflective writing.
Furthermore, in recognition of the changing nature of expectations from professional bodies and evidence based practice, academic writing practices are becoming more flexible in their approach. If you are unsure about what style of writing is expected of you in your subject area or for a specific assignment, check your assignment guidelines and talk with your tutors.
NB - unless you are writing instructions that directly address a specific audience, avoid using 2nd person (you/yours) in academic writing.
