Please read this document in its entirety, before attempting your assignment.

SER 102 Assignment (Spring 2023)

Topic:

1. Explain the lessons derived from the Battle of Uhud.

Or

2. Explain how the Conquest of Makkah is a great example of mercy and kindness. Also explain
how the world can be made a better and safer place if this example is followed.

Word limit: 1000 to 1200

Expectations:

1. Your paper should be a well drafted academic work, having proper introduction, body and
conclusion.

2. Use proper academic works for your research instead of using random internet sites/articles
which might not be fulfilling any academic writing criteria.

3. Include a proper bibliography using APA style.

4. Your referencing should be a clear and complete referencing including page numbers etc. Do
not give confusing, incomplete, or false references. For referencing use APA method.

5. Do not go off topic just to meet the word limit requirement.

6. If you are not clear on the topic or have any queries, contact, and communicate with your
faculty ahead of time to ensure that you are writing in the proper direction.

7. Do not copy paste without stating the source, minimize using too many quotes and write in
your own words as best as you can.

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 Uploading Instructions

1. Create a new MS Word file. Before typing your answer, please add the following information
on the first page:

• Student Name:
• Student ID:
• Course Name/Code:
• Assignment Question:

2. Please upload as a Word Document only; do not make a PDF file and upload it as this hamper
grading and giving comments on your work.

3. Before you upload, you should suffix your name to the file name along with the course code.
E.g., if a student is uploading AQD 101 assignment, then the file name should be as follows:
AQD101_FirstName

4. Please note that when you upload your assignment file, it is saved in “draft” mode. To “submit,”
you must press the Submit button. If you forget to submit by not clicking on the Submit button, the
file will remain in “draft” mode and will not be considered for grading. Hence, note this point
seriously and proceed accordingly.

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 IOU’S Plagiarism Policy

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the universe and peace and blessing be upon the last
messenger Muhammad and all those who follow his path with righteousness until the Last Day.

Please read and understand this policy in details before attempting any assignments at IOU.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "He who deceives us is not one of us." (Saheeh
Muslim)

Definition of Plagiarism:

A common form of deception in studies is plagiarism. Plagiarism is sometimes misunderstood to

refer to copying alone; however, plagiarism is much deeper than just copying. It includes quoting
without proper references, collaboration, and stealing other people's ideas while passing them
off as one’s own. Plagiarism is the “failure to acknowledge the ideas or writing of another” or
“presentation of the ideas or writing of another as one’s own” and should be read to cover
intentional and unintentional failure to acknowledge the ideas of others. In this context “others”
means any other person including a student, academic, professional, published author or other
resource such as the Internet. The International Open University believes that failing to
acknowledge the use of ideas of others constitutes an important breach of Islamic and academic
values and conventions of the institution.

IOU Stance on Plagiarism

The International Open University will not tolerate plagiarism in any form, and any student caught
plagiarizing will be penalized. Depending on the severity of the plagiarism, the penalty could range
from reduction of marks to rejection of the paper itself.

With respect to the assignments, the following constitutes plagiarism:

1) Copying someone else's assignment

2) Collaboration and working together on an assignment
3) Copying and Pasting entire articles of the internet
4) Quoting someone else’s work without referencing the author
5) Using someone else’s ideas or words without referencing them

To avoid plagiarism, be sure to:

• Use quotation marks around a quote and cite the source.

• Reference all quotations and citations
• Reword/paraphrase. Don’t write word for word what you have read. Take notes first in
your own words, then write your assignment from your notes (not the text).

For more information on how to avoid plagiarism and how to properly cite a source, visit the
following websites:

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http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/10314.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/plagiarism.html

You may also test your understanding of plagiarism by using this link:

https://ilrb.cf.ac.uk/plagiarism/tutorial/whatis1.html

Similarity Indicator

IOU reserves the right to submit all academic assignments to a plagiarism checker to produce
similarity ratings for each assignment. The similarity indicator provides a rating of how similar text
in the assignment is to resources available on the Internet.

In line with universal academic writing practices, IOU prefers that text be paraphrased in the
words of the student and not quoted directly, with the original author of the knowledge being
duly cited and referenced.

As a University-wide norm, IOU recommends that the similarity indicator does not exceed 20%.

Result of Plagiarism

Assignments that contain a rating higher than or equal to 50% will be automatically rejected and
validated for plagiarism with a manual check by the tutorial assistant or relevant academic. The
student will be given a grade of 0 and there will be no second chances for submitting the
assignment.

The Tutorial Assistant or relevant academic will use the similarity rating in determining the final
grade of the submission.

Remember that we are Muslims studying Allah’s religion, and so plagiarizing in Islamic Studies is
a sin and can rob your studies of reward.

May Allah bless you all with success with your coursework. Ameen.

IOU Admin.

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