Keep coursework backed up and practise getting it back

Put working files somewhere deliberate

Create one clearly named coursework folder with a folder for each module. Within a project, separate source material, working files, data and final submissions. Avoid leaving the only copy of an essay in an email attachment, a Downloads folder or a temporary application directory. Know the actual file location before configuring any backup.

Use descriptive filenames that identify the assignment and stage, such as 'HIS102-source-analysis-draft'. If you use dates for snapshots, write them consistently as year-month-day so they sort naturally. A folder full of 'final-final-new' documents makes recovery harder because you must first decide which one matters. Keep a short readme for projects with several linked files.

Understand what synchronisation is doing

Confirm the coursework folder is included in your chosen synchronisation service. Save a small test file and check that it appears when you sign into the service through a browser. Then make a change and check the updated contents. A folder with a cloud logo is not enough evidence if the account is signed out or the sync client has paused.

Synchronised changes can include mistakes, so learn the available recovery features. In OneDrive, Microsoft describes opening a file's version history and choosing an earlier version to restore. Practise with a disposable document rather than your live dissertation. Also find the deleted-file recovery instructions for the actual university service and ask IT support about limits you do not understand.

Keep an independent copy

Make a separate backup on an appropriate external drive or another university-approved destination. A copy in another folder on the same laptop will not help if that laptop is lost or fails completely. Keep the backup somewhere separate from the bag that carries your laptop, and disconnect removable storage after completing and checking the copy.

Choose a frequency that reflects how much work you could tolerate repeating. During a deadline week, a weekly copy might leave too much exposed. Include the underlying files an assignment needs: linked images, references, code, notebooks and permitted data, not merely an exported PDF. Follow your university's rules for research or personal data rather than copying restricted material to a personal account.

Rehearse continuing on another device

Choose a noncritical file and restore it to a different folder. Open it and check the contents. For a project, verify that linked assets are present and that you understand how to reopen the software environment. The useful test is a successful recovery, not a progress bar that once reached the end. Record when you last performed that test.

Check that you can sign into university services without relying entirely on the missing laptop. Follow your institution's approved account recovery and multifactor authentication guidance. Keep recovery information secure and separate from the device it protects. Identify a campus computer or loan service you could use, including any software or access limitations that would affect your next assignment.

Protect the hand-in and the end of your account

Before submission, save a clearly named final copy and inspect the actual exported file. After uploading, use the platform's available preview or download function to confirm the right document arrived. Keep the submission receipt or confirmation in the assignment folder. Uploading the wrong draft and losing the right draft are different failures, and a good routine checks both.

Ask when your university account and storage access end, especially before graduation or a course transfer. Plan to export permitted personal coursework and relevant receipts while access still works. Do not transfer restricted research material without approval. Keep the structure understandable enough that you can identify your own work months later without opening twenty nearly identical files.

Your next steps

• Confirm the actual coursework folder is synchronising.
• Keep an independent copy away from the laptop.
• Restore a disposable test file and open it.
• Save the submitted file and submission confirmation.

Keep planning

• Keep Python coursework environments separate
• Reduce a coursework presentation file without losing essential content
• Scan handwritten coursework into a complete readable file
• Make spreadsheet coursework easy to check and reproduce