Nothing is worse than feeling helpless and hopeless. Being dependant on someone else for knowledge is guaranteed to lead to loss of self esteem and self respect. When we are approaching our Higher School Certificate it sometimes seems that there is too much to do and there are too many complicated ideas to grasp. In desperation we can begin to think that cheating is the only way out. The famous mathematician Euclid, having opened a school of mathematics at Alexandria, was asked by King Ptolemy whether he could explain his art to him in an easier way. “Sire,” said the geometrician, “there is no royal road to learning.” So it is for all of us. We must earn our own knowledge. The HSC All My Own Work Program is designed to help students learn to use the commonly accepted principles and practices of scholarship. It explains what sources of information should be acknowledged and how to do so properly. It targets the illegal use of information through plagiarism and copyright. Finally AMOW shows the difference between working honestly with partners and working secretly with the intention to deceive. is the government site for this course. Firstly look at the principles and practices of scholarship. We can begin with the idea of Information Literacy. If literacy is the ability to make meaning from symbols, then Information Literacy is the ability to make meaning from data and facts retrieved from a variety of information sources. We can view this from a number of perspectives. Imagine gaining knowledge in the context of a set assignment as a process. The steps are as follows:- 1) Come up with as many key words as possible that are connected to the subject of enquiry; 2) Investigate all the sources of information you can think of that refer to the key words; 3) Choose references to search results that support the framework of the initial question; 4) Set out the results of the search along a progressive line, for example by chronology, personality, topography or theme; 5) Use as many means as you can think of to present your results; and 6) Assess and evaluate how successfully your results address the initial question. Your teacher or examiner may critique you unexpectedly but your own feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment are very valid as well.