not understanding an assignment

• louisville.edu
• PeopleSoft HR
• PeopleSoft Campus Solutions
• PeopleSoft Financials
• Business Ops
• Cardinal Careers

• Undergraduate
• International
• Online Learning

University of Louisville Writing Center

• University Writing Center FAQs
• Virtual Writing Center FAQs
• HSC Writing Center FAQs
• Writing FAQs
• Handouts and Videos
• Graduate Student Writing
• Spring Dissertation Writing Retreat
• Graduate Student Writing Workshops
• Graduate Student Writing Group
• Writing Groups
• Accessibility and Accommodations
• The University Writing Center and Your Students
• Request a Presentation about the University Writing Center
• Resources for Teaching Writing
• The Writing Center and Your Writing
• Faculty and Graduate Student Writing Group
• University Writing Center Mission Statement
• Meet Our Staff
• Statement on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity
• Research at the University Writing Center
• How I Write Blog Posts
• Our Community Writing Values and Approaches
• Community Writing Internships and Volunteering
• Family Scholar House
• Western Branch Library
• How can I make myself a stronger writer?
• What makes college writing different than the writing I’ve done up to this point?
• How are the papers I'm asked to write in my major different from those in English 101, 102, and 105 courses?
• What can I do if I don’t completely understand the writing assignment?
• I want to get started writing early, but how do I begin?
• How do I get started writing a personal statement?
• I have a lot to say, but how can I organize my thoughts?
• How can I learn how to write in a new genre (for example, personal statement, resume, or literature review)?
• How do I expand a rough draft to make it meet the assignment’s length requirement?
• How can I find good sources for my research paper?
• What are some strategies for working sources into my research paper?
• What is the difference between quotation, paraphrase, and summary?
• How can I revise my draft if it doesn’t seem to “flow”?
• What does my teacher mean by “substantial revision?”
• How do I write an essay that makes an “argument”?
• How can I avoid plagiarizing?
• What are some strategies for improving my grammar and punctuation?
• How can I format my document properly in Word, PowerPoint or Excel?
• How should I approach writing a literature review at the graduate level?
• / Resources for Students
• / Writing FAQs
• / What can I do if I don’t completely understand the writing assignment?

Sometimes the hardest part about writing a paper is understanding the assignment. You may not understand what you’re being asked to write or how you’re supposed to write about it. But don’t worry: although the prompt may seem confusing at first, there are strategies you can use to understand your assignment.

First, try taking a break from the assignment.

Take a walk, clean your room, get coffee with a friend. Then come back and read the prompt again, keeping any of your instructor’s in-class comments in mind. Looking at your assignment with fresh eyes will often help you either finally understand the assignment or identify what specifically is confusing to you.

If your assignment still seems unclear, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the purpose of your assignment? (What are you being asked to do?)

To understand what the assignment is asking you to do, pay special attention to the verbs that your instructor used. These verbs often function as keywords that signal the purpose of an assignment. Argue, summarize, and compare/contrast are just a few keywords to look for. These verbs can tell you whether you are developing your own argument, describing a plot, or analyzing the similarities or differences between artifacts. Visit our blog or take a look at this handout to find a list of more keywords and their meanings.

Another way to understand the assignment is to see if your instructor has asked you to follow a specific format. Is there a length requirement? Are there a certain number of sources required? Shorter papers are often a thesis-driven analysis with fewer sources. A longer paper with more sources may signal a research assignment. Again, pay attention to any verbs you see; these verbs will often tell you how to approach writing your assignment.

Who is your audience?

Part of the context of any writing situation will include your audience, or who you’re writing to. Since your audience includes your instructor, keep in mind any expectations she or he may have. What concepts have been emphasized in class? You may find these same concepts in your prompt. How is the assignment structured? Understanding the structure may help you decipher how you are being asked to approach the prompt.

Your instructor may not be the only audience member to consider. Are you being asked to communicate with a general audience (who can follow a logical argument but doesn’t know anything about your chosen topic) or an informed one (an audience familiar with the material, but not your chosen angle)? Knowing who your audience is will help you decipher what kind of information will best support your thesis. If you have any questions about who your audience should be, ask your instructor for clarification.

What evidence are you being asked to provide?

Evidence, or the information you use to support your thesis , can come from in-class texts or outside sources like academic journals, scientific studies, or government websites. The type(s) of evidence that you use and how you present it will differ depending on the requirements of your assignment. Is your instructor asking you to draw on readings from class to make an argument? Chances are, this signals a textual analysis in which you develop a thesis and use quotes from your chosen text(s) to support your argument. Alternatively, are you being asked to use outside sources? If so, how many? This may signal a longer project, possibly a research paper in which you generate a thesis and present information on a given topic to either inform or persuade your audience.

Understanding the type of evidence your instructor requires may help you work backwards to determine the format and, ultimately, the purpose of your assignment. Remember: evidence will be presented differently depending on your audience and purpose, so again, look for keywords to help.

If you still find that you don’t fully understand the assignment, don’t panic: you aren’t required to tackle the prompt alone.

Email your instructor and explain your confusion.

Try to be as specific as possible. Are you confused about what you are being asked to do? Is it unclear how you are being asked to structure your paper? Or what kind of evidence you’re supposed to use? Ask them, even if you can’t be specific. They want to help.

Collaborate.

Come to the Writing Center! Talk to a friend or someone you know from class. Being able to talk to someone about your assignment may help you finally decode the prompt.

What can the Writing Center do to help?

Some questions about the assignment can only be answered by instructors, so you should be prepared to discuss the assignment with them. However, consultants at the Writing Center are experienced in reading and interpreting assignments. When you attend a Writing Center session, we ask that you bring a copy of the assignment with you (if you have one), and we will read through the assignment sheet together. We will then help you decipher keywords, look for hints about structure, and finally come to an understanding of the prompt. We can also help you begin brainstorming for the assignment and transition to other steps of the writing process.

Five Ideas on Working with the Writing Center Sep 04, 2024

Conceptualizing Trauma-Informed Consulting in the University Writing Center Apr 17, 2024

Creating Art: A Painter’s Journey Into the World of Writing Mar 25, 2024

Getting Comfortable with Directive Practices in the Writing Center Mar 08, 2024

International Mother Language Day 2024 Mar 04, 2024

University and High School Writing Centers Feb 26, 2024

UofL Writing Center Blog - More…

University Writing Center

Ekstrom Library 132

Kornhauser Library 218

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky 40292

Ekstrom Library

M 9 am - 5 pm

T, W, Th 9 am - 7 pm

F 9 am - 4 pm

Closed on student breaks and holidays  

(502) 852-2173

[email protected]

Social Media

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Understanding Writing Assignments

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

How to Decipher the Paper Assignment

Many instructors write their assignment prompts differently. By following a few steps, you can better understand the requirements for the assignment. The best way, as always, is to ask the instructor about anything confusing.

• Read the prompt the entire way through once. This gives you an overall view of what is going on.
• Underline or circle the portions that you absolutely must know. This information may include due date, research (source) requirements, page length, and format (MLA, APA, CMS).
• Underline or circle important phrases. You should know your instructor at least a little by now - what phrases do they use in class? Does he repeatedly say a specific word? If these are in the prompt, you know the instructor wants you to use them in the assignment.
• Think about how you will address the prompt. The prompt contains clues on how to write the assignment. Your instructor will often describe the ideas they want discussed either in questions, in bullet points, or in the text of the prompt. Think about each of these sentences and number them so that you can write a paragraph or section of your essay on that portion if necessary.
• Rank ideas in descending order, from most important to least important. Instructors may include more questions or talking points than you can cover in your assignment, so rank them in the order you think is more important. One area of the prompt may be more interesting to you than another.
• Ask your instructor questions if you have any.

After you are finished with these steps, ask yourself the following:

• What is the purpose of this assignment? Is my purpose to provide information without forming an argument, to construct an argument based on research, or analyze a poem and discuss its imagery?
• Who is my audience? Is my instructor my only audience? Who else might read this? Will it be posted online? What are my readers' needs and expectations?
• What resources do I need to begin work? Do I need to conduct literature (hermeneutic or historical) research, or do I need to review important literature on the topic and then conduct empirical research, such as a survey or an observation? How many sources are required?
• Who - beyond my instructor - can I contact to help me if I have questions? Do you have a writing lab or student service center that offers tutorials in writing?

(Notes on prompts made in blue )

Poster or Song Analysis: Poster or Song? Poster!

Goals : To systematically consider the rhetorical choices made in either a poster or a song. She says that all the time.

Things to Consider: ah- talking points

• how the poster addresses its audience and is affected by context I'll do this first - 1.
• general layout, use of color, contours of light and shade, etc.
• use of contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity C.A.R.P. They say that, too. I'll do this third - 3.
• the point of view the viewer is invited to take, poses of figures in the poster, etc. any text that may be present
• possible cultural ramifications or social issues that have bearing I'll cover this second - 2.
• ethical implications
• how the poster affects us emotionally, or what mood it evokes
• the poster's implicit argument and its effectiveness said that was important in class, so I'll discuss this last - 4.
• how the song addresses its audience
• lyrics: how they rhyme, repeat, what they say
• use of music, tempo, different instruments
• possible cultural ramifications or social issues that have bearing
• emotional effects
• the implicit argument and its effectiveness

These thinking points are not a step-by-step guideline on how to write your paper; instead, they are various means through which you can approach the subject. I do expect to see at least a few of them addressed, and there are other aspects that may be pertinent to your choice that have not been included in these lists. You will want to find a central idea and base your argument around that. Additionally, you must include a copy of the poster or song that you are working with. Really important!

I will be your audience. This is a formal paper, and you should use academic conventions throughout.

Length: 4 pages Format: Typed, double-spaced, 10-12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins I need to remember the format stuff. I messed this up last time =(

Academic Argument Essay

5-7 pages, Times New Roman 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins.

Minimum of five cited sources: 3 must be from academic journals or books

• Design Plan due: Thurs. 10/19
• Rough Draft due: Monday 10/30
• Final Draft due: Thurs. 11/9

Remember this! I missed the deadline last time

The design plan is simply a statement of purpose, as described on pages 40-41 of the book, and an outline. The outline may be formal, as we discussed in class, or a printout of an Open Mind project. It must be a minimum of 1 page typed information, plus 1 page outline.

This project is an expansion of your opinion editorial. While you should avoid repeating any of your exact phrases from Project 2, you may reuse some of the same ideas. Your topic should be similar. You must use research to support your position, and you must also demonstrate a fairly thorough knowledge of any opposing position(s). 2 things to do - my position and the opposite.

Your essay should begin with an introduction that encapsulates your topic and indicates 1 the general trajectory of your argument. You need to have a discernable thesis that appears early in your paper. Your conclusion should restate the thesis in different words, 2 and then draw some additional meaningful analysis out of the developments of your argument. Think of this as a "so what" factor. What are some implications for the future, relating to your topic? What does all this (what you have argued) mean for society, or for the section of it to which your argument pertains? A good conclusion moves outside the topic in the paper and deals with a larger issue.

You should spend at least one paragraph acknowledging and describing the opposing position in a manner that is respectful and honestly representative of the opposition’s 3 views. The counterargument does not need to occur in a certain area, but generally begins or ends your argument. Asserting and attempting to prove each aspect of your argument’s structure should comprise the majority of your paper. Ask yourself what your argument assumes and what must be proven in order to validate your claims. Then go step-by-step, paragraph-by-paragraph, addressing each facet of your position. Most important part!

Finally, pay attention to readability . Just because this is a research paper does not mean that it has to be boring. Use examples and allow your opinion to show through word choice and tone. Proofread before you turn in the paper. Your audience is generally the academic community and specifically me, as a representative of that community. Ok, They want this to be easy to read, to contain examples I find, and they want it to be grammatically correct. I can visit the tutoring center if I get stuck, or I can email the OWL Email Tutors short questions if I have any more problems.

Understanding the Assignment

There are four kinds of analysis you need to do in order to fully understand an assignment: determining the purpose of the assignment , understanding how to answer an assignment’s questions , recognizing implied questions in the assignment , and recognizing the disciplinary expectations of the assignment .

Always make sure you fully understand an assignment before you start writing!

Determining the Purpose

The wording of an assignment should suggest its purpose. Any of the following might be expected of you in a college writing assignment:

• Summarizing information
• Analyzing ideas and concepts
• Taking a position and defending it
• Combining ideas from several sources and creating your own original argument.

Understanding How to Answer the Assignment

College writing assignments will ask you to answer a how or why question – questions that can’t be answered with just facts. For example, the question “ What are the names of the presidents of the US in the last twenty years?” needs only a list of facts to be answered. The question “ Who was the best president of the last twenty years and why?”  requires you to take a position and support that position with evidence.

Sometimes, a list of prompts may appear with an assignment. Remember, your instructor will not expect you to answer all of the questions listed. They are simply offering you some ideas so that you can think of your own questions to ask.

Recognizing Implied Questions

A prompt may not include a clear ‘how’ or ‘why’ question, though one is always implied by the language of the prompt. For example:

“Discuss the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on special education programs” is asking you to write how the act has affected special education programs. “Consider the recent rise of autism diagnoses” is asking you to write why the diagnoses of autism are on the rise.

Recognizing Disciplinary Expectations

Depending on the discipline in which you are writing, different features and formats of your writing may be expected. Always look closely at key terms and vocabulary in the writing assignment, and be sure to note what type of evidence and citations style your instructor expects.

About Writing: A Guide Copyright © 2015 by Robin Jeffrey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

If you are writing a paper for a college or university course and your instructor has given you a specific assignment or prompt, you should start working on your paper by reading that assignment carefully, long in advance of the deadline. That assignment holds some important keys for your success. This page offers advice to help you read and understand assignments carefully—so that you can get your paper off to a strong start.

Educational research makes it clear that too often students do not read an assignment closely enough, missing key elements and often underestimating the complexity of the assignment (Nelson).  When you’re new—to college writing, to a particular discipline, to graduate-level writing, to a particular professor—you will want to follow some of these strategies to make sure you have a good understanding of what you’re being asked to do and so that you build a strong understanding of what a successful paper will look like.

Read an assignment through several times

For any assignment, no matter how brief or detailed, you will need to read it through more than once—slowly—in order to analyze it carefully. As you read, you should underline or highlight the key elements of the assignment. Ask about your assignment—

• What is the heart of this assignment, what’s the main thing I need to do to respond? Is there a central question I need to answer? (See the section below.)
• What kind (or genre) of paper do I need to write? How much do I know about this kind of paper? (See the section below.)
• Are there sub-questions I need to answer?
• What kind of evidence do I need to base my arguments or analysis on?
• What are the different parts of this paper?
• What are some of the other important details in this assignment? (For example, How many pages? What kinds of sources do I need to use? How many sources? Which documentation system?)
• If your instructor provided you with evaluation criteria or an evaluation rubric for your paper, be sure to skim that—what does it tell you about what matters most in your paper?

Identify the central task(s) in the assignment

Most academic writing assignments have a central task or a couple of central tasks—essentially jobs you need to do in your paper. Assignments typically ask you to “take a stand,” “argue” for one position or another, “support one position,” “explain” or “analyze” a complex text or data set or historical event, “do a close reading” of a text or event, or “compare” and “evaluate” two possible explanations or theories. . . . As you analyze your assignment, you will want to make sure to identify the central tasks in it so that you can be sure that you do those in your paper—and that you make it explicit to readers that you are foregrounding or emphasizing that work in your paper.

Here are some sample assignments from undergraduate courses, annotated to show how to identify the central task in the assignment.

SAMPLE A From a course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on the history of the Soviet Union: When the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 it came as a surprise to the rest of the world. Some people credited (or blamed) Mikhail Gorbachev. Others credited (or blamed) the United States. Still others argued that the USSR had been unstable for decades and that it was a miracle that it had lasted for as long as it did. How would you explain the collapse of the USSR? In your opinion, what were the most important factors that led to the collapse? Be sure to provide evidence to support your argument. How long was the collapse in the making? Could Gorbachev have prevented the collapse? If so, how? If not, when did it become inevitable?

Interpreting this assignment : the central task here is to “explain the collapse of the Soviet Union” by naming and explaining “the most important factors that led to the collapse.” As you plan your paper, you will want to focus always on identifying a few of the most important factors that led to the collapse. And you will need to make the case for WHY those were the most important factors. To help you keep your paper on track and to assure your professor as she or he is reading your paper that you are focusing on the central task, in the introduction to your paper you will need to be sure to have a clear central claim or thesis statement. That thesis statement should say some version of “The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted from . . . [and then name and preview a few of the most important factors that led to the collapse, in the order in which you will discuss those in detail in the body of your paper].” To explain those factors you will, of course, need to use knowledge you have learned from your course and from your readings as evidence to support your claim—and you will need to answer the question of whether Gorbachev could have prevented the collapse and explain why. But above all, your central task in your paper is to identify the most important factors leading to the collapse.

SAMPLE B From the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, from a course on biochemical engineering: The chemicals of life include lipids, sugars, nucleic acids, and proteins, as you have encountered in your biology and biochemistry coursework and reading. Today an active and growing area of research is to biochemically expand the repertoire of biological products and processes by use of non-natural building blocks. For example, one may incorporate non-natural amino acids into proteins, non-natural bases into nucleic acids, or non-natural sugars into polysaccharides. These examples will serve as topic areas for your group assignment. Review the recent literature in your topic and prepare a group presentation on the topic. Address the following: Why would anyone want to use non-natural building blocks in the synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids or polysaccharides? Give technological motivations. What challenges does one encounter when using non-natural building blocks? Provide at least one specific example to show how this challenge has been overcome. Describe how a specific non-natural product has bene characterized and how it offers new properties or activities. What opportunities are opened? Discuss the broader technological (engineering) challenges to making and applying such non-natural products.

Interpreting this assignment : The first part of this assignment offers background information, givens for this particular assignment. Your group’s central task is to find, read, and understand the literature on your specific topic and to come up with answers to the questions and tasks in 1-4. This assignment obviously has multiple parts, which the professor has helpfully outlined. When you plan your presentation, you will of course need to develop responses to the questions or tasks in ALL four parts, and when you make your presentation, you will want to clearly divide it into four parts, each clearly labeled. For part 1, the central task is to give reasons WHY someone would want to use non-natural building blocks for those purposes. In part 2, the central task is to name and explain several challenges—structuring this section around the distinct challenges for your topic AND to explain a specific example that shows how the challenge has been overcome. You can easily see how what the central tasks are in 3 and 4.

SAMPLE C From an environmental studies course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: 5-6 pages. Identify two different small ecosystems on campus. Describe each area as an ecosystem and analyze the interactions of significant environmental factors: soil, plant life, insect life, humans, etc. The bulk of your paper should come from your direct observations, but draw upon course readings when helpful for your explanation.

Interpreting this assignment : To succeed with this paper, you will, of course, have to do close observations of two small local ecosystems, describe those ecosystems fully with rich details from your observations (“the bulk of your paper should come from your direct observations”), and convey a good understanding of relevant course principles about ecosystems in your descriptions (“draw upon course readings when helpful”). In addition, you need to recognize with this kind of assignment that you will have to make a number of choices . Recognizing that you have to make choices to narrow and focus what you’re doing is a big part of successfully interpreting a fairly general paper assignment like this one. Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you need to think about for this paper: Which two small ecosystems do you want to analyze and describe? What’s an appropriate size for a “small ecosystem”? Which two will be different enough to make for interesting comparisons? How can you schedule your observations so that you have sufficient time to observe deeply—and so that you can return again to refine and add to your observations? How can you effectively organize the notes you take as you observe each system, around “significant environmental factors” such as “soil, plant life, insect life, humans, etc.”?  How can you keep the focus on analyzing “the interactions [emphasis added] of significant environmental factors,” rather than just describing those factors? Does this paper need a thesis statement of some sort, one that sums up the ecosystems and makes a claim about the interactions within these systems , and one that compares the two? Or is it really a description of interactions within each of the two systems, not a comparison of the two? How can you have a good conversation with your course instructor to answer your question about the need for a thesis statement and about a comparative element? What’s a good structure for this paper? Should you include images, quantitative information, or figures about your two small ecosystems? Should you divide your paper into sections with subheadings? How much space (i.e., depth and details) should you go into about each factor? . . .

For help with structure, look for a key plural noun in the assignment

Some assignments (not all, but many) include an important plural noun that will help you structure your paper. In Sample Assignment A above, from a course on Soviet history, the key plural noun is “factors.” You will probably want to organize your paper around the factors that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and your explanation of why those were the most important ones. In Sample Assignment B above, from the biochemical engineering course, the key plural noun in part a is “motivations” (or reasons), answering the question why; you will want to organize section 1 around those reasons or motivations. In part 2, the key plural noun is “challenges”—here you will want to organize your presentation around several distinct challenges.

If an assignment in a cultural anthropology course, for example, asks you to explain kinship in a particular culture through three current anthropological theories, you will probably want to organize your paper around the theories.

Be sure you understand the basics of the genre the paper you’re writing

Most paper assignments represent a genre (or kind) of paper typical of particular academic disciplines. As you analyze your paper assignment, you should think about what kind or genre of paper you will be writing. And if you’re new to writing that kind of paper, you should learn some more about that genre—especially about the rhetoric of that kind of paper, in other words, what kind of intellectual work it does, which audience is it usually written for and what prior knowledge it assumes, how it is usually structured.

When you are new to a particular discipline or level of writing, an important part of what you need to learn are the common genres of that discipline. It takes a while to do that. Look for successful samples, ask questions, ask for feedback on approaches and drafts (strategies all discussed below), and learn from the feedback your instructors have given you on your previous papers in that genre.

In introductory courses, many course instructors provide advice about writing the kinds of papers they assign. Your course instructor may also provide some samples of successful papers in that genre, from which you can learn a great deal. The online Writer’s Handbook from the UW-Madison Writing Center offers introductions to many common genres of academic writing. Here are some examples:

• an experimental research report
• a grant proposal
• a close-reading, literary analysis paper

Find, analyze, and learn from some successful models

One of the best ways to learn about a genre of academic writing that’s new to you is to analyze some successful papers written in that genre, samples that are appropriate for your level of study. You can ask your course instructors whether they are willing to share some successful samples of that type of paper, you can consult writing textbooks in your field, you can see some in the Online Writer’s Handbook here from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and you can find others on the web. As you look at a sample, you will want to consider its purpose, its organization, its assumptions about readers, its use of evidence, and its style. But be careful not to over-generalize from samples: the particular demands and instructions for your course assignment take precedence over the samples you may find from other sources.

If you have are unsure about interpreting an assignment, ask some specific clarifying questions

Most course instructors welcome questions from students about paper assignments. But it’s always a good idea to ask well in advance of a due date, which shows that you are thinking ahead. Before you take up some of your instructor’s time, it’s important to learn what you can from a thorough reading of the assignment, and plan some specific questions that show that you have read the assignment carefully and that you are thinking carefully about the assignment. For example, if it’s not clear from the assignment whether your instructor wants you to argue for a specific environmental or political policy (out of several policy policies) or just to critically evaluate those policies, that’s a great clarifying question to ask. You could say, “I’ve read the assignment carefully and want to make sure that I’m making a good choice about how to approach my paper.” If you’re really not sure how to approach an assignment and you can imagine two different possible approaches, you could outline both or draft the introduction to one and ask your instructor whether she or he would be willing to give you some quick feedback to help make sure you are on the right track.

In addition to talking with your course instructor, it can be helpful to ask peers in your class, friends who have taken that course or are majoring in that subject, and writing center tutors. It’s possible that you might get clear, helpful advice. Don’t be surprised if sometimes you get some conflicting advice, which you will have to sort out. What really counts, of course, is advice from your course instructor who designed the assignment, who is an expert in the field, and who will evaluate your paper.

Good luck with your papers—enjoy your writing!

Nelson, Jenny. “This Was an Easy Assignment: Examining How Students Interpret Academic Writing Tasks.” Research in the Teaching of English , vol. 24, no. 4, 1990, pp. 362-96.

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Developing a Thesis Statement

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

Welcome to the new OASIS website! We have academic skills, library skills, math and statistics support, and writing resources all together in one new home.

• Walden University
• Faculty Portal

Undergraduate Writing: Understanding the Assignment

Introduction, common writing terms.

Analyze = explain a multifaceted text or idea by breaking it into its parts.

Example: Analyze the relationship between hand sanitizer and disease transmission in hospitals.

Tips: Remember to state what the relationship is, but also why . The why involves critical thinking to determine all the factors in the scenario.

Assess or evaluate = determine the significance or value of something by examining it closely.

Example: Evaluate whether hand sanitizer decreases disease transmission.

Tips: Come to an overall, educated opinion on the issue based on course readings, other research, and reasoning. Write a thesis statement at the beginning of your paper to tell the reader what that opinion is.

Compare and contrast = to examine two items to discover similarities and differences.

Example : Compare and contrast three brands of hand sanitizer for effectiveness and cost.

Tips : To provide a well-rounded comparison, give equal attention to the similarities and the differences. Follow our compare/contrast guidelines before submission.

Paraphrase =  restate a passage in your own words.

Example : Paraphrase the CDC's recent announcement on the use of hand sanitizer.

Tips : It can be tempting to directly quote the statement, but paraphrasing builds your academic skills. Read the announcement carefully and then open a new document on your computer. Without looking back, reword the announcement using your own vocabulary. Finally, compare yours to the original.

Reflect =  think about an idea deeply and consider its impact.

Example : Reflect on your own use of hand sanitizer in the medical profession.

Tips : You might find that sitting in a quiet place, away from the computer, allows you to think easier. Even if you are reflecting on a bad situation in your workplace, remain neutral and objective when writing about the incident. 

Summarize =  express the main points of a reading in a shorter form.

Example : Summarize Chapter 3 of your course text on disease transmission.

Tips : While reading, pay attention to the who, what, why, where, and how in the text. It could be helpful to take notes or highlight the important information that jumps out at you.

Support your work/ideas =  justify your point of view by providing evidence.

Tips : Evidence can come in the form of statistics, examples, or other research. Such evidence is usually accompanied by a citation crediting the original source.

Once you understand the assignment instructions, jot down each component or outline the paper. Keep these tools handy as you write.

Still unsure what a word or concept means? Look it up in Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary .

Related Resources

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

• Previous Page: Assignment Resources
• Next Page: Discussion Posts
• Office of Student Disability Services

Walden Resources

Departments.

• Academic Residencies
• Academic Skills
• Career Planning and Development
• Customer Care Team
• Field Experience
• Military Services
• Student Success Advising
• Writing Skills

Centers and Offices

• Center for Social Change
• Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services
• Office of Degree Acceleration
• Office of Research and Doctoral Services
• Office of Student Affairs

Student Resources

• Doctoral Writing Assessment
• Form & Style Review
• Quick Answers
• ScholarWorks
• SKIL Courses and Workshops
• Walden Bookstore
• Walden Catalog & Student Handbook
• Student Safety/Title IX
• Legal & Consumer Information
• Website Terms and Conditions
• Cookie Policy
• Accessibility
• Accreditation
• State Authorization
• Net Price Calculator
• Cost of Attendance
• Contact Walden

Walden University is a member of Adtalem Global Education, Inc. www.adtalem.com Walden University is certified to operate by SCHEV © 2024 Walden University LLC. All rights reserved.

• Academic Writing / Learning for Success

Understanding the Assignment

by Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center · Published September 3, 2021 · Updated September 2, 2021

Hi everyone! This is Amy from the Academic Success Center. For many people, September means returning to school. At Purdue University Global, two new terms begin in September. With this in mind, we thought a throwback to a previous blog post about understanding assignments by Kurtis Clements would be appropriate. This blogcast was previously published in January 2021. Enjoy!

Before my first child was born (almost twenty-two years ago at this point!), I recall the major stress I felt trying to assemble the new-in-the-box crib. Admittedly, I am not a handy guy when it comes to just about anything that involves tools, but I figured I could follow some basic instructions and, taking my time, put the crib together. Well, I couldn’t, but the issue wasn’t so much my lack of ability but, rather, the actual instructions. All the so-called “easy steps” seemed lumped together in one big dump of what to do. The wording was sometimes too general and other times just plain confusing, making references to earlier “steps” that required me to look back and locate just to sort out what I was supposed to be doing. The easy-to-follow-step-by-step instructions were not so easy to follow. And judging by the constant busy signal I heard every time I called the “Help Line” for assistance, I was not alone. 

I will tell you that in my twenty-seven-plus years of teaching and working in higher education, I have seen my fair share of assignments that were very much like those “easy-to-follow” crib instructions. I’ve seen assignment directions twice as long in word count than what students were being asked to produce. I can also say that in my personal experience teaching writing, I know that in some cases the actual assignments that I created were the root cause of poor writing, not the students’ writing skills. Making sure the directions for an assignment are as clear, concise, and organized as possible is of paramount importance to students, so whatever the instructor can do to aid in the understanding of an assignment will only help. And of course some assignments by nature are complex, but that is all the more reason to make sure the directions are “easy to follow.” As Einstein once said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible.”

Students, of course, need to do their part to make sure they understand what they are being asked to do as sometimes an assignment is involved. To this end, let me share some tips for understanding an assignment. 

First, read the assignment once just to get the gist of what you are being asked to do. If the assignment has any complexity or length, take deep breaths along the way and remind yourself that you are just surveying the basic assignment to get the lay of the land so to speak and that you will be looking at the assignment more closely later. 

After reading through the assignment once, read it again more purposefully. Presuming the assignment is in electronic format, copy and paste it into a new word-processing document. As you read, break up the assignment into distinct parts if more division is needed. If not, break up the parts into smaller chunks as makes sense. 

You can also look for action words like “explain,” “analyze,” “summarize,” “compare,” and/or “describe” to name but a few. These action words are typically key instructions of what you need to do in an assignment. You might want to bold, highlight, change the font color, or insert more whitespace to separate these markers so that they stand out for easy reference. 

Some assignments are divided in parts–Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and so forth. Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the parts and, instead, focus on one part at a time and make sure you understand that part fully before beginning to work on it. You can break down each part as explained by identifying keywords and creating white space so that what you are being asked to do in a given part is divided visually and easy to comprehend. 

If there are directions that remain unclear, then you should contact your professor for clarification rather than barrelling ahead and hoping that you are doing what the assignment asks you to do. 

So how do you know if you have met the requirements of an assignment? Well, with your chunked-out assignment, read each requirement and then find that exact content in your paper so that you can literally point to it. If the directions ask you to describe a problem in your community, point to the content in your paper where you describe a problem in your community. If the directions ask you to recommend treatment options for a patient, point to the content in your paper where you recommend such treatment options. If the directions ask you to use five sources, three of which must be scholarly, look at your sources and make sure that you have five and three are scholarly. It’s a matter of checking what the assignment asks you to do against what you actually do in the paper. 

Assignments can be challenging, but understanding an assignment–that is, understanding what you are being asked to do–does not need to be part of the challenge let alone a source of uncertainty or even anxiety. With a little bit of work up front, even the most complicated assignments can be broken down into easy-to-understand instructions. 

Until next week–

Kurtis Clements

Share this:

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Next story  Destroying The He-Himself Syndrome: Getting Rid of Words and Phrases That Are Obvious and Bloat One’s Writing
• Previous story  Reading on the Road

5 Responses

• Pingbacks 0

Hi Kurtis–This reminds me of the old saying on how to eat an elephant–one piece at a time. Thanks for the guidance. Well stated!

Hi Helen, Glad you found the information helpful. Loved the how to eat an elephant remark! –Kurtis

Great to hear, Tara! Thanks for this feedback.

Thank you, this was very helpful!

Great to hear, Tara. Thanks for the feedback!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

NCI LIBRARY

Academic writing skills guide: understanding assignments.

• Key Features of Academic Writing
• The Writing Process
• Understanding Assignments
• Brainstorming Techniques
• Planning Your Assignments
• Thesis Statements
• Writing Drafts
• Structuring Your Assignment
• How to Deal With Writer's Block
• Using Paragraphs
• Conclusions
• Introductions
• Revising & Editing
• Proofreading
• Grammar & Punctuation
• Reporting Verbs
• Signposting, Transitions & Linking Words/Phrases
• Using Lecturers' Feedback

Below is a list of interpretations for some of the more common directive/instructional words. These interpretations are intended as a guide only but should help you gain a better understanding of what is required when they are used. 

Communications from the Library:  Please note all communications from the library, concerning renewal of books, overdue books and reservations will be sent to your NCI student email account.

• << Previous: The Writing Process
• Next: Brainstorming Techniques >>
• Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 1:31 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ncirl.ie/academic_writing_skills

• U.S. Locations
• UMGC Europe
• Learn Online
• Find Answers
• 855-655-8682
• Current Students

Online Guide to Writing and Research

The writing process, explore more of umgc.

• Online Guide to Writing

Understanding Your Assignment

“What is expected of me?” Writing a strong paper requires that you fully understand your assignment, and answering this question is the first crucial step in the academic writing process. What is your professor asking of you? The suggestions below will assist you as you determine what is expected of you.

Assignment Comprehension Tips

Click on the tabs below for tips on how to fully understand what is expected of you.

• STUDY THE DETAILS
• CREATE A TANGIBLE RESOURCE
• IMPLEMENT A TIMETABLE
• HIGHLIGHT KEY WORDS
• STAY WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF DETAILS
• RELY ON SUPPORT

Read the instructions line-by-line to familiarize yourself initially. Reading them aloud helps too.

Print out the instructions if necessary and highlight key information, such as the due date, word count, format, or citation style. Print and study the rubric, if available. The rubric reveals how you will be graded for each part of your essay and will give you clues on how exactly to structure your writing.

Plug the due date into your smartphone calendar and request a reminder notification. In addition, work backward from the due date and schedule specific weeks for planning, prewriting, researching, writing, getting feedback, and rewriting. 

Circle any key phrases that can guide your actions.

Keep your assignment instructions next to you as you work on informal prewriting exercises and planning so you avoid getting off track.

When in doubt, ask your professor. Your professors want you to succeed and welcome any remaining questions about assignment expectations.

Finding Purpose and Meaning

The purpose of the preparative steps above is to create a foundation for nuanced writing. Some additional questions can help you reach a deeper understanding of the assignment. Ask yourself the following questions:

What is the purpose of this assignment and why is it important?

Who is my audience my professor classmates professionals in my field of study, how will this contribute to my knowledge and growth as a writer, what timeline should i assign myself for the gradual development of this work.

Table 2.1 below shows you how to identify keywords and expectations from the directive wording of the assignment. These key phrases are often associated with essay questions, as well as informal and formal papers. As a note, the table is based on Benjamin Bloom’s cognitive objectives.

Table 2.1 Assignment Wording and Expectations

Once you understand your assignment and decide on what approach to take, you can move on to identifying and targeting your audience.

Key Takeaways

If you take the steps to retain, plan, and understand the meaning behind your writing assignment, you will increase your confidence and success as a writer.

Focusing on key words and phrases will provide clues on what actions to take while planning the structure and content of your essay. 

Mailing Address: 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783 This work is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License . © 2022 UMGC. All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located at external sites.

Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing

Chapter 1: College Writing

How Does College Writing Differ from Workplace Writing?

What Is College Writing?

Why So Much Emphasis on Writing?

Chapter 2: The Writing Process

Doing Exploratory Research

Getting from Notes to Your Draft

Introduction

Prewriting - Techniques to Get Started - Mining Your Intuition

Prewriting: Targeting Your Audience

Prewriting: Techniques to Get Started

Prewriting: Understanding Your Assignment

Rewriting: Being Your Own Critic

Rewriting: Creating a Revision Strategy

Rewriting: Getting Feedback

Rewriting: The Final Draft

Techniques to Get Started - Outlining

Techniques to Get Started - Using Systematic Techniques

Thesis Statement and Controlling Idea

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Freewriting

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Summarizing Your Ideas

Writing: Outlining What You Will Write

Chapter 3: Thinking Strategies

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone: Style Through Vocabulary and Diction

Critical Strategies and Writing

Critical Strategies and Writing: Analysis

Critical Strategies and Writing: Evaluation

Critical Strategies and Writing: Persuasion

Critical Strategies and Writing: Synthesis

Developing a Paper Using Strategies

Kinds of Assignments You Will Write

Patterns for Presenting Information

Patterns for Presenting Information: Critiques

Patterns for Presenting Information: Discussing Raw Data

Patterns for Presenting Information: General-to-Specific Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Specific-to-General Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Summaries and Abstracts

Supporting with Research and Examples

Writing Essay Examinations

Writing Essay Examinations: Make Your Answer Relevant and Complete

Writing Essay Examinations: Organize Thinking Before Writing

Writing Essay Examinations: Read and Understand the Question

Chapter 4: The Research Process

Planning and Writing a Research Paper

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Ask a Research Question

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Cite Sources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Collect Evidence

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Decide Your Point of View, or Role, for Your Research

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Draw Conclusions

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Find a Topic and Get an Overview

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Manage Your Resources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Outline

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Survey the Literature

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Human Resources

Research Resources: What Are Research Resources?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Electronic Resources

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Print Resources

Structuring the Research Paper: Formal Research Structure

Structuring the Research Paper: Informal Research Structure

The Nature of Research

The Research Assignment: How Should Research Sources Be Evaluated?

The Research Assignment: When Is Research Needed?

The Research Assignment: Why Perform Research?

Chapter 5: Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity

Giving Credit to Sources

Giving Credit to Sources: Copyright Laws

Giving Credit to Sources: Documentation

Giving Credit to Sources: Style Guides

Integrating Sources

Practicing Academic Integrity

Practicing Academic Integrity: Keeping Accurate Records

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Paraphrasing Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Quoting Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Summarizing Your Sources

Types of Documentation

Types of Documentation: Bibliographies and Source Lists

Types of Documentation: Citing World Wide Web Sources

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - APA Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - CSE/CBE Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - Chicago Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - MLA Style

Types of Documentation: Note Citations

Chapter 6: Using Library Resources

Finding Library Resources

Chapter 7: Assessing Your Writing

How Is Writing Graded?

How Is Writing Graded?: A General Assessment Tool

The Draft Stage

The Draft Stage: The First Draft

The Draft Stage: The Revision Process and the Final Draft

The Draft Stage: Using Feedback

The Research Stage

Using Assessment to Improve Your Writing

Chapter 8: Other Frequently Assigned Papers

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Article and Book Reviews

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Reaction Papers

Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Adapting the Argument Structure

Writing Arguments: Purposes of Argument

Writing Arguments: References to Consult for Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Anticipate Active Opposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Determine Your Organization

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Develop Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Introduce Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - State Your Thesis or Proposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Write Your Conclusion

Writing Arguments: Types of Argument

Appendix A: Books to Help Improve Your Writing

Dictionaries

General Style Manuals

Researching on the Internet

Special Style Manuals

Writing Handbooks

Appendix B: Collaborative Writing and Peer Reviewing

Collaborative Writing: Assignments to Accompany the Group Project

Collaborative Writing: Informal Progress Report

Collaborative Writing: Issues to Resolve

Collaborative Writing: Methodology

Collaborative Writing: Peer Evaluation

Collaborative Writing: Tasks of Collaborative Writing Group Members

Collaborative Writing: Writing Plan

General Introduction

Peer Reviewing

Appendix C: Developing an Improvement Plan

Working with Your Instructor’s Comments and Grades

Appendix D: Writing Plan and Project Schedule

Devising a Writing Project Plan and Schedule

Reviewing Your Plan with Others

By using our website you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more about how we use cookies by reading our  Privacy Policy .

• IN > -->
• IWP > -->
• Understanding the Assignment

Contact the LWC

Understanding the assignment

Are you sure that your professor wants a hard copy? Did the professor require a title page? Stapled? Single-spaced or double spaced?

Check out our online resources designed to help you improve your writing in the University and beyond.

Understanding the assignment is critical before you begin writing the paper. The purpose, audience, and structure are usually included in the prompt and is your guide to completing the assignment correctly.

We have created resources below to support students identifying key aspects of written assignments and how to best approach completing it.

Purpose Tab Open

Audience tab closed, structure tab closed, additional resources tab closed, purpose accordion open.

How does your professor know that you are learning new concepts and approaches to new material? You will be asked to show your knowledge and understanding through:

• Essay Exams
• Lab notes and field notes
• Projects and project reports
• Papers written to academic or professional audiences
• Informal papers

In most cases, you will get instructions from the professor who wants to know that you:

• Listen, think, and read critically
• Apply the new concepts you learned in your courses and major by writing about it, by completing a project and writing a report and/or by presenting your findings
• Adjust your writing based on the audience and disciplinary writing conventions

Each professor has specific goals in mind when teaching a course. You will find those goals when you look at the course objectives. Similarly, for writing tasks, your professor’s goal is stated in the assignment task and/or it is related to the course objectives.

Next steps and additional information

Writing assignments don’t all have the same purpose. Because of different majors and different audiences, the purpose of an assignment changes.

To make sure that you understand the assignment purpose:

• Underline, circle, or highlight key words that help define the purpose. Does your professor want to test your knowledge or see that you can apply theoretical principles you learned about in last week’s class?
• Restate the assignment’s purpose in your own words and check with your peers.
• Ask yourself some questions: “What questions am I supposed to answer?” “How am I supposed to structure this essay?” “What am I supposed to focus on?”
• If you have any doubt, talk to your professor during office hours. If online, post a question in your Discussions Area. Sometimes your classmates are your best resources.
• Start early
• Make an appointment at the University Writing Commons

Audience Accordion Closed

Writing always has an audience. Who the audience is is not always as clearly defined as it could be. When you write for an academic course, you often walk a precarious line when you imagine your audience:

• Your professor might tell you that she is the audience. Does that mean that you don’t need to be explicit and cite sources since she knows a great deal about the subject? Then why do you get feedback that states “More details” or “Expand here” or “Examples?”
• Your professor might tell you to write to a specified outside reader – an expert in your major field, your best friend, the governor of the state, a city official, your classmates. You know, however, that the grade comes from your professor, and it doesn’t make much difference that your outside reader thought that you are the greatest writer ever.
• Your professor doesn’t say anything about the audience in the assignment sheet and you are not sure who you are supposed to focus on. You decide to write to “the public” – pretty much everybody – which makes your task even more difficult since you have no sense of who that amorphous public might be.

In many cases, you are asked to write because your professor wants to know that you:

• Understand the class materials.
• Apply the class materials.
• Remember the class materials.
• Make connections between the class materials and outside resources.
• Understand the implications of class materials on your research, project, or world peace.

Whoever your audience for your writing assignment is, keep in mind that your professor wants clear, concise, detailed, specific, and well-structured writing that can be read by an expert audience (somebody in your major and field of study) or a lay audience (somebody interested but unfamiliar with the terminology used in your major). In both cases, you can’t assume.

Your audience, whether it’s an expert or lay audience, expects to learn something from your writing assignment. To make sure that your writing meets your professors expectations:

• Do not assume that your audience has knowledge that you gained in your course, even if the audience is your professor.
• Use the knowledge that you gained in your course to write your report, essay, presentation, blog entry to show that you understood the class lectures and class readings.
• Before you get too deep into the writing process, let your professor know who your intended audience for your writing is, and how that influences what and how you write. If your professor had another audience in mind, adjust your work to keep this audience in mind.
• Start Early!
• Make an appointment at the University Writing Commons.

Adapting to your audience : Colorado State University’s Writing Center gives you a comprehensive understanding of how audience influences your writing. You can click on the links to the right to get information on types of audiences, how to develop audience awareness, how to analyze your audience, and how to write for an audience.

Audience : The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Writing Center provides a handout that provides answers to questions such as “How do I identify my audience” and “How much should I explain.”

Structure Accordion Closed

A professor often writes an assignment to guide their students’ work with the new materials presented in the course. You have to be able to interpret the assignment so that you can write a successful essay exam, lab notes, report, or paper. Common components of an assignment include:

• Introduction

Disciplinary conventions will guide specifics. When you read the assignment, look for instructions on what should go into your introduction, whether the body of your paper needs to include a synthesis and/or an analysis of the course readings, a methodology section, a section on data collection, a results section, and so on.

• In the humanities and social sciences, it is common for writing assignments to require student-writers to include themselves (first-person pronouns) in their analyses and conclusions.
• In the natural sciences, health professions, and technological fields, it is common that classroom assignments, especially in the undergraduate years, are especially interested in how the student-writer conveys an understanding of the process, the elements, the definitions of materials. They require third person in passive-voice.
• Sometimes, the assignment asks students to work on materials for a client. This changes the writing conventions that you will be using. You will need to find out who your client (audience) is before you can make choices on writing conventions.

Pay attention to your professor’s word choice:

• “Discuss how gender influences…”
• “Analyze the impact of presidential elections on…”
• “Summarize the main reasons for Chavez’ involvement in…”

Words such as discuss, analyze, and summarize ask you for different writing responses. If you are not sure, use your professor’s office hours to get clarification on the assignment. You can also make an appointment with the  University Writing Commons  to make sure that you understand the assignment.

Professors are usually not trying to trick students through writing assignments. When you talk to your professor, your classmates, or the UWC Writing Assistants, it is often helpful when you:

• Let the professor know what your understanding of the assignment is before asking questions. This shows that you have read the assignment sheet.
• Underline, circle, or highlight key words that help define the purpose.
• Restate the assignment’s purpose in your own words.
• Check with classmates. Sometimes they are your best resource.

Additional resources Accordion Closed

Specifications are part of all majors. Whether they are explicitly explained in the assignment instructions, or whether they are implicitly assumed as part of your knowledge of writing in your major, pay attention to how an assignment is supposed to look once you finished revising and editing it. To make sure that you understand assignment specifications:

• Establish a habit of reviewing specifications early in the writing process.
• Keep a list of specifications close by when you write your assignment. This way, you can make sure that you remember to use upper or lower case for titles.
• Ask your professor during office hours if you are not clear about the writing assignment’s specifications.
• Make use of your major-specific handbooks. Purchase one for the duration of your studies.

Understanding the writing assignments: The UNC-Chapel Hill’s Writing Center gives you a good idea of what you can expect from a writing assignment, and what you need to pay attention to when reading an assignment. They provide specific details on format and also show you how to interpret the assignment.

How to decipher the assignment : Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab provides this handout with information on the steps to take to understand the requirements of the assignment.

Common writing assignments : Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab’s page on common writing assignments will give you a good sense of what kinds of writing assignments your professors might have in mind, and what generally accepted structures for various assignments are.

Sample lab assignment : The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Writing Center offers this page with a common outline of a sample lab assignment, with brief notes on what needs to be part of each section.

Levels of formality : Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab shows you the levels of formality you should use in your academic writing. They distinguish writing as formal, semi-formal, and informal.

Academic tone, diction, and style : The University of North Texas at Dallas shows you what you need to pay attention to when you decide on the level of formality and informality in your writing.

Effective E-mail communication : The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill offers this handout on one form of communication often underestimated by students: email communication with professors or community members.

Writing and speaking guidelines : Pennsylvania State University has developed guidelines for engineering and science writers with great information on the structures of various genres and styles that you might need to use in engineering and the sciences.

Writing the basic business letter :  Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab outlines the technical specifications for a business letter. It includes a pdf file that shows a business letter with annotations.

How to write, outline, proofread and everything in-between : The Community for Accredited Online Schools provides some excellent resources for understanding the kind of essay, writing outlines, how to do academic research, how to evaluate a source, and more!

Fold a paper R2-D2 and other awesome star wars origami : Wired.com offers this fun and challenging article on origami with complete instructions.

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill developed several handouts that discuss genre in different fields. Each handout includes tips on how to strengthen your writer’s voice:

• Science writing
• Art history writing
• Communication Studies

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

2 What Does the Professor Want? Understanding the Assignment

Writing for whom writing for what.

The first principle of good communication is knowing your audience . This is where writing papers for class gets kind of weird. As Peter Elbow explains: [1]

When you write for a teacher you are usually swimming against the stream of natural communication. The natural direction of communication is to explain what you understand to someone who doesn’t understand it. But in writing an essay for a teacher your task is usually to explain what you are still engaged in trying to understand to someone who understands it better.

Often when you write for an audience of one, you write a letter or email. But college papers aren’t written like letters; they’re written like articles for a hypothetical group of readers that you don’t actually know much about. There’s a fundamental mismatch between the real-life audience and the form your writing takes. It’s kind of bizarre, really.

It helps to remember the key tenet of the university model: you’re a junior scholar joining the academic community. Academic papers, in which scholars report the results of their research and thinking to one another, are the lifeblood of the scholarly world, carrying useful ideas and information to all parts of the academic corpus. Unless there is a particular audience specified in the assignment, you would do well to imagine yourself writing for a group of peers who have some introductory knowledge of the field but are unfamiliar with the specific topic you’re discussing. Imagine them being interested in your topic but also busy; try to write something that is well worth your readers’ time. Keeping an audience like this in mind will help you distinguish common knowledge in the field from that which must be defined and explained in your paper. Understanding your audience like this also resolve the audience mismatch that Elbow describes. As he notes, “You don’t write to teachers, you write for them.” [2]

Another basic tenet of good communication is clarifying the purpose of the communication and letting that purpose shape your decisions. Your professor wants to see you work through complex ideas and deepen your knowledge through the process of producing the paper. Each assignment—be it an argumentative paper, reaction paper, reflective paper, lab report, discussion question, blog post, essay exam, project proposal, or what have you—is ultimately about your learning. To succeed with writing assignments (and benefit from them) you first have to understand their learning-related purposes. As you write for the hypothetical audience of peer junior scholars, you’re demonstrating to your professor how far you’ve gotten in analyzing your topic.

Don’t be scared whenever you are given an assignment. Professors know what it was like to be in college and write all kinds of papers. They aren’t trying to make your lives difficult, but it is their jobs to make us think and ponder about many things. Take your time and enjoy the paper. Make sure you answer the question being asked rather than rant on about something that is irrelevant to the prompt.

Timothée Pizarro

Professors don’t assign writing lightly. Grading student writing is generally the hardest, most intensive work instructors do. [3]  With every assignment they give you, professors assign themselves many, many hours of demanding and tedious work that has to be completed while they are also preparing for each class meeting, advancing their scholarly and creative work, advising students, and serving on committees. Often, they’re grading your papers on evenings and weekends because the conventional work day is already saturated with other obligations. You would do well to approach every assignment by putting yourself in the shoes of your instructor and asking yourself, “Why did she give me this assignment? How does it fit into the learning goals of the course? Why is this question/topic/problem so important to my professor that he is willing to spend evenings and weekends reading and commenting on several dozen novice papers on it?”

As I briefly discussed in Chapter 1 , most instructors do a lot to make their pedagogical goals and expectations transparent to students: they explain the course learning goals associated with assignments, provide grading rubrics in advance, and describe several strategies for succeeding. Other professors … not so much. Some students perceive more open-ended assignments as evidence of a lazy, uncaring, or even incompetent instructor. Not so fast! Professors certainly vary in the quantity and specificity of the guidelines and suggestions they distribute with each writing assignment. Some professors make a point to give very few parameters about an assignment—perhaps just a topic and a length requirement—and they likely have some good reasons for doing so. Here are some possible reasons:

• They figured it out themselves when they were students . Unsurprisingly, your instructors were generally successful students who relished the culture and traditions of higher education so much that they strove to build an academic career. The current emphasis on student-centered instruction is relatively recent; your instructors much more often had professors who adhered to the classic model of college instruction: they gave lectures together with, perhaps, one or two exams or papers. Students were on their own to learn the lingo and conventions of each field, to identify the key concepts and ideas within readings and lectures, and to sleuth out instructors’ expectations for written work. Learning goals, rubrics, quizzes, and preparatory assignments were generally rare.
• They think figuring it out yourself is good for you . Because your professors by and large succeeded in a much less supportive environment , they appreciate how learning to thrive in those conditions gave them life-long problem-solving skills. Many think you should be able to figure it out yourself and that it would be good practice for you to do so. Even those who do include a lot of guidance with writing assignments sometimes worry that they’re depriving you of an important personal and intellectual challenge. Figuring out unspoken expectations is a valuable skill in itself.
• They’re egg-heads . As I explained in Chapter 1 , many of your instructors have been so immersed in their fields that they may struggle to remember what it was like to encounter a wholly new discipline for the first time. The assumptions, practices, and culture of their disciplines are like the air they breathe; so much so that it is hard to describe to novices. They may assume that a verb like “analyze” is self-evident, forgetting that it can mean very different things in different fields. As a student, you voluntarily came to study with the scholars, artists, and writers at your institution. Rightly or wrongly, the burden is ultimately on you to meet them where they are.
• Professors value academic freedom ; that is, they firmly believe that their high-level expertise in their fields grants them the privilege of deciding what is important to focus on and how to approach it. As I also explain in Chapter 1 , college professors differ in this way from high school teachers who are usually obligated to address a defined curriculum. Professors are often extremely wary of anything that seems to threaten academic freedom . Some see specified learning goals and standardized rubrics as the first step in a process that would strip higher education of its independence, scholarly innovation, and sense of discovery. While a standardized set of expectations and practices might make it easier to earn a degree, it’s also good to consider the benefits of the more flexible and diversified model.

It is understandably frustrating when you feel you don’t know how to direct your efforts to succeed with an assignment. However, except for rare egregious situations, you would do well to assume the best of your instructor and to appreciate the diversity of learning opportunities you have access to in college. Like one first-year student told Keith Hjortshoj, [4] “I think that every course, every assignment, is a different little puzzle I have to solve. What do I need to do here? When do I need to do it, and how long will it take? What does this teacher expect of me?” The transparency that you get from some professors—along with guides like this one—will be a big help to you in situations where you have to be scrappier and more pro-active, piecing together the clues you get from your professors, the readings, and other course documents.

The prompt: what does “analyze” mean anyway?

Often, the handout or other written text explaining the assignment—what professors call the assignment prompt —will explain the purpose of the assignment, the required parameters (length, number and type of sources, referencing style, etc.), and the criteria for evaluation. Sometimes, though—especially when you are new to a field—you will encounter the baffling situation in which you comprehend every single sentence in the prompt but still have absolutely no idea how to approach the assignment. No one is doing anything wrong in a situation like that. It just means that further discussion of the assignment is in order. Here are some tips:

• Focus on the verbs . Look for verbs like “compare,” “explain,” “justify,” “reflect” or the all-purpose “analyze.” You’re not just producing a paper as an artifact; you’re conveying, in written communication, some intellectual work you have done. So the question is, what kind of thinking are you supposed to do to deepen your learning?
• Put the assignment in context . Many professors think in terms of assignment sequences . For example, a social science professor may ask you to write about a controversial issue three times: first, arguing for one side of the debate; second, arguing for another; and finally, from a more comprehensive and nuanced perspective, incorporating text produced in the first two assignments. A sequence like that is designed to help you think through a complex issue. Another common one is a scaffolded research paper sequence: you first propose a topic, then prepare an annotated bibliography, then a first draft, then a final draft, and, perhaps, a reflective paper. The preparatory assignments help ensure that you’re on the right track, beginning the research process long before the final due date, and taking the time to consider recasting your thesis, finding additional sources, or reorganizing your discussion. [5] If the assignment isn’t part of a sequence, think about where it falls in the semester, and how it relates to readings and other assignments. Are there headings on the syllabus that indicate larger units of material? For example, if you see that a paper comes at the end of a three-week unit on the role of the Internet in organizational behavior, then your professor likely wants you to synthesize that material in your own way. You should also check your notes and online course resources for any other guidelines about the workflow. Maybe you got a rubric a couple weeks ago and forgot about it. Maybe your instructor posted a link about “how to make an annotated bibliography” but then forgot to mention it in class.
• Try a free-write . When I hand out an assignment, I often ask students to do a five-minute or ten-minute free-write. A free-write is when you just write, without stopping, for a set period of time. That doesn’t sound very “free;” it actually sounds kind of coerced. The “free” part is what you write—it can be whatever comes to mind. Professional writers use free-writing to get started on a challenging (or distasteful) writing task or to overcome writers block or a powerful urge to procrastinate. The idea is that if you just make yourself write, you can’t help but produce some kind of useful nugget. Thus, even if the first eight sentences of your free write are all variations on “I don’t understand this” or “I’d really rather be doing something else,” eventually you’ll write something like “I guess the main point of this is …” and—booyah!—you’re off and running. As an instructor, I’ve found that asking students to do a brief free-write right after I hand out an assignment generates useful clarification questions. If your instructor doesn’t make time for that in class, a quick free-write on your own will quickly reveal whether you need clarification about the assignment and, often, what questions to ask.
• Ask for clarification the right way . Even the most skillfully crafted assignments may need some verbal clarification, especially because students’ familiarity with the field can vary enormously. Asking for clarification is a good thing. Be aware, though, that instructors get frustrated when they perceive that students want to skip doing their own thinking and instead receive an exact recipe for an A paper. Go ahead and ask for clarification, but try to convey that you want to learn and you’re ready to work.In general, avoid starting a question with “Do we have to …” because I can guarantee that your instructor is thinking, “You don’t have to do crap. You’re an adult. You chose college. You chose this class. You’re free to exercise your right to fail.” Similarly, avoid asking the professor about what he or she “wants.” You’re not performing some service for the professor when you write a paper. What they “want” is for you to really think about the material.

Rubrics as road maps

If a professor provides a grading rubric with an assignment prompt, thank your lucky stars (and your professor). If the professor took the trouble to prepare and distribute it, you can be sure that he or she will use it to grade your paper. He or she may not go over it in class, but it’s the clearest possible statement of what the professor is looking for in the paper. If it’s wordy, it may seem like those online “terms and conditions” that we routinely accept without reading. But you really should read it over carefully before you begin and again as your work progresses. A lot of rubrics do have some useful specifics. Mine, for example, often contain phrases like “makes at least six error-free connections to concepts or ideas from the course,” or “gives thorough consideration to at least one plausible counter-argument.” Even less specific criteria (such as “incorporates course concepts” and “considers counter-arguments”) will tell you how you should be spending your writing time.

Even the best rubrics aren’t completely transparent. They simply can’t be. Take, for example, the AAC&U rubric discussed in Chapter 1 . It has been drafted and repeatedly revised by a multidisciplinary expert panel and tested multiple times on sample student work to ensure reliability. But it is still seems kind of vague. What is the real difference between “demonstrating a thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose” and “demonstrating adequate consideration” of the same? It depends on the specific context. So how can you know whether you’ve done that? A big part of what you’re learning, through feedback from your professors, is to judge the quality of your writing for yourself. Your future bosses are counting on that. At this point, it is better to think of rubrics as roadmaps, displaying your destination, rather than a GPS system directing every move you make.

Behind any rubric is the essential goal of higher education: helping you take charge of your own learning, which means writing like an independently motivated scholar. Are you tasked with proposing a research paper topic? Don’t just tell the professor what you want to do, convince him or her of the salience of your topic, as if you were a scholar seeking grant money. Is it a reflection paper? Then outline both the insights you’ve gained and the intriguing questions that remain, as a scholar would. Are you writing a thesis-driven analytical paper? Then apply the concepts you’ve learned to a new problem or situation. Write as if your scholarly peers around the country are eagerly awaiting your unique insights. Descriptors like “thoroughness” or “mastery” or “detailed attention” convey the vision of student writers making the time and rigorous mental effort to offer something new to the ongoing, multi-stranded academic conversation. What your professor wants, in short, is critical thinking.

What’s critical about critical thinking?

Critical thinking is one of those terms that has been used so often and in so many different ways that if often seems meaningless. It also makes one wonder, is there such a thing as uncritical thinking? If you aren’t thinking critically, then are you even thinking?

Despite the prevalent ambiguities, critical thinking actually does mean something. The Association of American Colleges and Universities usefully defines it as “a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.” [6]

That definition aligns with the best description of critical thinking I ever heard; it came from my junior high art teacher, Joe Bolger. [7] He once asked us, “What color is the ceiling?” In that withering tween tone, we reluctantly replied, “Whiiiite.” He then asked, “What color is it really?” We deigned to aim our pre-adolescent eyes upwards, and eventually began to offer more accurate answers: “Ivory?” “Yellow-ish tan.” “It’s grey in that corner.” After finally getting a few thoughtful responses, Mr. Bolger said something like, “Making good art is about drawing what you see, not what you think you’re supposed to see.” The AAC&U definition, above, essentially amounts to the same thing: taking a good look and deciding what you really think rather than relying on the first idea or assumption that comes to mind.

The critical thinking rubric produced by the AAC&U describes the relevant activities of critical thinking in more detail. To think critically, one must …

(a) “clearly state and comprehensively describe the issue or problem”,

(b) “independently interpret and evaluate sources”,

(c) “thoroughly analyze assumptions behind and context of your own or others’ ideas”,

(d) “argue a complex position and one that takes counter-arguments into account,” and

(e) “arrive at logical and well informed conclusions”. [8]

While you are probably used to providing some evidence for your claims, you can see that college-level expectations go quite a bit further. When professors assign an analytical paper, they don’t just want you to formulate a plausible-sounding argument. They want you to dig into the evidence, think hard about unspoken assumptions and the influence of context, and then explain what you really think and why.

Interestingly, the AAC&U defines critical thinking as a “habit of mind” rather than a discrete achievement. And there are at least two reasons to see critical thinking as a craft or art to pursue rather than a task to check off. First, the more you think critically, the better you get at it . As you get more and more practice in closely examining claims, their underlying logic, and alternative perspectives on the issue, it’ll begin to feel automatic. You’ll no longer make or accept claims that begin with “Everyone knows that …” or end with “That’s just human nature.” Second, just as artists and craftspersons hone their skills over a lifetime, learners continually expand their critical thinking capacities, both through the feedback they get from others and their own reflections . Artists of all kinds find satisfaction in continually seeking greater challenges. Continual reflection and improvement is part of the craft.

As soon as I see the phrase “critical thinking,” the first thing I think is more work . It always sounds as if you’re going to have to think harder and longer. But I think the AAC&U’s definition is on point, critical thinking is a habit. Seeing that phrase shouldn’t be a scary thing because by this point in many people’s college career this is an automatic response. I never expect an answer to a question to be in the text; by now I realize that my professors want to know what I have to say about something or what I have learned. In a paper or essay, the three-step thesis process explained in Chapter 3 is a tool that will help you get this information across. While you’re doing the hard work (the thinking part), this formula offers you a way to clearly state your position on a subject. It’s as simple as: make a general statement, make an arguable statement, and finally, say why it is important. This is my rule of thumb, and I would not want to start a thesis-driven paper any other way!

Critical thinking is hard work. Even those who actively choose to do it experience it as tedious, difficult, and sometimes surprisingly emotional. Nobel-prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman explains that our brains aren’t designed to think; rather, they’re designed to save us from having to think. [9] Our brains are great at developing routines and repertoires that enable us to accomplish fairly complex tasks like driving cars, choosing groceries, and having a conversation without thinking consciously and thoroughly about every move we make. Kahneman calls this “fast thinking.” “Slow thinking,” which is deliberate and painstaking, is something our brains seek to avoid. That built-in tendency can lead us astray. Kahneman and his colleagues often used problems like this one in experiments to gauge how people used fast and slow thinking in different contexts: [10]

A bat and ball cost $1.10.

The bat costs one dollar more than the ball.

How much does the ball cost?

Most people automatically say the ball costs $0.10. However, if the bat costs $1 more, than the bat would cost $1.10 leading to the incorrect total of $1.20. The ball costs $0.05. Kahneman notes, “Many thousands of university students have answered the bat-and-ball puzzle, and the results are shocking. More than 50% of students at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton gave the intuitive—incorrect—answer.” These and other results confirm that “many people are overconfident, prone to place too much faith in their intuitions.” [11] Thinking critically—thoroughly questioning your immediate intuitive responses—is difficult work, but every organization and business in the world needs people who can do that effectively. Some students assume that an unpleasant critical thinking experience means that they’re either doing something wrong or that it’s an inherently uninteresting (and oppressive) activity. While we all relish those times when we’re pleasantly absorbed in a complex activity (what psychologist Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi calls “flow” [12] ), the more tedious experiences can also bring satisfaction, sort of like a good work-out.

Critical thinking can also be emotionally challenging, researchers have found. Facing a new realm of uncertainty and contradiction without relying on familiar assumptions is inherently anxiety-provoking because when you’re doing it, you are, by definition, incompetent. Recent research has highlighted that both children and adults need to be able to regulate their own emotions in order to cope with the challenges of building competence in a new area. [13] The kind of critical thinking your professors are looking for—that is, pursuing a comprehensive, multi-faceted exploration in order to arrive at an arguable, nuanced argument—is inevitably a struggle and it may be an emotional one. Your best bet is to find ways to make those processes as efficient, pleasant, and effective as you can .

The thing no one tells you when you get to college is that critical thinking papers are professors’ favorites. College is all about learning how to think individual thoughts so you’ll have to do quite a few of them. Have no fear though; they do get easier with time. The first step? Think about what you want to focus on in the paper (aka your thesis) and go with it.

Kaethe Leonard

As Chapter 1 explains, the demands students face are not at all unique to their academic pursuits. Professional working roles demand critical thinking, as 81% of major employers reported in an AAC&U-commissioned survey , [14] and it’s pretty easy to imagine how critical thinking helps one make much better decisions in all aspects of life. Embrace it. And just as athletes, artists, and writers sustain their energy and inspiration for hard work by interacting with others who share these passions, look to others in the scholarly community—your professors and fellow students—to keep yourself engaged in these ongoing intellectual challenges. While writing time is often solitary, it’s meant to plug you into a vibrant academic community. What your professors want, overall, is for you to join them in asking and pursuing important questions about the natural, social, and creative worlds.

Other resources

• This website from the Capital Community College Foundation has some good advice about overcoming writer’s block. And student contributor Aly Button recommends this funny clip from SpongeBob Squarepants .
• The Foundation for Critical Thinking maintains a website with many useful articles and tools.
• The Online Writing Laboratory (OWL) at Purdue University is a wonderful set of resources for every aspect of college writing. Especially germane to this chapter is this summary of the most common types of writing assignments.
• This website , BrainBashers.com offers logic puzzles and other brain-teasers for your entertainment.
• Free-write on an assignment prompt. If you have one, do that one. If not, here’s one to practice with:A. “Please write a five-page paper analyzing the controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food supply.”B. What clarification questions would you like to ask your professor? What additional background knowledge do you need to deeply understand the topic? What are some starter ideas that could lead to a good thesis and intriguing argument?
• Find a couple of sample student papers from online paper mills such as this one (Google “free college papers”) and journals featuring excellent undergraduate writing (such as and prize-winning undergraduate papers (such as these from  the Norton Writers Prize ), and use the AAC&U rubric on critical thinking to evaluate them. Which descriptor in each row most closely fits the paper?
• Peter Elbow, Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process (Oxford University Press, 1981), 219. ↵
• Ibid., 220. ↵
• A lot of professors joke, “I teach for free. They pay me to grade.” ↵
• Keith Hjortshoj, The Transition to College Writing , 2nd Edition (New York: Norton, 2009), 4. ↵
• Most professors are perpetually frustrated with the “one-and-done” attitude that most students bring to their work, and some sequences are specifically designed to force you to really rethink your conclusions. ↵
• Terrel Rhodes, ed., Assessing Outcomes and Improving Achievement: Tips and Tools for Using Rubrics (Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2010). ↵
• Thank you, Mr. Bolger! ↵
• Ibid. ↵
• Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011). ↵
• Ibid., 44. ↵
• Ibid., 45. ↵
• Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (New York: Harper & Row, 1990). ↵
• Rosen, Jeffrey A., Elizabeth J. Glennie, Ben W. Dalton, Jean M. Lennon, and Robert N. Bozick. Noncognitive Skills in the Classroom: New Perspectives on Educational Research . RTI International. PO Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194, 2010. ↵
• Hart Research Associates, Raising the Bar , 9. ↵

Writing in College Copyright © 2016 by Amy Guptill is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

Feedback/errata.

Comments are closed.

Additional Navigation and Search

• Search Icon

Accessibility Options

Understanding your assignment.

The first step in the writing process is to carefully examine the assignment. Don't underestimate the importance of spending a few minutes to think about what your professor is looking for. A well-written paper can receive a lower grade simply because it does not meet the requirements of the assignment. Here are some strategies for decoding a prompt:

• Look for key words. Look for words in the assignment that indicate what type of writing the professor wants you to produce. Such words help you frame your paper, find your audience, and generate the type of writing your professor expects. For example, there is a difference between "summarize" and "analyze." Be aware of the meanings of words like "discuss", "evaluate", "explain", "describe", and "define." If you aren't sure what your professor means by a certain word in the assignment, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.
• Know the purpose of the paper. Once you've figured out what the assignment is telling you, think about how you will write to fulfill the expectations of your audience. The assignment may require you to persuade your reader, compare and contrast ideas, or summarize an author's point of view. Considering your purpose at this point will make it easier for you to figure out what kind of thesis you'll need when you start to write the paper.
• Fulfill the criteria in the prompt. This point may seem self-evident, but it's important! It's easy to get off-topic when you're in the brainstorming stage. When considering your ideas, look back at the assignment to make sure you're still within the parameters set by your professor. Be aware of the specific details of the assignment and know your audience, word limit, and other guidelines.
• Ask for clarity. Sometimes professors make assignments vague or open-ended so that you have an opportunity to work on a topic that interests you. If you don't understand the assignment, if you're having trouble developing a topic, or if you're worried that your topic may stray from your assignment, ask your professor for guidance or visit the Writing Center.

Additional Site Navigation

Social media links, additional navigation links.

• Alumni Resources & Events
• Athletics & Wellness
• Campus Calendar
• Parent & Family Resources

Helpful Information

Dining hall hours, next trains to philadelphia, next trico shuttles.

Swarthmore Traditions

How to Plan Your Classes

The Swarthmore Bucket List

Search the website