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Step 1: Read the assignment carefully.

Before you begin researching and writing, it’s important to understand exactly what the assignment is asking you to do. Pay particular attention to verbs and other keywords that will define your approach/kind of thinking. Be on the lookout for what the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill calls:

Information words (describe the subject).
Relation words (connect concepts).
Interpretation words (form your own ideas).

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Step 1: Read the assignment carefully (continued).

Note any style/formatting requirements, such as:

Number of pages
Required font and size
Minimum number of citations and what kind of resources these should be
Citation format (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago)

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Step 2: Consider your audience.

Who are you writing the paper for? The obvious answer is your professor, but this may not be the best way to think about it. Amy Guptill (2016) explains that approaching an academic paper this way is counter to normal information flow—from someone who has understanding of a topic to someone who doesn’t. She recommends that you set your audience as a ”group of peers who have some introductory knowledge of the field but are unfamiliar with the specific topic you’re discussing.”

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Step 3: Put it in context.

There is a learning-related purpose for all assignments, and it’s important to consider what this may be. Once again, Guptill (2016) suggests considering questions such as:

Why did my instructor give me the assignment?
How does the assignment fit the course’s learning goals?
Why is the question/topic/problem so important to my professor that she is willing to spend evenings and weekends reading and commenting on several dozen novice papers on it?

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Step 3: Put it in context (Continued).

Does this assignment relate to any other assignments in the course? Is it related to a particular concept or unit? If so, how?

Did your instructor supply a rubric? If so, be sure to read this closely and consider it to be a roadmap.

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Step 4: Ask clarifying questions.

If something does not make sense, but sure to ask your instructor for clarification. However, consider how to ask. According to Guptill (2016), there is an etiquette to this process (see next slide).

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Potentially annoying questions	Preferable alternatives
I don’t get it. Can you explain this more? or What do you want us to do?	I see that we are comparing and contrasting these two cases. What should be our focus? Their causes? Their impacts? Their implications? All of those things? or I’m unfamiliar with how art historians analyze a painting. Could you say more about what questions I should have in mind to do this kind of analysis?
How many sources do we have to cite?	Is there a typical range for the number of sources a well written paper would cite for this assignment? or Could you say more about what the sources are for? Is it more that we’re analyzing these texts in this paper, or are we using these texts to analyze some other case?
What do I have to do to get an A on this paper?	Could I meet with you to get feedback on my (pre-prepared) plans/outline/thesis/draft? or I’m not sure how to approach this assignment. Are there any good examples or resources you could point me to?

Source: Guptill (2016)

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References:

Guptill, A. (2016). What Does the Professor Want? Understanding the Assignment. In Writing in College. Open SUNY Textbooks. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/writing-in-college-from-competence-to-excellence/chapter/what-does-the-professor-want-understanding-the-assignment/

The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (n.d.). Understanding Assignments. The Writing Center. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/understanding-assignments/

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