your writing assignments will be graded according to the course

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Online Guide to Writing and Research

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• 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

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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

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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