understand your assignment

Nothing is worse

 than writing a great paper

but

 one that has not

 answered the assignment

The fist step is to understand your assignment

Know exactly 

WHAT
you are writing

Know exactly 

WHY
you are writing

Know exactly 

WHO
you are writing for

Carefully reading your assignment 

will help you to know 

what is being asked of you.

Look for topic guidelines

 having to do with 

  • length 
  • style
  • intended audience

Also 

pay attention to 

the type of 

information sources 

allowed 

or 

preferred

For example 

some assignments 

will require you to use 

academic 

peer-reviewed 

articles only

These details are meant to

 guide you 

and help you focus 

on the most important parts

 of an assignment

 

TASK ANALYSIS

Use key verbs in assignment to clarify tasks

key verb:

compare


asks you to:
emphasize similiarities

key verb:

contrast


asks you to:
emphasize differences

key verb:

define


asks you to:
give clear, concise meanings of concepts

key verb:

discuss


asks you to:
consider different possibilities

key verb:

list


asks you to:
state points clearly and in concise form

key verb:

evaluate


asks you to:
judge advantages and disadvantages

key verb:

explain


asks you to:
clarify by stating cause and effect or reasons

key verb:

prove


asks you to:
establish truth through factual evidence and logic

key verb:

summarize


asks you to:
restate another's point in your own words

key verb:

trace


asks you to:
describe historical sequence or development

My assignment does not have any of those key verbs

Ask yourself and the assignment these questions

What questions 

and claims 

are 

explicit

 in the assignment

What questions and claims are


implicit

 
in the assignment

Which words 

in the directions 

command my attention? 

Why?

What do 

I understand 

about the assignment?

What questions do I still have? 


Where can I go for answers?

Let's analyze 

an example assignment 

that has no action verbs 

to guide you

understand your assignment

By Ryer Banta

understand your assignment

  • 498