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Online Guide to Writing and Research The Writing Process

Prewriting

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.

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

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

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:

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

Assignment uses the following directive wording:When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Define, label, list, name, repeat, order, arrange, memorize When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Memorize, recall, and present information
Describe, indicate, restate, explain, review, summarize, classify When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Interpret information in your own words
Apply, illustrate, prepare, solve, use, sketch, operate, practice, calculate When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Apply knowledge to new situations
Analyze, categorize, compare, test, distinguish, examine, contrast When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Break down knowledge into parts and show relationships among parts
Arrange, compose, formulate, organize, plan, assemble, construct When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Bring together parts of knowledge to form a whole; build relationships for new situations
Appraise, evaluate, conclude, judge, predict, compare, score When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Make judgments based on criteria; support, confirm preferences
Use supporting examples, cite passages from the text, paraphrase, summarize When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Quote or paraphrase to support what you have written
Provide corroborating evidence, reference other works, research, cite examples from case studies When your instructor expects you to do the following:
Use outside research to support your thesis or hypothesis

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. 

 


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Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing