Understanding Your Assignments

In order to successfully complete your assignment you need to read it thoroughly! Taking this action within the first couple of hours of receiving the instructions for your term paper or project can cut down on stress. It also allows you time to ask your professor any questions you may have about the assignment.

Hint: Your instructor may not always be available to answer questions that you might have about your assignments. If this occurs you can ask a Librarian. It is helpful to bring a copy of your assignment with you to the UTPA Library.

In order to understand the assignment you are going to have to ask yourself a number of questions.

1. Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?
2. • Work is usually given for more than just a grade or so that your instructor can access your understanding of the material. An important question is what is your professor trying to teach in giving you this assignment?
3. Who is your audience?
   • Are you writing this assignment for just your professor? Is it going to be read by your peers or presented to other academics? These questions are important in determining how to focus your paper.
4. What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?
   • Once you know who your audience is you can then better understand what type of information you need. For example, in a persuasive speech to your fellow classmates you may only need facts and figures from a popular magazine or newspaper.
5. What writing style is acceptable?
   • This is a question that will be answered either in the instructions for your assignment or by your professor. These are not absolute rules for the paper, but whether or not your instructor wants you to write in first or third person. This also instructs you on how formal or informal the writing in the assignment should be.
6. What are the absolute rules of the paper?
   • These are the instructions that describe the format of the assignment. For example:
     • Citations will be done in APA style.
     • You will write a minimum of four pages double spaced.
     • The paper will be in New Time Roman 12 point script.

* Created using information and ideas from the Understanding Assignments Handout from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Understanding Assignments Handout. 2007. 04-10-2009. http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/readassign.html.