Quick Help: Analyzing an assignment for a research project

Quick Help: Analyzing an assignment for a research project

  • If you have been assigned a specific research project, keep in mind the key words in that assignment. Does the assignment ask that you describe, survey, analyze, persuade, explain, classify, compare, or contrast? What do such words mean in this field?

  • What is your purpose? Do you have a choice about the purpose of your assignment? If you can choose the purpose, what would you like to accomplish? Your purpose will affect the kinds of sources you need to find.

  • Who is the audience for this writing? Does the task imply that you will assume a particular readership besides your instructor? What kinds of evidence will you need to convince these readers?

  • What is your attitude or stance toward your topic? What influences have shaped your stance?

  • How many sources should you use? Does your instructor require certain kinds of sources? If so, what kinds?

  • Should you do library research, Internet research, field research, or a combination?

  • How does your instructor expect you to document your sources? Will you need to use a formal documentation style such as MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE?

  • What does the instructor expect from your response to this assignment? Are the genre and medium defined, or can you choose one? How long will the finished project be?

  • When is the project due? Are any preliminary materials—a working bibliography, a thesis, an outline, a first draft—due before this date? Create a schedule for your project (a sample schedule is shown here).