LibGuides at USA: EH 102: The 1960s (Halbrooks): Step 1: Understand the Assignment

Why?

In order to complete an assignment successfully, you need to understand it - its purpose, your audience, the type of evidence you'll need to support your ideas, the writing style you should use, and the rules of the assignment (such as the due date, length, and citation style requirements). Understanding your assignment is an essential first step towards a good English Composition paper.

How?

Read the assignment carefully when it is assigned, and again before you begin working on the assignment.
Ask your instructor questions if you don’t understand any part of the assignment.

Helpful Resources

Reading Assignments
Handout from the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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From the handout: "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 directions and help you 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."
Annotated Bibliographies at Purdue OWL
This handout from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University provides information about annotated bibliographies, including samples and examples in MLA, APA, and CMS styles.