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Assignment Calculator

A Time Management Tool for Researching and Writing Your Paper

Step 1 – Understanding the Assignment

Key Points

  1. Do not wait to read the assignment!
  2. Ask yourself questions while re-reading the assignment. If you cannot answer these questions using the assignment, there are people that can help.
  3. Find keywords in the assignment to better clarify what you are being asked to do.

This is the first of ten steps needed to effectively complete your research assignment on time. As you go through the steps, there will be examples of two assignments, one for an English literature class and the other pertaining to climate change, to help put these ideas into context.

Image of ink and feather pen

Example One: Assignment for an English Literature Class

Image of a piece of paper with an Engl 144 assignment. For this assignment compare two of Shakespeare's plays we have studied so far. Besides reading the two plays, get information from journal articles and other publications that contain theater reviews. Compare how the female characters are being portrayed in these plays.

 

Image of a sun

Example Two: Assignment pertaining to climate change

Image of a piece paper with an Environmental Studies 10 Analysis Paper assignment. For your environmental paper you can choose the topic. As you start researching topics in the library, find one that is not too broad or specific. For example, "global warming" is too broad and will need further investigating.

 

There are many types of class projects your professor can assign you, including a research paper, a speech, or a portion of a group presentation. These assignments are an opportunity to show your professor that you understand what is being taught and can learn on your own.

Note! Completing projects your professors assign you is a process. They take time! Do not wait until later to read what your professor gave you. It might look straightforward, but an assignment typically requires multiple steps to complete and might require you to learn a new skill.

Read the assignment! The first thing to do is read the assignment your professor gave you. An assignment can be in the form of a handout, a paragraph on your syllabus, or a page in Canvas.

Now re-read it!
Now that you have read through the assignment once and understand its overall purpose, it is time to break down the main points that must be understood.

To break down your professor’s assignment, here are questions to ask yourself while you re-read your assignment. Highlight or underline important phrases.

  1. Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task? What is the purpose?
  2. Who is your audience? (Other classmates, your instructor, a general audience?)
  3. What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas? (Articles, books, statistics, interviews?)
  4. What kind of writing style is acceptable?
  5. What are the paper requirements? (The due date, how many pages, what citation style is required?)
  6. How will the assignment be evaluated?

Did you find answers to all of the questions?
Don’t worry if you still have unanswered questions or if re-reading the assignment created new questions. This is the beginning of your assignment, and it is the perfect opportunity to ask your professor, your classmates or a librarian.

Resources to help you on your journey!
Your Professor
Photo of a teacher and a class of students raising their hands.

Your Classmates
Photo of two students studying in the King Library

Writing Center
Photo of two students studying in the Writing Center
Peer Connections
Photo of two students walking into the Peer Connections room at SJSU		 SJSU Librarian
Photo of a librarian helping to students at the King Library		  

Another big question to ask yourself is “What type of assignment is this?” The words your professor uses in the assignment can give you a clue.The definition of these words can better describe what your instructor wants.

Image of a ink container and feather pen

Here is an example: The above English literature assignment asked you to “…compare two of Shakespeare’s plays…”. What the instructor wants you to do is break down ideas in each play and find aspects of them that are similar to each other.

Here are more examples of words found in your assignment and what they mean.

Keywords

  • Analyze : Determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important.
  • Compare: Show how they are the same.
  • Contrast: Show how they differ.
  • Criticize: Examine the pros and cons and give your own opinion.
  • Defend: Give details that prove it or show its value.
  • Define: Give the meaning.
  • Describe: Give details and examples that show what it is.
  • Discuss: Examine from all angles.
  • Evaluate: Give your opinion as to the advantages and disadvantages.
  • Explain why/how : Show how or why something happened.
  • Illustrate: Give examples.
  • Prove: Give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
  • Summarize / Outline: Give the main points.

Now that you have most of the questions answered, it is time to take action. When you are ready, proceed to Step 2: Work with Your Topic about how to choose a topic for your assignment.

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“Keywords” is from The Assignment Research Calculator by the Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, California at https://www.lib.csufresno.edu/tools/arc/understanding.