In this section, you’ll find resources on choosing and narrowing a topic, developing and generating ideas, and organizing your ideas to help you get started on your assignment.
Before you start writing, it’s important to make sure that you understand the assignment requirements. Use the resources below to interpret your assignment and manage your time while drafting.
Deciphering writing expectations earlier in the process will make working on your assignment easier.
Verb: | Writing Tasks: |
Define, Describe, Summarize, Explain |
Expository writing. Used to explain/inform through facts or ideas. Your language should be concise and direct, with few figurative images or words.
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Argue, Persuade, Convince |
Persuasive writing. Used to convince the reader that your opinion is correct in regards to an issue.
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Compare, Evaluate, Compare and Contrast |
Compare/Contrast. Look for similarities and differences in the subjects and make a point or clarify a purpose. |
Analyze, Assess, Evaluate, Synthesize |
Analysis. Discuss how each part of something contributes to the whole by answering the questions how and why.
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The assignment calculator time management tool to help you generate a step-by-step calendar for your assignment.
Selecting a topic will help you narrow down what to research. Use the resources below to help you decide on a topic, narrow the topic if necessary, and to develop a question that guides your research
This resource offers strategies for selecting a topic and conducting initial research to see if the topic is appropriate for the scope of your assignment.
Consider the following techniques for topic selection:
Sometimes, a research topic can be too much to cover for the scope of your assignment. This resources provides strategies for narrowing the scope of your topic to better align with the length requirements of your assignment.
Planning your draft can save you time during the writing process. The resources below provide strategies for planning your paper in both linear and holistic ways, depending on your learning style.
This template illustrates how you can outline the argument, supporting evidence, and analysis for your paper.
When developing your argument, it’s important to think about how your thesis statement is supported by claims and evidence. A thesis statement is a short statement that introduces the argument of your paper as a whole. A claim is a debatable assertion or position that requires support. Claims build off one another in order to develop an argument over the course of an essay. Generally, every paragraph in your paper should begin with a claim, and each claim should be supported by evidence, the proof that validates your claim. Since each paragraph should have a claim supported by evidence, you can use claims and evidence to outline your paper, paragraph by paragraph. For a visual portrayal of how evidence and claims work together to support a thesis statement, see the image below:
See our sample outline for more information about outlining your paper.
This template helps you develop connections and relationships between different aspects of your research topic.