You may have just been assigned a paper or research project for a class. You may also be wondering where to even begin with your assignment. 

Here’s a plan to help you start:

1. Read the assignment / essay prompt very carefully. This is especially important if you are writing a timed essay. Be sure to take note of the verbs the assignment uses (i.e. “Analyze,” “Determine,” or “Explain.”) Also, be sure you understand the nature or genre of the assignment. Is this a lab report for chemistry? An annotated bibliography? A literary analysis? Persuasive essay? Understanding the assignment is key to creating a successful paper. Never be afraid to ask your instructor for clarification. They are there to help! 

2. Select your topic:  Now that you understand the assignment prompt, it is time to select a topic. Your topic should be specific and targeted, as this will make research easier. Make sure your topic is also not set in stone. Be flexible in your thinking and be prepared to adapt your topic based on your research.

3. Create a plan: There are many different techniques for brainstorming for your paper. It may help you to just free write, or you can use techniques like mind-mapping, making bullet points, or creating a cluster/web. Once you have your ideas down, you can create an outline for your paper. Group your ideas from your brainstorms together to create a logical order and flow for your paper. 

4. Lastly, create a thesis for your paper. You can find more information about writing a thesis in the “thesis” section of this Writing Hub (add link). You can find more information about the research process on the Library webpage (add link)

A Note on AI: You may choose to use an AI tool such as Gemini or ChatGPT to help you outline your paper. These tools can be useful for generating ideas and organizing your research. See “Using AI for Pre-Writing” section.

As you think about your paper, you need to consider the audience, form, and purpose. This is also known as the “rhetorical situation.” 

First, consider your audience. Knowing the target audience helps us better craft our argument. Think about this: you are watching The Super Bowl and see a commercial for a new truck. This commercial is probably aimed towards men, specifically the kind of men who watch football. Now consider this: a Democratic candidate is giving a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Later, that same candidate is giving a speech in a traditionally Republican state. How might they craft that message differently? These same principles apply to any writing that you produce, whether that’s a marketing video, a post on social media, or an assignment for a course.

Next, consider the form of your writing. You already know that you write a text message differently from how you would write a work email. You probably also know that you would write differently based on what social media platform you use. The same principles apply to your assignments. You will write a persuasive essay differently from an informational one. You will also write a literature review differently from an annotated bibliography. Understanding the form is important to being successful in your writing.

Lastly, consider the purpose of your writing. Let’s think back to the Super Bowl commercial. The purpose of that, as with most commercials, is to convince you to purchase something. The purpose of your writing might be to persuade your reader, whereas the purpose of a literature review is to survey current research to discover gaps that you might fill. The purpose of an academic, peer-reviewed article is to disseminate knowledge on the subject, usually to other subject experts.

By understanding the rhetorical situation of your writing, you will be better able to be successful in your purpose. Overall, think about the ways in which your target audience will interact with and experience your writing. This will help you be more successful in your purpose.

When working on a writing project, it is important to focus on the process and not just the product. With this in mind, always be sure to build in time to revise and edit your assignments. 

Here are some strategies that you can use to revise your writing:

• Step away from your paper: when you give yourself some space from your paper and read it again, it is much easier to find mistakes. You may also find that you can be more objective about your thesis and ideas. 

• Reverse outlining: This is a way to ensure that your argument is clear and flows well. This technique involves going through your paper paragraph by paragraph, finding the main idea of each paragraph, and writing that main idea on a separate piece of paper. Make sure that each paragraph has one topic and relates back to your thesis. From here, see if you need to break up larger paragraphs, reorder paragraphs, or delete sections if necessary.

• Read your paper aloud. This can help you to hear the mistakes that you might not otherwise see.

• Get feedback. You may be able to get feedback from your instructor on your assignment. If this is not an option, pair up with a classmate or group of classmates to read over each other’s papers. Even professional writers and academics will frequently work together in community to improve their writing.

Editing your paper is a different process from revising. While revising involves reworking the ideas and structure of your paper, editing your paper involves more fine-tuning and polishing. In this step, you should proofread your paper, checking for spelling and grammatical errors. This is also where you should ensure that your paper is formatted correctly, especially keeping in mind any specific instructions that you may have been given.