13.1: Understanding Research Assignments

One of the most common assignments you will encounter in college is the research essay. While this chapter incorporates some suggestions that are particular to the kind of writing you will be asked to do in your Composition courses, most of the information also applies to assignments from other disciplines as well. Though the specific topics you focus on may differ in a history class versus a biology class, for example, both classes require you to write essays that incorporate credible research to support a specific claim, be it informative or argumentative in nature. Even in your Composition classes, different assignments will require different approaches to the research process, so it is important to pay close attention to the kind of research essay you are being asked to produce.

When presented with a new research paper assignment, consider the following questions:

1. What are the objectives of the assignment?
2. What are the requirements of the assignment?
3. How much time do I have to complete the assignment?
4. How will the instructor assess whether or not I have met the objectives of the assignment?

Your instructor may specifically ask you to think through questions like this in class via an activity like an assignment sheet annotation to ensure that any immediate questions or points of confusion can be addressed before you begin brainstorming. In cases where this is not as feasible (in an online class, for instance), try to work through the questions on your own, checking with your instructor if you feel any uncertainty about their expectations. Below, we will focus on each of the questions in detail.

1. What are the objectives of the assignment?

Every assignment is designed to achieve a specific goal or objective. For example, a common objective for a research essay, typically assigned toward the end of the semester as a capstone project, is to demonstrate that a student can competently support a strong claim, incorporate a variety of credible sources, and unify their ideas via logically-organized, well-written paragraphs. Instructors also use research assignments to assess students’ ability to adhere to conventions within a specific field and demonstrate a deep understanding of the course material. There is a reason so many of your instructors assign research projects: they are a handy tool for assessing a multitude of skills at once! Your instructor will usually list their specific objectives near the top of an assignment sheet, and these will be measurable. The example below, taken from a real EG 101 assignment sheet for a final research essay, illustrates this well.

Example Research Assignment

The final version of this essay should demonstrate the student's ability to:

• make a cohesive argument unified by a strong thesis, clear topic sentences, and robust paragraphs that incorporate claims, evidence, and analysis/explanation
• adhere to conventions of a specific discipline via MLA formatting and citation
• locate and effectively engage with scholarly and popular sources to support/challenge their own position
• engage in deliberate proofreading and revision that results in a polished, professional, virtually error-free draft

Based on this list, students know exactly what their instructor will prioritize when assessing their final paper. As they draft and revise throughout the writing cycle, they can return to this list of objectives to make sure their paper aligns with the instructor’s expectations. Be sure to check the “Objectives” section of your own assignment sheets before beginning your research project.

2. What are the requirements of the assignment?

Before you can begin your research, you need to know the parameters of the assignment. Are you able to choose your own topic, or will you be given one? Will you need to find popular sources, scholarly sources, or a mixture of the two? Will you need to inform or persuade your audience? Should you follow MLA or APA style when citing your sources? How long should the paper be when you’re done?

You must be able to answer all of these questions confidently before you can even begin brainstorming. If your instructor will be assigning topics, for instance, you will not need to identify and narrow topic ideas. If you must use scholarly journal articles only, you will need to familiarize yourself with the Butler library databases rather than engaging in general web searches. Informative thesis statements will look different than persuasive ones, and different citation styles will, of course, approach source integration differently. Similarly, a five-page paper will require you to take a different approach than a ten-page paper. Reviewing the basic requirements of an assignment and asking questions when you feel uncertainty will set you up for success.

3. How much time do I have to complete the assignment?

Because formal research essays are more involved than less formal kinds of essays, many instructors will use “scaffolding” to help students build up to the final paper over the course of several weeks. In most cases, your instructor will introduce the assignment and then require you to complete a series of smaller assignments that help you to brainstorm, locate sources, outline, draft, and revise in stages. If you follow along with these stages, you will receive feedback early and often, which will help you to avoid procrastination and stay on the right track as you develop your paper. (Students who do not follow along with these stages almost always score lower on their final papers, in part because they have rushed the process and not taken advantage of the opportunity to get feedback before the final due date.) If your instructor gives you four weeks to complete an assignment, it is critical that you continue to work on the assignment outside of class to make full use of this time.

4. How will the instructor assess whether or not I have met the objectives of the assignment?

As discussed earlier, most instructors will include a clear list of objectives as part of an assignment sheet, so that list will be your first window into the assessment criteria for your particular research project. Many instructors will also use detailed rubrics as part of their formal grading process, and you can usually access these rubrics ahead of time via the assignment drop box within your Canvas course. (If your instructor collects hard copies of papers for grading, they will usually walk you through their specific grading criteria either verbally or via a paper rubric.) Above all, if you feel any confusion about expectations at any point of the research process, you should reach out to your instructor for clarification.