Understanding the Assignment
Successful academic writing starts with identifying the stated and unstated expectations of the assignment. If you don’t understand the assignment, you will have trouble starting and might put effort into the wrong things. If you are still unsure how to proceed after following these steps, ask your instructor. And if you want support at any point in the writing process, including reading through the assignment, make an appointment with GSD's Writing Services at Frances Loeb Library.
Stated expectations
- Type (ex. reading response, policy memo, ekphrasis. See GSD Writing)
- Length
- Due Date
- Format
- Required texts/research
- Skills to demonstrate (analyze, argue, interpret, critique, compare)
- Rubric (if you have one, rubrics identify key expectations and how important each is to your grade)
Unstated expectations
- Frameworks/procedures to apply (demonstrate learning from class models)
- Audience and situation
- Voice
- Rigor
- Clarity
For more tips, please visit the Harvard College Writing Center's Tips for Reading an Assignment Prompt.
Brainstorming Techniques
If your topic has a key term, use a dictionary or a thesaurus to look for its definition, synonyms, and antonyms. There might be useful clues to your argument there. As an extra perk, the thesauruses will improve your vocabulary!
For rapid ideation, set a defined amount of time and generate as many ideas as possible, even if they seem silly or unreasonable. After you finish, identify which ideas can be further developed in your writing.
Mind mapping consists of freely associating new ideas with an original, central idea. It works better when approached visually. Try sticking post-its on a wall, writing on a big piece of paper, or using websites like Miro, Notion, or Figma.
Freewriting is when you write down anything that might come to mind during a set amount of time. Don't worry about grammar, spelling, or even if the writing makes sense. The idea is to turn off your inner perfectionist and get ideas out of your brain, even if those ideas are "I can't think of anything to write right now."
For free association, dissect a topic into its keywords and do a free word association around these. For example, you might get a prompt that asks you to "Explore the concept of biophilic design in contemporary architecture. Discuss how integrating natural elements into built environments can enhance well-being and productivity." For this, you can pinpoint the terms biophilic, well-being, and productivity and try to define them in your own words.
Starbursting involves defining the W's of your topic: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. For this to work, you will need to formulate questions such as, "Who is the target audience?"
Adding new perspectives to your topic might help you organize your thoughts and arguments for a paper or essay, and may help you find different ideas. Here are a few different perspectives for you to consider: describe, compare, analyze, argue for and against it
Identifying an Audience
The impact of your work depends on how you communicate it. Before you write, think about the knowledge base and expectations of your target audience – from your professor to policymakers to private clients to community representatives – so you can strategically adjust your tone, better curate your examples, and guarantee you convey your message effectively.
Identify your audience |
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Who will read this? Most of the writing done in the GSD has your peers and professors as an audience. However, some assignments might model modes of writing in your profession for other audiences. And if you are writing for publications, you will need to adjust your approach to match the expectations of their audience. |
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What is their prior knowledge on the subject? Defining the knowledge base of your audience will ensure that you provide the right kind and amount of information. If it is a knowledgeable audience, avoid unnecessary explanations. If you are addressing a more general audience, you should avoid using jargon and make sure you are explaining the basic concepts. |
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What do they care about? The goal here is to make your writing relatable, appealing, and convincing. Make sure the topics you are covering are connected to your audience’s interests and concerns. Do they have competing interests or areas of resistance that you will need to address? What would convince and inspire them? |
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Connect with your audience |
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Credibility (Ethos): Present yourself and your work as informed, unbiased, and open-minded by referencing well-respected scholars, experts, and precedents. Address potential alternative viewpoints or options. What can you say that will earn the trust of your specific audience? |
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Emotion (Pathos): Inspire, engage, and motivate your audience by including relevant vivid stories or examples, appealing to your audience’s pre-existing feelings related to the topic (ex. concern about pollution, desire for community, anger about inequality). Craft your language to evoke the senses and strategically speed up or slow down the reading experience (short sentences for moments of dramatic impact; longer sentences for contemplation and calm). |
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Logic (Logos): Construct your argument using well-organized and detailed reasoning. Clarify causes and effects, explain how your examples support your claim, and compare cases by identifying the specifics points of comparison and what they reveal to you. Help your audience understand how you arrived at your conclusions by walking them through your thought process step by step. |
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Planning
"Chunking" Assignments
- Make assignments feel more manageable by breaking them down into smaller pieces or steps. Use the assignment prompt to identify some of these pieces and your own experience to know how long you can work on one thing before you need a break.
- Set goals for yourself and use checklists.
- You can also write down the parts of an assignment on index cards and arrange them visually to help you decide what order to do them in.
Time Management
Organizing
- Outlining
- Mapping & charting
- Managing sources: Zotero, Powernotes, spreadsheets