Student Writing Assignment

College and university-level coursework is full of various assignments. These

assignments are the way that instructors gauge student understanding of the

information presented and how they encourage students to initiate further study of

the topic. One of the most unwelcome assignments for most students is the writing

assignment.

Although many students do not terribly mind being assigned a mcessay, they shiver

at the thought of writing a research paper. In terms of writing assignments, the essay

is considered more free-form and easier to compose than the research paper

assignment which generally requires a great deal of research. But, what many

students do not understand is that a well-written college essay should also be backed

by sound research. So, perhaps the groans that the instructor hears when handing out

the research paper assignment, are due to the perception of the work, not the actual

work itself.

After receiving a writing assignment, students need to prepare their work according

to the requirements of the course as well as the standard guidelines for writing

papers. All papers, whether the assignment is an essay or a research paper, must have

a beginning, a middle, and an end. In paper writing, this means that a student must

create an introduction, a paper body, and a conclusion.

In addition to the writing of the paper, the assignment generally includes preparing

and submitting a bibliography, or references, page. Although an essay might require

research, there may be no actual requirement to submit a list of references as part of

the assignment. A research paper assignment nearly always requires including a list

of references.

It is important to pay close attention to the citation style required for the writing

assignment. As part of the assignment, the instructor will clearly indicate what type

of formatting to use. The instructor will generally indicate what size font to use, what

size margins, and what citation style to use. Common citation styles are APA, MLA,

Chicago, Turabian, and Harvard. If the instructor does not indicate anything other

than citation style, a quick look at a style guide should uncover the formatting

requirements for the assignment or the student can apply to the top essay writing

services. Each style has very specific requirements which should be closely adhered

to since most instructors will weigh the quality of the paper at least partially

according to the student’s ability to present the proper style. An assignment that

doesn’t include specific style and formatting instructions should be presented with

12-point Times New Roman or Arial font and one-inch margins all around.

However, should the instructor fail to give specific instructions, it is always a good

idea for a student to ask for clarification.