In college-level writing, assignments that are only<\/em> summary are rare. That said, many types of writing tasks contain at least some element of summary, from a biology\u00a0report that explains what happened during a\u00a0chemical process, to an analysis essay that requires you to explain\u00a0what several prominent positions about gun control are,\u00a0as a component of\u00a0comparing them against one another.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Many writing tasks will\u00a0ask you to address a particular topic or a narrow set of topic options. Even with the topic\u00a0identified, however,\u00a0it can sometimes be difficult to determine what aspects of the writing will be most important when it comes to grading.<\/p>\r\n Although the topic may be defined,\u00a0you can\u2019t just grind out four or five pages of discussion, explanation, or analysis. It may seem strange, but even when you\u2019re asked to \u201cshow how\u201d or \u201cillustrate,\u201d you\u2019re still being asked to make an argument. You must shape and focus that discussion or analysis so that it supports a claim <\/b>that you discovered and formulated and that all of your discussion and explanation develops and supports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Defined-topic writing assignments are used primarily to identify your familiarity with the subject matter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The first hurdle with this type of task is to find a focus that interests you. Don\u2019t just pick something you feel will be \u201ceasy to write about\u201d\u2014that almost always turns out to be a false assumption. Instead, you\u2019ll get the most value out of, and find it easier to work on, a topic that intrigues you personally in some way.<\/p>\r\n The same getting-started ideas described for\u00a0defined-topic assignments will help with these kinds of projects, too. \u00a0You can also try talking with your instructor or a writing tutor (at your college\u2019s writing center) to help brainstorm ideas and make sure you\u2019re on track. You want to feel confident that you\u2019ve got a clear idea of what it means to be successful in the writing and not\u00a0waste time working in a direction that won\u2019t be\u00a0fruitful.<\/p>\r\n Writing assignments can be as varied as the instructors who assign them. Some assignments are explicit about what exactly you\u2019ll need to do, in what order, and how it will be graded. Some assignments are very open-ended, leaving you to determine the best path toward answering the project. Most fall somewhere in the middle, containing details about some aspects but leaving other assumptions unstated. It\u2019s important to remember that your first resource for getting clarification about an assignment is your instructor\u2014she or he will be very willing to talk out ideas with you, to be sure you\u2019re prepared at each step to do well with the writing.<\/p>\n Most writing in college will\u00a0be a direct response to class materials\u2014an assigned reading, a discussion in class, an experiment in a lab. Generally speaking, these writing tasks can be divided into three broad categories.<\/p>\n Being asked to summarize a source is a common task\u00a0in many types of writing. It can also seem like a straightforward task: simply restate, in shorter form, what the source says. A lot of advanced skills are hidden in this seemingly simple assignment, however.<\/p>\n An effective summary does the\u00a0following:<\/p>\n That last point is often the most challenging: we are opinionated creatures, by nature, and it can be very difficult to keep our opinions from creeping into a summary, which is meant to be completely neutral.<\/p>\n In college-level writing, assignments that are only<\/em> summary are rare. That said, many types of writing tasks contain at least some element of summary, from a biology\u00a0report that explains what happened during a\u00a0chemical process, to an analysis essay that requires you to explain\u00a0what several prominent positions about gun control are,\u00a0as a component of\u00a0comparing them against one another.<\/p>\n Many writing tasks will\u00a0ask you to address a particular topic or a narrow set of topic options. Even with the topic\u00a0identified, however,\u00a0it can sometimes be difficult to determine what aspects of the writing will be most important when it comes to grading.<\/p>\n Although the topic may be defined,\u00a0you can\u2019t just grind out four or five pages of discussion, explanation, or analysis. It may seem strange, but even when you\u2019re asked to \u201cshow how\u201d or \u201cillustrate,\u201d you\u2019re still being asked to make an argument. You must shape and focus that discussion or analysis so that it supports a claim <\/b>that you discovered and formulated and that all of your discussion and explanation develops and supports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Defined-topic writing assignments are used primarily to identify your familiarity with the subject matter.<\/p>\n Another writing assignment you\u2019ll potentially encounter is one in which\u00a0the topic may be only broadly identified\u00a0(\u201cwater conservation\u201d in an ecology course, for instance, or \u201cthe Dust Bowl\u201d in a U.S. History course), or even completely open (\u201ccompose an argumentative research essay on a subject of your choice\u201d).<\/p>\n The first hurdle with this type of task is to find a focus that interests you. Don\u2019t just pick something you feel will be \u201ceasy to write about\u201d\u2014that almost always turns out to be a false assumption. Instead, you\u2019ll get the most value out of, and find it easier to work on, a topic that intrigues you personally in some way.<\/p>\n The same getting-started ideas described for\u00a0defined-topic assignments will help with these kinds of projects, too. \u00a0You can also try talking with your instructor or a writing tutor (at your college\u2019s writing center) to help brainstorm ideas and make sure you\u2019re on track. You want to feel confident that you\u2019ve got a clear idea of what it means to be successful in the writing and not\u00a0waste time working in a direction that won\u2019t be\u00a0fruitful.<\/p>\n Improve this page<\/a>Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t Defined-Topic Assignments<\/h2>\r\n
![\"Young](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/04\/19153820\/8416811863_758c0eea1d_z-300x200.jpg\")
Often, the handout or other written text explaining the assignment\u2014what professors call the assignment prompt<\/span><\/strong>\u2014will explain the purpose of the assignment, the required parameters (length, number and type of sources, referencing style, etc.), and the criteria for evaluation. Sometimes, though\u2014especially when you are new to a field\u2014you will encounter the baffling situation in which you comprehend every single sentence in the prompt but still have absolutely no idea how to approach the assignment. No one is doing anything wrong in a situation like that. It just means that further discussion of the assignment is in order. Below\u00a0are some tips:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n \t
Undefined-Topic Assignments<\/h2>\r\nAnother writing assignment you\u2019ll potentially encounter is one in which\u00a0the topic may be only broadly identified\u00a0(\u201cwater conservation\u201d in an ecology course, for instance, or \u201cthe Dust Bowl\u201d in a U.S. History course), or even completely open (\u201ccompose an argumentative research essay on a subject of your choice\u201d).\r\n\r\n
![\"Sketch](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/04\/19154215\/8938620135_876a91494f_z-300x225.jpg\")
Where defined-topic essays demonstrate your knowledge of the content<\/em>, undefined-topic assignments are used to demonstrate your skills\u2014<\/em>your ability to perform academic research, to synthesize ideas, and to apply the various stages of the writing process.\r\nContribute!<\/h2>
Summary Assignments<\/h2>\n
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Defined-Topic Assignments<\/h2>\n
Often, the handout or other written text explaining the assignment\u2014what professors call the assignment prompt<\/span><\/strong>\u2014will explain the purpose of the assignment, the required parameters (length, number and type of sources, referencing style, etc.), and the criteria for evaluation. Sometimes, though\u2014especially when you are new to a field\u2014you will encounter the baffling situation in which you comprehend every single sentence in the prompt but still have absolutely no idea how to approach the assignment. No one is doing anything wrong in a situation like that. It just means that further discussion of the assignment is in order. Below\u00a0are some tips:<\/p>\n\n
Undefined-Topic Assignments<\/h2>\n
Where defined-topic essays demonstrate your knowledge of the content<\/em>, undefined-topic assignments are used to demonstrate your skills\u2014<\/em>your ability to perform academic research, to synthesize ideas, and to apply the various stages of the writing process.<\/p>\nContribute!<\/h2>\n
Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t