There is no rule of thumb for doing an assignment, every student has his own strategy to start and complete an assignment.

Some students like to start by brainstorming ideas, some write points down on a paper and then arrange them after doing proper research on them. The hardest part of the assignment is how to start it, try writing whatever comes in mind and then rearrange them in the end.

There are six stages of writing and assignment:

• Develop your topic
• Identify your audience
• Research
• Summarizing research
• Draft/ write
• Revise / Proofread

Develop your topic:

Whether it is an assigned topic or a subject that interests you, start by writing key ideas regarding to it. Try to use only short phrases. When you have a concept in front of you try to construct the whole writing in order.

Start searching for the topic through different sources, online, books from library etc. Analyze your topic and then summarize it. Show it to someone for feedback. It will help you underlining mistakes which you didn’t realize while writing.

Identify your audience:

When you start writing, make sure you know who your target audience is. Is it a paper to submit or read out loud essay. Who the teacher is, take time to think how they will like the writing.

Is it a science teacher who expects more logic or English teacher who likes storytelling, literature style? For every subject, you would want to use different vocabulary, phrasing and tones of writing to read out loud to your friends in class.

Research:

Review all the interviews, readings, experiments, data, websites, reports, etc.
People: instructor, teaching assistant, research librarian, tutor, subject matter experts, professionals

Develop research strategies and a list of resources. Narrow your topic and its description; Pull out key words and categories.
Develop a list of key words–50 or so–that form the foundation of both your research and writing. Build the list from general sources and overviews

Summarizing research:

Briefly summarize your topic or research question, and audience you will write for.

• How has the topic narrowed or expanded?
• Identify your main source of information
• What is the most important concept or idea or argument you identified?
• What the second most important concept or idea or argument you identified?
• What the third most important concept or idea or argument you identified?
• What are the three key vocabulary words you identified?
• What are the two main points of view you identified?

Draft / write:

• In this phase you have all the information and material you need. Create idea of writing around it.
• Arrange and construct the idea into writing.

Revise / proofread:

• Take nothing for granted.
• If you know you repeat certain errors, double check for them.

Most errors in written work are made unconsciously!