Investigating Step 1:
Analyzing the assignment
Most professors will tell you explicitly what they want for an assignment. If they don't, you can tell a lot by looking for certain terms in the assignment instructions.
| Assignment | Terms in instructions |
| Report |
Describe, summarize |
| Analytical paper |
Explain, compare and contrast |
| Argumentative paper |
Argue, persuade, evaluate |
Examples of papers on tattooing:
Report: This paper will explore the history of tattooing in the United States.
Analytical paper: This paper will explain differences in attitudes toward tattooing in the 1960s and 1990s.
Argumentative paper: This paper will argue that tattoos present serious health risks to adolescents.
