Plan Ahead

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Understand the Assignment

Different types of assignments have different characteristics. The University Essay handout offers a brief overview of the different types. Or, choose one of the following to learn more about the type of assignment you are working on:

• Annotated Bibliography
• A Guide to Writing in Mathematics
• Analytic Essay
• Checklist for Scientific Reports
• Critical Review
• Literature Review
• Personal Statements
• Reports
• Research Essay

Different assignments may also require you to consider different rhetorical modes or approaches to the information. The following resources can help:

• Cause and Effect
• Classification and Division
• Compare and Contrast
• Definition
• Process Analysis

Get Started

• Brainstorm to generate ideas and focus your topic.
• Reading critically to thoroughly understand the issues.
• Take good notes from your research and readings. Try our Note Taking Worksheet.
• Think critically to develop your own position and situate your research in context.

Keep the Momentum

• Create a strong Thesis Statement
• Develop an Outline
• Construct a Logical Argument

Additional Resources

• Understanding Essay Topics: A Checklist (U of T)
• Some General Advice on Academic Essay Writing (U of T)
• Annotated Bibliographies(University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Application Letters and Resumes(U of T)
• Book Review or Article Critique (U of T)
• Lab Report (Engineering Communication Center at U of T)
• Lab Report (North Carolina State University)
• Literature Review (U of T)
• Essay Exams (OWL at Purdue)
• Prewriting (Invention)(OWL at Purdue)
   

Research

The Library is the most important stop for all of your research needs. For assistance, staff are available by chat, email, telephone, and in person. Tips on effective search strategies are also available.

Remember that it takes time to locate sources. Help keep on track with our Assignment Calculator.

Reading

Careful reading ensures that you understand the material thoroughly. The following handouts will help you read and think critically about the literature:

• Critical Reading
• Critical Thinking

It is also important to take good notes, to help you keep track of what you have read, where you have read it, and, most importantly, what you think about all that you've learned. The following resources can help:

• Note Taking Tips
• Note Taking Worksheet

Additional Resources

Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing (U of T)
How to Read a Scientific Paper Effectively (Purdue)

Need help getting started?

Brainstorming techniques can help you generate ideas. Mind-mapping, in particular, can help you see how ideas link together, so you can start to see the overall shape your paper will take.

Having trouble organizing your ideas?

• Develop a strong thesis to help maintain your focus
• Create an outline to help structure your paper.
• Gather tips on constructing a logical argument

Need help developing your paragraphs?

• Introductions and Conclusions
• Paragraphs

Additional Resources

Writing a Research Paper: The First Draft (OWL at Purdue)
Developing Coherent Paragraphs (U of T)
 

Editing your own work can be challenging. To make the process more efficient and effective, try concentrating on specific tasks, rather than trying to edit everything all at once. The following resources will help you with each stage of the editing process.

Editing Structure and Content

• Editing and Revising
• Editing Worksheet

Editing for Style

• Editing for Concision
• Active and Passive Voice

Develop your ability to express yourself academically:

• Expressions Showing Evaluation
• Link Ideas in Your Sentences Effectively
• Verbs in Academic Writing
• Verbs for Citing Sources
• Adjectives and Adverbs in Academic Writing

Grammar Troublespots

• Proofread carefully to catch grammatical errors.

If you are struggling with particular grammatical rules, the following handouts may help:

• Consistency in Verb Usage
• Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
• Parallelism
• Pronoun Reference
• Run-on Sentences
• Sentence Fragments

Expand Your Academic Vocabulary

Improve your vocabulary with the tools and exercises posted on the English Language Development website.

Additional Resources
Wordiness: Danger Signals and Ways to React (U of T)
Hypergrammar (Learn more about grammar from the University of Ottawa).
Grammar Resources, Handouts, and Exercises (OWL at Purdue)

• Different disciplines use different citation styles.
• The following are five of the most common.
• If you are not sure which one to choose, follow the links for more information.

APA	American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic    and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.).    Washington, DC: Author.	HTML
MLA	Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. 1880.    Trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.    New York: Farrar, 2002.  Print.	HTML
CBE/CSE	Holland HD. 1984. The chemical evolution of the    atmosphere and oceans. Princeton (NJ):    Princeton University Press.	HTML
ASA	Chua, Amy. 2004. World on Fire: How Exporting Free    Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and    Global Instability. New York: Anchor Books.	HTML
Chicago	Sandford, Christopher. McQueen: The Biography.    New York: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2001.	HTML