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Books to help you get started
Understand the assignment
- Read the guidelines carefully
- Is there more than one part to the assignment?
- Are there questions that need answering?
- How does your instructor want you to organize your writing?
- When is the assignment due?
- What are the policies for late assignments?
- How long should the paper be? (number of words or pages)
- What citation style is required? (APA, MLA, Chicago?)
- What physical format is required? (Do you need a title page, margins, line spacing?)
- What type of and how many sources are required? (books, journal articles? Are websites allowed?)
- Does your instructor give a grading rubric or criteria for marking the essay? If so, what are they?
- How will the paper be submitted? (hard copy or online)
- If you are unclear about the guidelines, check with your instructor.
