Assignment Calculator: A time management tool for use with writing assignments

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studying</a> </li> <li> <a href="/">Assignment calculator</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> <div id="block-sfulibrary-classy-page-title" class="block block-core block-page-title-block"> <h1 class="page-title"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Assignment Calculator: A time management tool for use with writing assignments</span> </h1> </div> </div> </div> <div class="highlighted"> <div class="region region-highlighted"> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> </div> </div> <a id="main-content"></a> <div class="region region-content"> <div id="block-sfulibrary-classy-content" class="block block-system block-system-main-block"> <article class="calculator is-promoted full clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><img src="/system/files/36295/assignment-calculator-cropped-narrower-banner-1300w.jpeg" alt></p><h1>Break your assignment into steps</h1><p>Use the Assignment Calculator to break down your writing assignments into a series of manageable steps -- each with a separate due date.</p><p><strong>All you need to know is the date you will start working on the assignment (be realistic!) and your due date. </strong></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-results field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="5" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">5%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Understand your assignment</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Read through your assignment guidelines and note requirements such as citation style and page limits.</p><p>If your topic is broad (e.g. "write an essay about healthcare") then narrow or focus your topic before you start researching. .</p><p>For more about narrowing your topic, try:</p><ul><li><a href="https://uregina.libguides.com/c.php?g=606324" target="_blank">Developing a Topic for a Research Paper: Narrowing Your Topic</a>, a quick video (3 minutes) plus tips, from University of Regina's Archer Library.</li><li><a href="https://www.library.unlv.edu/services/instruction/tutorials/topic_narrowing/" target="_blank">University of Nevada Las Vegas's Topic Narrowing tool</a>, for a mind mapping approach. </li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="20" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">20%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Do your research</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Gather research from credible sources to develop your topic. There are many places to search for credible information, including the SFU Library or Google Scholar.</p><p>Review the information you find to understand your topic. You will want to pay attention to relevant beliefs, trends, thoughts, and facts, giving more emphasis to the kinds of information your assignment asks you to focus on. </p><p>For more on finding and evaluating sources, see:</p><ul><li><a href="/help/research-assistance/format-type/scholarly-journals" target="_blank">What is a scholarly journal</a>?: For how to identify and evaluate scholarly journals, magazines, and trade publications -- both print and online.</li><li><a href="/help/research-assistance/finding-evaluating-resources" target="_blank">Finding and evaluating resources</a>: Tips for finding and evaluating the reliability of publications, whether you find them on the open web, in the Library Catalogue, using Google Scholar, or elsewhere. </li><li><a href="/" target="_blank">Search the SFU Library</a> for tips for books, and journal articles, and tips from subject expert librarians.</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="5" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">5%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Write your draft thesis statement</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Create an overall statement that both summarizes your research and indicates the significance of your main claim or argument.</p><p>Not every research paper needs an argumentative thesis statement, but if you鈥檙e asked to take a position on a topic, then your thesis statement should also be debatable.</p><p>Remember that an effective thesis statement presents both your main claim and your central reasons for making that claim. </p><p>You can always adjust your thesis statement as you draft your paper.</p><p>Looking for more?</p><ul><li>Try these tips on <a href="https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/thesisstatements" target="_blank">constructing a thesis statement</a> from Walden University.</li><li>You can also review these <a href="/about/branches-depts/slc/writing/argumentation/templates-structuring-argumentative-essays" target="_blank">templates for argumentation</a>, from the SFU Student Learning Commons. </li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="10" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">10%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Write your outline</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Outline the main sections and/or paragraphs you plan to write about in your paper. </p><p>Each section or paragraph should tie in with your thesis statement.  In your outline, make notes about how each section of your paper relates to your thesis statement. </p><p>Also note which facts, articles, and/or evidence you will use to support your claims.</p><ul><li>Try these suggestions for the <a href="https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/outlining" target="_blank">essential sections of an outline</a> from Walden University</li><li>The University of Toronto's <a href="http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/planning/organizing/" target="_blank">guide to organizing an essay</a> has some good outlining examples</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="20" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">20%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Write your draft</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Refer to your outline and expand your ideas into complete sentences and paragraphs.</p><p>The writing doesn't need to be perfect -- just focus on getting your ideas written and solidifying the key points of your paper.</p><p>Note the research sources you think you will write about and/or use as evidence in your paper in your outline. Be sure to include where you found the information, who the author is, and when the source was published. </p><p>For more:</p><ul><li>Review these tips for <a href="https://hsp.berkeley.edu/writingdraft" target="_blank">writing a first draft</a> from Berkeley</li><li>Stuck? See these tips for overcoming writer's block: <a href="https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/writersblock" target="_blank">Writers Block</a> (from Walden University) and <a href="https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/writers_block/index.html" target="_blank">Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block</a> (from Purdue University)</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="25" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">25%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Revise your draft</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Revision takes time.</p><p>In this step, look again at your thesis and make sure your paper advances your argument. At this point you might need to make structural changes.</p><p>Where revision asks you to look at the structure, organization, and overall argument in your paper, editing is about taking a close look at your sentence structures, transitions, and the concision of your writing. </p><p>For more detailed tips and examples:</p><ul><li>Check out <a href="https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/revising-draft" target="_blank">Revising the Draft</a> from the Harvard College Writing Center</li><li>To ensure your paper meets the assignment guidelines, and to check for cohesion, try <a href="https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/process/reverseoutlines/" target="_blank">Reverse Outlines: A Writer's Technique for Examining Organization</a> (University of Wisconsin - Madison).</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="5" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">5%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Finalize your references</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Make sure that all your sources are properly integrated and cited. This step is important for ensuring academic integrity.</p><ul><li>Review the <a href="/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides" target="_blank">guidelines of the citation style</a> you have been asked to use (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago).</li><li>When do you need to cite? Test your knowledge with the <a href="/help/academic-integrity/plagiarism-tutorial" target="_blank">SFU plagiarism tutorial</a>.</li><li>Need more help? <a href="/help/ask-us" target="_blank">Ask a Librarian</a> your citation question.</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="10" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">10%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Proofread and format your final draft</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Review the style, clarity and flow of your writing. Focus on individual sentences and look for common errors in sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, or usage. Read your work out loud to help you catch mistakes. Printing out and checking a hard copy can also help you to notice typos that you might miss on the screen. </p><p>Finally, format your paper to fit all your assignment guidelines.</p><ul><li>Try these techniques for <a href="https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/sentence_clarity.html" target="_blank">sentence clarity</a> from Purdue University.</li><li>Review these <a href="/about/branches-depts/slc/writing/revising/self-help-editing-tips" target="_blank">Top 10 Self-Help Editing Tips</a> from the Student Learning Commons</li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--calculator-results paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div content="0" class="field field--name-field-calculator-date-percentage field--type-integer field--label-hidden field__item">0%</div> <div class="field field--name-field-calculator-stage-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Submit your assignment</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-stage-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Submit your assignment, and you're done!</strong></p><p>Remember that your instructor will provide you with helpful feedback on your assignment that can help you to improve both your writing and your writing process for future work. </p><p>If you ever get feedback that is unclear to you, you can <a href="https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/branches-depts/slc/offer/consultation-info">bring it into the Student Learning Commons</a> for discussion with one of our Peers or Graduate Writing Facilitators. </p></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-calculator-disclaimer field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><h1>Need help?</h1><p><a href="https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/branches-depts/slc/offer/consultation-info" target="_blank">Book a consultation with the Student Learning Commons</a> at any of these stages to get more support. </p><h1>About this tool</h1><p>These general steps will guide you through the process of writing <strong>most</strong> research-based essay assignments.</p><p>However every assignment is a little different -- so always refer to the your specific assignment guidelines, check with your TA or instructor if you have questions, and use your best judgement about which steps are necessary for you!</p><h1>Further resources and more information</h1><p>Looking for more types of assignments?</p><p>The <a href="https://digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/assignment-planner">University of Toronto Scarborough's Assignment Calculator</a> includes steps for literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, lab reports, poster presentations, and more.</p><div class="widget-styledbox widget-styledbox-outlined"><div class="widget-styledbox-content"><p><strong>Attribution:</strong></p><ul><li>Our Assignment Calculator is based on the <a href="https://www.lib.umn.edu/ac" target="_blank">Assignment Calculator</a> by the University of Minnesota Libraries.</li><li>The image at the top of this page is a cropped version of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mortsan/4570359817/in/photostream/">one created by Morten Oddvik</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a>).</li></ul></div></div><div><p> </p></div><p> </p></div> </div> <footer class="submitted" data-nosnippet> <div> Owned by: <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="/users/todd-holbrook" class="username">Todd Holbrook</a></span> <br /> </div> <div> Last revised: 2023-12-01<br /> </div> </footer> </article> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> <footer id="page-footer" class="footer " role="contentinfo" data-nosnippet> <section id="page-footer-one"> <h3>Library</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/find">Find</a></li> <li><a href="/help">Help</a></li> <li><a href="/borrow">Borrow</a></li> <li><a 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Assignment Calculator: A time management tool for use with writing assignments | SFU Library