Sounds simple. Right? Wrong. You'd be surprised how many students jump into an assignment before fully understanding what the professor is expecting.

So, use the checklist below to make sure you understand the assignment COMPLETELY before starting. And if something remains unclear, ASK your professor what they are expecting.

1.  When is the assignment due?  _________________________________________________________________________________

2.  How long is it supposed to be? ________________________________________________________________________________

3.  How many sources must you use?* _____________________________________________________________________________

4.  What types of sources? (scholarly database, peer-reviewed, print, etc.) _____________________________________________________________________________

5.  Do you need primary source materials?  ____________________________________________________________________

6.  What style is the paper formatted in? (APA, MLA, etc.) _____________________________________________________________

7.  Is your professor expecting in-text citations and a bibliography? ____________________________________________

8.  Does the paper require images? ______________________________________________

9.  Do you understand the topic question/assignment clearly? _____________________________________________________________________

NOTE: If the number of sources aren't mentioned, use the following rule of thumb: for a shorter paper, use 5-8 sources; for a longer paper, provide 8-10 sources.