Take time to plan when you begin to prevent the process from becoming overwhelming.
1. Find key words in the assignment description
Look at the assignment description. Circle key words or phrases that stand out to you. These words are clues to what you will need and will need to do to complete your assignment. Are any words repeated or marked in bold? Do you see descriptive words like deep or broad or compare or describe?
2. List out what you will need
You may need to find, use, or create items on this list to complete your assignment. These may be listed in the instructions, but if they aren’t, you will know to ask your instructor for them.
3. Calculate your time
Separate your activities into smaller chunks, and make an estimate of how much time each task will take. Mark these times on your school calendar so you can stay on track.
| Example project activities | Date to begin |
| Due date, project complete | Last day of quarter |
| Final read-through | Week 10 of quarter |
| Revise citations | Week 9 |
| Write introduction and conclusion | Week 8 |
| Write analysis of sources | Week 6 |
| Summarize each source | Week 5 |
| Review sources for themes | Week 4 |
| Find and read sources | Week 2 |
| Create a topic | Week 1 |
| Plan for research project | Today |