How to Write an Assignment? Writing Advice For All Levels

If you search the web for the best strategies to write a college-level assignment, you’re going to find dozens of guides and tip sheets. A lot of these come from trustworthy sources, but having to read through countless pages of information can be time-consuming and confusing, especially when the advice is contradictory. We’ve intentionally simplified an approach ideal for a common type of college assignment students may see in a variety of disciplines: the journal assignment.

A journal assignment is usually a short (1 – 2 pages) response to specific readings assigned in class. Similar to a response paper, students are encouraged to write about their reactions, pose questions, and offer opinions. Journal assignments are usually not graded, but it’s important to adhere to good grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

How to Write a Journal Assignment for College

Students are often surprised to find that there is no fast and hard rule for writing a journal entry. While you aren’t being graded entirely on the quality of work, you should still demonstrate a complete understanding of the basics of English. Also, you must ensure that you meet the minimum requirements put forth by your instructor – whether this means writing 2 full pages, hitting a specific word count, or writing an entry for each assigned reading piece.

How to Write an Assignment for a Journal

• Write down your initial thoughts in draft form.
  Take a few minutes to write down your first thoughts about the subject. What are your reactions? What questions do you have? Are there parts you find particularly interesting? Answering these types of questions will help you form the basis for your entry.

• Create an outline for your journal entry.
  Creating an outline is the second step for how to write a journal assignment for college. While this kind of writing is less academic, it should still be structured in a way that the reader can understand what it is you are attempting to communicate.

• Begin with the journal entry’s introduction.
  How to write an introduction for an assignment? This is where the outline comes in handy. Once you’ve organized your response into something logical, you should know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it. Start with the introduction to give a preview of what your entry will discuss.

• Move on to the body portion of the entry.
  Next, get to your main points in the body portion of the journal entry. Since the response won’t be too long, you’ll only have to choose 2 – 3 takeaways from the subject. Stick with the ones that are the most intriguing. You’re not making an argument. You’re only trying to express your reactions.

• Finish with a strong summary of the entry.
  Finally, sum up your response in a final paragraph which outlines what your overall impression of the subject was. Don’t expand your body paragraphs; just remind the reader what you felt were the most important aspects of the topic at hand.

More tips are available on this blog on how to write an assignment for a journal as well as other types of academic writing assignments. Visit the site frequently to access more valuable resources, including articles, tips, and guides.