Ace the Assignment
Success tip: don’t just read the assignment, analyze it!
Professors expect students to follow directions carefully, but what do they actually mean by those directions? Figure out what an assignment is really asking, and you have the key to a successful paper.
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What Does the Professor Want?This free online book offers useful insights into university-level writing.
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Purdue OWL: Understanding Writing AssignmentsThis online guide recommends starting on the right track by clarifying the purpose, audience and resources needed for your project.
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UNC Writing Center: Understanding AssignmentsThis handout shows how to grab every nugget of insight from the assignment.
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Assignment CalculatorPlan a schedule for completing a library research paper. Note: this is a general calculator, and the links to resources are not specific to EMU.
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Answering Assignment QuestionsThis guide describes how to analyze the assignment in order to understand what the Professor expects.
What is a Policy Brief?
Here are some examples and models of policy briefs. Note: these examples might not follow the format expected by your professor or employer, so read your assignment carefully!
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CIAO database search for Policy BriefsThe CIAO database provides many types of articles, including nearly 7,000 policy briefs. Limit your search to policy briefs in the left-hand column of the main page.
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RAND corporationProvides a mixture of policy research, analysis and recommendations.
Think Tanks for policy ideas
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Google: Think Tanks and Public Policy GroupsThis search engine searches Think Tanks and Public Policy websites.
