Table of Contents

1. What should be your Assignment Structure?
2. Types of academic/college assignments
   1. Project Report Assignment Structure
   2. Research Paper/Term Paper/Dissertation Assignment Structure
   3. Literature Review Assignment Structure
   4. Case Study Assignment Structure
   5. Writing an abstract for an assignment
   6. Reflection Assignment Structure
3. Writing a methodology for an assignment
4. Writing a discussion section of an assignment
5. College assignment writing format
6. Quotations in assignments
7. Tips and tricks on how to format assignments
8. How to write assignments accurately?
9. Final thought

Assignments are an essential part of college academic life, so no matter how much you dislike them, you cannot ignore them. So, learning how to write a well-structured assignment is essential for students. If you learn it, half your worries regarding college assignments would disappear.

All you need to understand is the sections that have to be incorporated into your assignments and their right placement. This will help you in moving to the next level in which you will be able to make a plan, look for available resources for information, organize your information, and put your ideas into a place in a structured manner. This structure can be used across subjects, be it science, literature, mathematics, law, business management, computer science or any other subject.

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What Should Be Your Assignment Structure?

There are various types of assignments at the college level, from essays, research papers, project reports, dissertations, thesis, case studies, bibliography to reflection assignments and literature reviews. But the majority of sections are similar in all different types of academic assignments.

Here, we will see what are the 5 must-have sections in a college assignment structure:

• Title page
• Introduction
• Main Body
• Conclusion
• Reference list or bibliography

The title page

The title page should contain the title of your assignment, your name, the course name, the module name, your educational establishment name, your instructor’s name, and the submission date. The title of your assignment should be appealing and informative so that your readers can figure out what it is about and also get enticed to read it.

The introduction

The introduction of an assignment should be able to grab the attention of the readers with a gripping statement that talks about the topic in an interesting way or by giving ‌ surprising statistics. This should be able to relate to the topic of your assignment and also explain what the structure of your assignment is going to be. The introduction of the assignment should start with a general overview of your assignment topic, also talk about the main matter of the topic and end with a thesis statement or a notion about the topic.

The main body

The main body of your assignment must contain a minimum of three paragraphs. Every paragraph of the main body of content should talk about a topic sentence that elaborates on the topic further with supporting details or evidence. They should end with a concluding sentence, summarizing what the paragraphs are about.

The conclusion

It is crucial to understand how to write the conclusion of your college assignment. This is the section where you will have to summarise your thoughts and ideas that you have written in the body of the assignment. It is written in a reverse order to the introduction. The conclusion should include responding to ‌the thesis statement or hypotheses, then talk about the main points in the assignment that are related to the specific parts of the topic, and in the end, give a generic statement about the whole topic. An impressive conclusion will summarize your entire assignment and will leave a strong impression in the minds of the readers, by giving a strong and convincing point of view.

References

The reference list or bibliography is a list of the sources you use while writing the assignment. It is written in alphabetical order ‌and according to the requirement or guidelines of your academic institutions advised citation style e.g., MLA, Harvard, APA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.

When you include the sources you have read and also sources that you referred to in the assignment, the title section should be ‘bibliography’. The title should be ‘references’ or ‘reference list’ if you want to include sources referred to in the assignment. The reference list or bibliography should be added on a separate page and the heading should be centered.

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Types of Academic/College Assignments

For some assignments, structure varies, and extra sections are required. The following tables show what is normally expected for different types of assignments:

Project Report Assignment Structure

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Table of contents
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Problem statement or question
• Report Purpose
• Background information e.g., previous research
• Methodology
• Analysis of problem or question
• Discussion
• Conclusion and recommendations
• References list or bibliography
• Appendices (if applicable)

Research Paper/Dissertation/Term Paper Assignment Structure

• Title page
• Table of contents
• Title page
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• List of figures and tables (if applicable)
• List of abbreviations (if applicable)
• Glossary (if you have used many specialist terms)
• Introduction
• Background information e.g., previous research
• Methodology
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Reference list or bibliography
• Appendices (if applicable)

Literature Review Assignment Structure 

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Table of contents
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Problem statement/project report research question
• Purpose of the report
• Background information
• Methodology
• Analysis of the problem statement
• Discussion
• Conclusion and recommendations
• Reference list or bibliography
• Appendices (if applicable)

Case Study Assignment Structure 

• Title page
• Introduction
• Background information
• Methodology and Findings
• Discussion and Limitations
• Proposed Solutions/recommendations/implementation
• Reference list or bibliography
• Appendices (if applicable)

Writing an abstract for an assignment 

An abstract is under 250 words short summary, and must have:

• Some appropriate background information about the topic and a specific part of the topic covered in the assignment.
• The main idea or question of the topic that you are focusing on (thesis or research question).
• Main points that people are aware of about the topic.
• Write what is the object of your assignment (give a reason). Like, you are not convinced about a certain thing in a research topic that came to your notice.
• Next, explain the key idea/information/points/arguments

Reflection Assignment Structure

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Event or situation description e.g., work experience, a school or college trip
• Appraisal of the event of situation
• Exploration of the event or situation
• Conclusion
• Reference list or bibliography
• Appendices (if applicable)

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Writing a methodology for an assignment 

The methodology section is usually added in the a research paper, project report, term paper or dissertation. It is a very important component of an assignment structure. This section contains what you did and how you did‌ it. This enables readers to evaluate the dependencies, reliability, accuracy and validity of your work. Methodology should contain:

• What was your type of study:
  • Was it a qualitative or quantitative study?
  • Was it an action-based study or a mixed methods study?
• How did you collect and select your data:
  • Did you survey people online or in person?
  • Did you research literature?
  • Did you select case studies?
  • Did you conduct interviews?
• How you analyzed your data:
  • Was your data analysis descriptive, influential, predictive, or exploratory?
• What research tools or materials did you use:
  • Did you use Microsoft Excel, Python, or SSPS software applications for research purposes?

Writing a discussion section of an assignment 

The discussion section in your assignment may have:

• Whatever principles, linkages, and generalizations are found in your findings.
• Explanation of outliers or inconsistencies in the data found.
• The theoretical outcome of your work and also mention the practical applications.
• Explain how your results agree or disagree with the research work published earlier.
• Add a summary with clear conclusions supported by evidence.
• Add what are the relevance of your findings

Here are some points that you need to focus on while writing a reflective assignment:

Keep theGibbs Cycle of Reflection in your mind while writing a reflective assignment, and ask:

• What surfaced?
• How did you feel and what thoughts were on your mind at that time?
• What positive and negative experience have you had?
• What does this situation mean for you?
• What other alternatives do you have?
• What would be your response if it happens again?

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College assignment writing format

Though college assignment format may vary, here we will share a general guide that us usually used in most cases.

• Use 1′′ margins.
• Use a 12pt clear font e.g., TNR, Calibri, Arial.
• Add numbers to all pages.
• Double the space lines.
• Indent the first line of every paragraph.
• Do not miss a line in between paragraphs.
• Do not write long paragraphs (half page or 1 page) and too short paragraphs (1-2 sentences).
• Do not use slang, objectionable and contractions terms e.g., ‘kids’, ‘buck’, ‘it’s’, ‘they’re’ unless the slang or contractions are used in a direct quote.
• Underline or italicize all book titles.
• Proofread and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

Quotations in Assignments

Usually, while writing assignments, many students use quotations in their assignments. So, you must follow the below guidelines while using quotation marks.

• After using a direct quote, paraphrased quote, statistic, or fact, make sure you are adding in-text citations.
• Always add quotation marks when you are using direct quotations.
• You can use a block quotation if the quotation is long that is 40 words or more. First introduce your quote in 4 lines and then start a new line indent it by ½ inch and then begin your quote. You are not required to put quotation marks around them. You can use an in-text citation to show from where the quotation is taken. Also, the introduction should end with a colon.

Now, you understand that though basics of the college assignment formats are essential, by adding a few special sections can make your assignment look more impressive and also gives an impression that you have enjoyed writing your assignment.

Tips And Tricks On How To Format Assignment

Here are some tips from expert assignment writers that you must take note of:

• You must first understand your assignment questions as many times questions already have the assignment format clearly mentioned. Or else you will make the wrong assignment format choice.
• If you have any confusion about your assignment structure, then always discuss it with your teacher or instructor.
• Make sure you have reviewed the academic assignment writing style and format properly.
• Additionally, nowadays, you will find a lot of online tutorials with proper guidelines on college assignment structures. You can You can also take ideas from them too.

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How to Write An Assignment That Gets You Top Grade?

• Understand the Assignment Topic

You should first try to understand what you have to write. If you do not understand what you have to write, you will end up delivering the wrong assignment.

• Do Your Research and Collect Information

Once you have the assignment topic, start collecting information from wherever possible. When you have the information, it will give you a lot of writing ideas.

• Make A Schedule and Fix a Time

Making a schedule can help you finish your tasks on time without affecting your other tasks. It also helps in avoiding delays.

• Compile Your Information 

Compile all the information that you have collected for your assignment. Keep what you find relevant and correct, and discard what is irrelevant and incorrect, according to your assignment topic. Also eliminate all the repeat data. This will complete half of your work.

• Review and Edit Your Work

Do not forget to review what you have written and make corrections if needed. Also check for spelling and grammatical errors.

• Write a Gripping Introduction 

Many people write the introduction in the beginning and many at the end according to their convenience. For some setting the tone of the assignment in the beginning makes it easier for them to write the assignment and for some after writing the assignment, they find writing the introduction at the end easier. So, do as per your comfort. Your introduction should be gripping and be able to create interest in the reader to read further.

• Do Not Feel Sorry For Low Marks

Most importantly, do not feel depressed if you could not secure the marks you desired. Try to look for the mistakes you made or guidelines/requirements you missed in your assignment. Try to work on those areas and you will see improvements in your writing. If you are still not very sure about yourself, you can also take guidance from your teachers, professors, instructors or your tutors.

Final Thought

Above, we ‌discussed what are the different types of college assignments and what structures need to be followed to write them. We have also shared several tips and tricks to follow and also how you can improve your assignment writing skills. The above discussions and points will help you learn the correct way to write assignments and follow the correct structure. However, if you are still confused about how to write or structure your college assignments, you can always take help of professional assignment writing services online.