Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, these habits will give you a good start:

1. Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off!  Reading the assignment early in the process will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can seem easy at first, especially if the instructions are short.  Remember that there may be something that is time sensitive that you'll need to allot for: multiple due dates, required readings, or even new skills to learn.
2. Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Your instructors want you to succeed!  If you aren't sure about a part of an assignment, don't be afraid to get more clarification.  Both you and and your final grade will be happy if you understand your assignment before progressing down the wrong path.  

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read your assignment:

• When is the assignment due?
• What is the purpose of the assignment?
  • Present a coherent picture using a variety of sources?
  • Take materials learned in class and apply it to a new situation?
  • Decide if you agree with one interpretation more than another?
  • Using a specific method of analysis on your own body of evidence?
  • Learning a new skill (e.g. close reading, data analysis)?
• What kind of a written assignment is it?
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Cause & Effect
  • Classification & Division
  • Compare/Contrast
  • Literary Analysis
  • Persuasive/Argumentative
  • Poetry Explication
  • Rhetorical Analysis
  • Summary
• What citation format should I use?
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago/CMOS
• Who is your primary audience for this assignment?
• What type of sources are required? 
  • e.g. Articles, eBooks, Government Documents
• How many sources are required?
• How long should the paper be?
• What other technical rules are listed in the assignment or syllabus?
  • (e.g. title page, margins, paragraph spacing, font size, pagination, reference list)

It can also be helpful to consider the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Are you...

• being asked to research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture?
• to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation?
• deciding whether you agree with one interpretation more than another?
• trying out a particular method of analysis on your own body of evidence?
• learning a new skill (close reading? data analysis? recognizing the type of questions that can be asked in a particular discipline?)?

If you understand the broader goals of the assignment, you will have an easier time figuring out if you are on the right track.  Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.  Each of these terms can mean something slightly different, depending on the context of the course and the assignment. Again, ask your instructor if you are not sure what the assignment asks you to do.