Many students write with their instructor in mind as the intended audience. While it is your instructor who will be reading and grading the assignment, the type of assignment may call for a different intended audience. Indeed, all writing assignments assume a broader audience than the instructor alone. As such, the instructor will be looking (and grading) for writing that engages with the required audience. How to look for and understand what audience the assignment is intended for take some careful consideration of the assignment’s wording. Some things to consider:
- Who is the general intended audience of the assignment?
- Who is most likely to be interested in the research presented?
- What is it about the topic that interests the intended audience?
- If the audience is not particularly interested in the topic, what ways can the audience be swayed?
- Will each member of the broadly conceived audience agree with the argument or point of view?
- If not (which will likely be the case!) what counter-arguments should be prepared?
- What tone is most appropriate for the intended audience. What level of formality is expected from the intended audience?
- How familiar is the intended audience with technical words or industry specific vocabulary? What level of background will be needed?
Once you have reviewed the assignment requirements, see the Choosing a Topic module for information about developing a research question.
