Research
Validity and
Argumentation
Bias, Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and
Sourcing.
Are the things said in
these videos “fair”?
• Mike Gundy – “I’m a Man! I’m 40!”
=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E
• Kanye West - ”George Bush doesn’t care about
black people”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI
Paraphrasing and
Summarizing
• Paraphrasing –
o Changing a piece of writing into one’s own diction.
o Is a useful technique for research because…
• It keeps you from over quoting.
• It helps you grasp the full meaning of the original text.
• And it is better than quoting from an untrustworthy source.
• Summarizing –
o Stripping a piece of writing down to its bare essentials and leaving only
what is required to receive analyze meaning.
o It is a useful tool for note taking because..
• It saves time.
• It aids in reading comprehension.
Paraphrasing Tips
1. Read and annotate the entire passage.
2. Determine the author’s purpose
3. Identify the words you don’t know and look them
up.
4. Shorten paragraphs by:
a. Altering sentence structure.
b. Altering word choice.
c. Combining sentences with similar ideas.
5. Change specific ideas to broad ideas and broad
notions to specific ones.
6. ALWAYS KEEP CITATIONS THE SAME.
Using these tips, paraphrase the following passage one with a partner:
The koala bear of Australia is a living “Teddy
Bear.” Its thick coat of gray fur is just as soft as the
beloved toy. The koala has a large head, big ears and
small, dark eyes that look at you without expression. Its
nose, as black as patent leather, seems too big for the
rest of its face.
The koala is a gentle little animal. It is almost
defenseless. Only its color protects it from enemies.
The koala makes no nest. It just sits in the forked
branches of a tree. Unlike a bird, it cannot balance
itself with its tail—because it has no tail. It likes gum
trees the best because it loves entirely on the leaves
of the tree. Sometimes the supply of its special diet is
used up. The koala, rather than seek food elsewhere,
will stay in its own area and starve to death.
Summarizing Tips
1. Identify essential characters, themes, and the
author’s purpose.
2. Identify the setting.
3. Delete nonessential phrases and words.
4. Express any complex words in simpler terms.
Using these tips, summarize the following passage two with a partner:
Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
" He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood,
Using these tips, summarize the following passage with a partner:
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe
Appropriate Sources
• Rate the passage with score of one to three based
on how credible you believe the source is. Examine
the entire document and place a sticky note with a
number next to each. Also on the sticky note, place
one reason why you found it to be so.
Document A: Least Credible
• Anyone can publish to Wikipedia!
• However, it is a decent place to start (If you scroll all the way to the
bottom, there is a list of sources you can consult)
Document C: Semi-Credible
• Just like Wikipedia, any schmo can operate a blog.
• However, blogs are sometimes run by experts in their field and often
link to the sources where they retrieved their original information.
Document B: Most Credible
• Websites sponsored by
recognizable institutions
(government branches,
newspapers and
magazines, televsion
channels, universities,
charity organizations, and
research organizations) are
the most credible sources
because they are backed by
previous research and
already solid reputations.
• Often, the information
needed for citations is
provided for you.
But Mr. Rossi, how do I
know a source is credible?
• What to shoot for:
o Jargon – specialized vocabulary used by a particular profession or group
of people.
• ex. “Bail is remanded. Bailiff, please take the defendant into custody.”
o Sponsorship by a recognizable organization.
o Material published in the last 10 years.
o Websites with a specific author.
o Specialized URLS (.gov, .org, .edu)
o Advertising
• It shows that the site gets a lot of traffic
• What to avoid:
o Social media (unless sponsored by an expert or credible organization)
o Research articles without citations
• A new study shows that fatty foods are good for your heart!
o Websites with little information.
o Bias
What is Bias?
• Bias – A tendency to ignore or overlook certain
facts or perspectives based for a particular reason.
“Lady Gaga is the greatest pop music artist of all time”. – Lady Gaga’s
Mother
vs.
“Lady Gaga is the greatest pop music artist of all time” – Jann Wenner, Chief
Editor for Rolling Stone
o In this example, who is biased?
What is Bias?
• Bias is not always on purpose, but it can often prevent
individuals from seeing the true facts of a situation.
• When bias is allowed to trickle into mass media, it can
alter large groups of individuals opinions of…
o
o
o
o
o
Race
Gender
Age
Political Affiliation
Social Class
• Intentional bias is called prejudice.
• Extremely biased media campaigns in order to persuade
are called propaganda.
• Brainstorm: In what ways are you biased? In what
situations are your opinions slanted towards a certain
point of view? Why? What prejudices have you
experienced? Have you ever seen forms of
propaganda?
Aristotle thought about argumentation in this way:
Writers have certain goals when trying to persuade.
They attempt to appeal to…..
• Ethos – (Credibility) the author relies on the
reputation of themself and others to persuade.
• Pathos – (Emotion) the author relies on the feelings
of their audience to persuade.
• Logos – (Logical) the author relies on logic to
persuade.
Research Notes