Section 2
Part 1
Hamid, Sarah. “Owl at Purdue.” MLA Formatting and Style Guide. 2009. 3 Sept. 2009 <
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/>.
Research writing is a collection of research from a variety of sources pieced together to make a
final paper. As a person begins to collect more and more information from their sources, their
ideas change and their research and knowledge grow. Research helps one learn more about a
certain topic. Research writing is a big part of education and throughout people’s lives they will
always being doing some type of research, it might be as simple as where they can find the
cheapest pair of sneakers. In order to develop a research question one must decide what they are
interested in learning. This can be down by simply brainstorming and writing ideas down on a
piece of paper.
I am going to admit, before reading this article i thought research writing was a boring process
which involved researching something that I did not really care about and writing a paper about
it. I thought it was very time consuming and a waste of my time. Now I know what research
writing is for. There is actually a reason behind it, throughout life research is always being
done. While researching, if I am researching a topic i would like to learn about, i now think it
can be interesting and not a waste of my time. I now know it is not just to get a good grade,
there is more to it.
To become a good researcher and research writer I will now begin the process of brainstorming
and thinking more in dept about what I am going to write about. I will keep an open mind about
my sources and where they come from. I will make sure they are reliable and resourceful. I will
not write a paper just one time, I will complete a couple of drafts which will be peer edited by
reliable people. I will also remain confident in my writing and do the best I can.
Part 2
There are two types of genres in research, argumentative and analytical. Argumentative research
is when the writer states within their introduction paragraph what they are going to be talking
about and also where they stand within the topic they are going to be discussing. The research
paper is going to be persuasive, so therefore the topic being used should be debatable. Analytical
research is where the writer does not take a stand against the topic, and the paper usually begins
with a question. Analytical research is not meant to persuade the audience in any way.
Source
Baker, R. Jack. “Writing a Research Paper: Genre and the Research Paper” TheOwlatPurdue.
10 Sept. 2009 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/02/.
Part 3
Critical Reading for Critical Writing
Kurland, Dan. “What is Critical Reading?” Reading and Writing Ideas as well as Words. 15
Sept. 2009 < http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading.htm>.
Facts:
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You may need to read through once, the second time you read is when you need to look
for critical content and ideas, this is critical reading.
When reading, one needs to look for the argument of the text.
One needs to determine the purpose of the text.
Look to see how the author organized and analyzed the text.
Make sure there is supporting evidence
Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing
Knott, Deborah. "Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing."University of Toronto. 15 Sept.
2009 < http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching/critical-reading>
Facts:
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When a person becomes a critical reader, they do not only take in the information, but
they also look deep into the subject matter and ideas. They learn how to appreciate that
particular work and subject.
When reading critically you can also recognize the arguments.
To critical read is to recognize the author’s purpose.
What I got from these two articles is that when reading, one cannot just sit down in front of their
source and look for facts. One must analyze and find out what the authors purpose was for
writing the information down. When one can read and get more out of the reading then just the
information, it makes for a much better research paper. One must also be unbiased when
reading.
Cornell University- Evaluating Sources
Engle, Michael. "Critically Analyzing Information Sources." Cornell University Library. 24
Sept. 2009 <http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm>.
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First one must find the usefulness of the source they are going to use by checking the
bibliographic citation.
One must check to see if the author writing the work has a good background into the
research he has done.
Check to see if the author is reputable
Check to see if the source being used is up to date.
It is good to have a scholarly article, this is an article that has been reviewed by many
people.
One should skim the information to see if the information is useful.
Is the information un-biased and well researched?
Check at a book review of the book to see if it has positive feedback.
Texas University- Critically Analyzing Sources
"Critically Analyzing Information Sources." Texas A&M University. 24 Sept. 2009
<http://library.tamu.edu/help/help-yourself/using-materials-services/critically-analyzinginformation-sources>.
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Make sure the work has an author, title, and publication information
Check to see if the author is well noted, if they are not they can still be a valuable source.
Is the publisher a well known publisher?
What audience is the author writing for?
Look and see how the information is presented.
Check to see how in depth the authors work is.
Check to see if the work is well organized.
Make sure to never just rely on one source.
Evaluating sources is very important when doing a research paper because one must make sure
the information they are gathering is accurate and up to date. I find it most important to make
sure the source is up to date and the information researched is accurate. This is important
because in order for my own research paper to be correct and accurate, the information I am
gathering from my sources must also be correct. i also find it important to make sure the
information is useful to one’s own research. This is a must because why would one want to read
a whole bunch of information that has nothing to do with what they are writing their paper on.
Part 4
A Writers Reference, MLA Formatting
Hacker, Diane. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed. Boston: New York, 2007.
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Make sure to have a thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph
The source that have been researched for a paper make a more affective paper
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If there are words in a paper that the readers may not understand, it is smart to paraphrase
them so the reader can get a better idea of what is being said.
Make sure to have evidence of good research
Make sure to cite all quotations
Make sure all paraphrase and summaries are in your own words or you will plagiarize
Do not quote too much
Must have in text citations
Make sure to have a work cited at the end of a paper.
MLA Formatting and Style Guide
“Owl at Purdue.” MLA Formatting and Style Guide. 2009. 17 Sept. 2009 <
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/>.
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All papers done in MLA format must be double spaced
There needs to be a header with your last name and the page number
The paper must have 1 inch margins
One must allow the author of their research to receive credit
MLA is a good way to make sure all sources are cited
Reading these articles has taught me that it is very important for one to cite their sources, this
way they are not at risk for plagiarizing. One must give credit where credit is due. It is
important to follow the guidelines for how to properly set up a paper. At the end of a research
paper there must be a list of all the sources used for the paper. If one follows the guidelines for
the MLA format, it will make their paper much easier to understand, and everyone will get credit
for it.
I went back to all my blogs and i made sure to cite them to the best of my knowledge. The only
problem I have right now is that I am just not always sure which citation format to use. There
are so many ways one can cite a book.
Part 5
Proposal
A proposal is something like a contract and a philosophy statement mixed together. In a
proposal it lets a person know what you are writing for, what you are going to do, and how you
will go about doing it. You also need to state why what you are doing needs to be done. The
person who is analyzing your proposal will then check to see if you have gone about everything
the right way and they will then figure out if you will be able to accomplish what you say you
will, all this will allow a person to come up with a great paper in the end. A good proposal is
also made by using a familiar topic and doing plenty of research into the topic.
McGranghan, Matthew. " Guidlines on a Writing Proposal." 10 Sept. 2009
<http://www2.hawaii.edu/~matt/proposal.html>
Research Outline
A research outline is a good tool to help one organize their thoughts on paper before writing a
research paper. The outline is made up of short phases, or sentence that is in chronological
order of how they will be in your paper. The outline consist of an Introduction, this means that a
person would just list their thoughts and ideas for what they think should be in their introduction
paragraph in their paper. After the introduction there are topics which you will organize for each
main paragraph along with their subtopics. The end of the outline will have your ideas for a
conclusion.
Samual, Holly. " Making an Outline". 13 Sept, 2009.
<http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/14_Making_An_Outline.asp>.
Part 6
An annotated bibliography is just like a bibliography, but with more explanation about each
source added to it. When creating an annotated bibliography, one must list there sources
alphabetically, and in the proper format. Along with each source on must summarize what they
found. They must say a little about what they found useful in the source, and what the argument
is. Along with a summary, one can also add in an assessment. An assessment would just be
evaluating the source and finding out whether or not it could be useful to ones paper. One must
also reflect and state how the source fits into their research. Creating an annotated bibliography
is very useful in organizing ones research because this means that one has actually taken time to
read the sources they have found, and analyze them. It can also be useful in comparing sources.
Bisignani, Dana. “Annotated Bibliographies”. The Owl at Purdue. 19 Sept. 2009
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/.
Part 7
Writing for an Audience
Flowers, Linda. "Writing for an Audience." 15 Sept. 2009
<http://marlenharrison.com/images/flower_writing_for_an_audience.pdf>
Facts:
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Do not leave your audience in the distance make sure the gap is closed between you and
your audience.
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Address what you think your audience needs to know about your topic.
Make sure to clearly explain the attitude for your topic your audience knows how to feel
Choosing and Writing for an Audience
Dr. Hale, Steven. “Choosing and Writing for an Audience."
<http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts/audience.html>.
Facts:
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There are actually two types of audience, the real and the intended. The real audience is
just anyone who would sit down and read your work; the intended is the group of people
you are actually writing for.
The goal is to write for the intended audience, our papers will have more details, and we
will do better work in order to gain their approval.
If one does not chose an audience, when writing, the paper becomes too simple.
I learned that I must make sure to select an audience; this will help me to write the best possible
paper, because I will want to get as much information for my audience as possible. If you feel a
different way about a topic than your audience you may be able to persuade them to change their
mind if your paper is very well thought out and written. If there is a point in the writing that the
author wants to get across, they can do so by making the point more noticeable, such as using
bold or underline.
Part 8
Drafting- Writing in College
Williams, Joseph. “Preparing to write and drafting the paper” University of Chicago Writing
Program. 9 Dec. 2009.
http://program.uchicago.edu/resources/collegewriting/preparing_to_write_and_drafting.h
tm
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Go through a book or article, whatever you will be using as a source and highlight the
valuable information.
Categorize everything so you know where to place it in your paper.
Write down all the main points
Create an outline. This will allow for better organization of the paper.
This article is helpful because it explains different steps to take in order to make the drafting
process simpler. Pulling the main information and concepts out of a piece of work can be a lot
easier than reading the whole thing word for word. Creating an outline will also help when it
comes to actually organizing and writing your paper.
Revising
Zinsser, William. “Revising Drafts”. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. 9 Dec. 2009. http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/revision.html
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When completing a paper make walk away for awhile, then come back to it to llok for
mistakes.
When reading the paper make sure what is written pertains to the topic at hand.
Make sure you did not focus on one point for too long.
Make sure all the facts and sources are accurate.
When revising a paper do not stress out. It is strongly suggested that you walk away from it
before editing. This helps to clear your mind. When looking at something for so long it is very
hard to notice any mistakes. Do not only check the mechanics of the paper, but look back your
sources and make sure they are reliable.
Part 9
Responding to other students writing
Straub, Richard. “Responding- Really Responding to other Students Writing.” 6 Oct. 2009
http://marlenharrison.com/images/straub.pdf.
Facts:
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Be a friendly reader
Do not seek to destroy their paper, and do not rewrite things for them.
Make sure to remember that the paper is not yours.
This really helped me with my peer editing because I realized that people have different styles of
righting and you cannot bash their paper. You need to be nice to them and offer friendly advice.
You do not want to discourage them. Leave good comments along with the constructive ones.
Part 10
Publishing
“Publishing” UniSA Library. 9 Dec 2009. <
http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/research/publish.asp>
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Send your paper to a peer reviewed journal.
When searching for a journal, narrow your search down with specific terms.
Look for more recent journals
It is difficult to find a place to publish. When searching for a place to publish an article I
realize it is easier if I use specific terms. A scholarly journal is a good place to publish
because it is more informational, and educational.