Blog Post #8, Harris – Revisit CHAPTER 1 - Self-Assessment: Researched Writing Survey :
1. When you are assigned a research paper in a course, do you welcome it as an opportunity to learn, or do you see it as a burden or unwelcome task?
With the steps that we have learned
throughout this course, I have learned that it is helpful to design a literary map
that will help to sort out what is needed and not needed to support the topic
that will be discussed in the paper. The
more familiar I become with repetitive structures (like APA format and citing),
the more I will be able to learn from my mistakes and gain strength in the
future so as to avoid those common pitfalls and mistakes. Overall, I will welcome the task as an opportunity
to strengthen my abilities moving forward.
2. How confident are you in your ability to use supporting material (quotations, examples, research) effectively to strengthen your ideas in a paper?
I feel more confident in this
structure the more I write and learn to restate what someone else has said with
the proper reference of course. Learning
which quotes are powerful and are needed in lieu of paraphrasing and utilizing “turn
it in” to see how well the development of using less quotes is a great tool as
well to measure my progress and development
3. How confident are you in your ability to paraphrase an idea for use in a research paper?
I am confident in paraphrasing and improving
to ensure that the information is well repeated in my own words, citing
correctly of course.
4. How much formal training have you had regarding plagiarism and how to avoid it?
As I stated before, not sure of the
word “formal training” or what is exactly meant, but I have had professors to
go over how to avoid it, I have watched tutorials, and I have read given
material on how to avoid plagiarism and some more specific definitions of what
plagiarism is and can be (which I was unaware of before, but definitely and
happy that I have been given such information in this class).
5. In writing a research paper, how easy have you found it to incorporate sources that conflict with your central argument or idea?
Sometimes, it is easier than not to
locate contracting ideas, and sometimes it disproves the hypothesis, but it is
important to recognize this information and not omit it as a way of swaying the
paper in one direction over the other.
This course has expounded on the importance of reporting the findings as
that are without altercation and discussing the results accordingly. It is not a problem if the results show opposite
of the initial thought or problem, it may indicate another underlying problem
or the need for more research in a related area of study.
6. How confident are you that you know the rules for using sources well enough to avoid unintentional plagiarism?
I am comfortable with the rules of plagiarism and I
feel that if there is a doubt, as mentioned in previous classes, I should go
ahead and cite the material to avoid plagiarism. It is not very difficult to cite information
and therefore, citing will assist me to avoid the unintentional use of
plagiarism.
Hi Niki,
ReplyDeleteThe way you have set up your blog format is inviting and a joy to look at. That makes it extra special for visual learners. Thanks. I heard what you said about citing to avoid unintentional plagiarism. That seems to be the safest way to communicate so much research material. I sometimes wonder if I might cite too much but I would rather be pro-active. I have to play with sentence structure to make sure it sounds right and flows properly but the more I practice, the better I hope I will get. I, like you do not say that I have had much formal training on plagiarism but this class has certainly offered me the most. I don't know if you are an athlete, but you sound like you are ready for training and the exercise that this type of writing entails. Let the races begin! :-)
Shari
Hi Shari,
DeleteThank you soooooo much! :] I was that way when I first began this program as well and I thought that the paper was so full of citations that it must not be right. However, the more books and peer reviews that I read, I learned that there are citations on almost every other line and after a while I learned to "tune it out", if you will. In other words, the citations within the context fall into the background until you want to read more about that particular comment and decide to go directly to the reference to read more. I enjoy learning this style of writing as it allows me to regurgitate and understand more of what someone is saying and put it into my own words and give them credit for the overall thought.
It is always a pleasure conversing with you Shari and I really appreciate your compliments and comments.
Take care,
~Niki
Hi Cybele,
ReplyDeleteThe literature map was so very helpful to me and it gave me so much direction as the entire process of the dissertation. I am so glad they taught us this.
Thank you for sharing,
~Niki
Hi Niki,
ReplyDeleteI agree that I have learned a tremendous amount in the writing process through this course. The annotated bibliography was great and I have continued to add to it as I am doing my dissertation research. I have downloaded all the articles in my Google drive and link the titles to the actual articles so I can easily find them when needed. I have learned a lot this semester and enjoyed working with you all. Thanks for your thoughts and contributions.
Thank you Keri and I appreciate the opportunity to work with you all as well.
ReplyDelete