First Section
Second Section
Research writing is basically forming a thesis and having research to back it up. The variations of theses are endless, and research is usually primary research done by the writer. Thus, engaging in this type of writing process makes some one a research writer. The degree in which research writing exists extends to lesser, informal degrees such as a conversation and backing it up with evidence founded by the individual. Research questions can be developed in a number of ways. Getting a general idea of the topic and investigating what research has already been done is a sure way of obtaining a unique topic. There are other ways of course, like brainstorming.
Part 2: Genres of Research Writing
There are several genres of research writing. The ones I researched are argumentative and analytical. Others exist as well, such as historical, quantitative, qualitative, and so on. Its important to chose a genre before writing and stick to that genre. It also helps to consult research in the same writing style the individual chooses.
Part 3: Reading Critically & Evaluating Sources
Reading critically and evaluating sources is key in research writing. Not all resources are appropriate for a specific consultation, and not all are valid! An individual must analyze a source for its accuracy and validity. Overall resources are usually filled with inefficiency, biases, and that persons perspective. Thus it is critical to evaluate the sources one will use.
Part 4: Understanding Formatting (MLA/APA/CMS)
Formatting and citation is absolutely necessary for research papers. At many points the individual will be using other peoples words and/or ideas. In any citation format, these ideas and words must be cited properly. Each citation has their own rules, and for my research process I used Chicago. I chose this because I often have used it in my history classes as a history major. So I chose something I already knew. However, I did read sources to confirm my understanding. The continuous practice of citing also contributed to my understanding of formatting.
Part 5: Creating a proposal and outline for a research paper
Creating a proposal was something new to me. So I consulted research to further my understanding. However, outlining was definitely not new to me. I still consulted a few resources quickly. Creating these things was not too difficult. However, my proposal and outline located with this link is obviously different from my finalized proposal and outline. My topic fluctuated in the beginning of the semester and did not have a final research question until about half way through. Nevertheless, these elements helped shape my paper.
Part 6: Writing an Annotated Bibliography
Annotated bibliographies were absolutely new to me. I learned how to take my evaluation of sources and form them into an organized annotated bibliography. The idea behind it is to take sources, read the, and summarize them into a paragraph. The next step is to cite them properly (with all the correct formatting of a bibliography) and place the summarized paragraph under the citation. It is time consuming but for sure worth all the effort.
Part 7: Understanding Audience
Understanding the audience is a critical point of writing of any kind, but one that is often overlooked. Determining the audience influences the writing style of the paper. So a writer must establish an audience before the writing process. I must admit I never took the time to think about my audience. For this paper however I chose my audience to be an academic group within the field of education, or multicultural.
Part 8: Drafting and Revising
Drafting and revising is the process of editing the paper through the individuals own perception and those of others. First drafts are never the best work put forth, so editing is essential to make the paper stronger. The individual should re read his or her work many times. But its also important to have other people read it and make suggestions. This helps the paper by gaining other perspectives. Having a variety of perspectives is important for a well rounded paper.
Part 9: Peer Review and Feedback
All my peer reviews and feedback are in paper only. One peer reviewer was extremely helpful. She made me think about what I wrote and how to revise it better. I knew my ideas were jumbled and I didnt have a strong idea. However, when this was pointed out to me it helped me refuel my effort to revise. The other two peer reviews were really of no help. They just said it was “good”. I knew it wasnt great, but they gave me no suggestions otherwise.
Part 10: Publishing Research
Publishing research was an intimating task to consider. We learned that publishing, while very rewarding, take a lot of time, thought, and effort to actually publish. We were told to research journals to publish in. The link explains my decisions behind this.
Third Section
FIRST DRAFT>>>eng 202 lit review
FINAL DRAFT>>>202newpaper
Fourth Section
Fifth Section
Letter to Editor: The journal I want to publish in is Project Muse. They dont want a letter to the editor, but instead they have an online form they want you to fill out along with the submission. This is what I plan to do. Here is the link to the publication website. Publication for Project Muse
Sixth Section
