Research Paper Writing

I think that exercises involving writing a thesis and topic sentences that match would have helped me a lot in preparation for this research paper, and it would help a lot in general to keep the words in the paper close to the themes and arguments that we are trying to address. I feel like maybe one more short paper to briefly practice sketching an effective thesis and several supporting topic sentences would help the flow of my papers, and possibly the other authors in the class too. I don't think that in class writing would help as much as a take-home assignment because the term paper is take-home,  so the practice should simulate the final result as much as possible. I think the drafting process took place over an appropriate amount of time, and it wouldn't be greatly beneficial to make it either longer or shorter. If I could go back, I would initially put more focus in my arguments and topic sentences in relation to my thesis rather than spending most of my energy on the evidence supporting them. I think that using more than one stylistic guide could have helped me develop my traits as a writer better, but Graff was a good place to start for argumentative resources. One useful trick that I learned that I plan on using in the future is reading through my thesis and topic sentences as if they were a paragraph of there own to make sure I'm using similar language and continuing the flow of thoughts through my paper.

Research Analysis

The process for this research paper was a long one, but it had many different ways, stemming from the class, that helped improve my paper. I liked the pace that we went in going through preparing and building evidence for our collective arguments, especially the class we spent in the the lab that taught us how to use different research websites proficiently. It helped me pinpoint articles that could actually enforce what I am arguing for in my paper by eliminating the more unimportant ones. Though I never actually used the library to find books on my topic, I know that the librarians there would be more than happy to assist me in finding ones that specifically strengthened my paper. Another resource I took advantage of was the University Writing Services. Having someone help structure my paper was helpful in finding more ways to organize my ideas and reaching out to new ones. The people who assisted me with my paper also helped point out naysayers and to predict what the opposing side would attack with. Similarly, the structure of Fight Club helped more develop more arguments and argue against any possible counter points in my paper. With the amount of time we get to research a different topic, no matter what side we are chosen to take, we can come up with some pretty strong points in support for what argument we have to fight. This really made me confident in my research for my paper.

            The process in drafting this paper wasn’t terrible, though more solid due dates would have been greatly appreciated. Without knowing for sure when different parts of the paper were due, I felt like I had too much freedom in forming my paper in general. I like having solid deadlines and rubrics for my papers to help me write the best I can. Sources like TSIS helped me structure my paper since they helped develop any argument rhetorically.

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The process of writing this research paper has certainly been a long one no doubt. However, I think weekly smaller papers would be more worthwhile. These weekly papers could be the fight club topics and then you could spend more time in class going over something else of interest such as the multimedia project.

As far as having resources like Strunk and White earlier in the course, I wouldn't be opposed to that, however, I feel like that could be taught in class and that resource could be linked on Blackboard or the class blog under a tab called "Useful Resources" or something similar to that. I enjoyed reading TSIS however. While a lot of what was taught in that book seemed relatively like common knowledge, it was nice to get a reinforcement of those ideas and see different templates to see how they could be worded and add some spice to one's writing. That is what I learned from that book: the templates and how to use them. I would definitely keep that in the curriculum of the course.

To elaborate on the research paper assignment. Personally, I enjoyed reading all the research affiliated with my topic because it is about a subject in which I care deeply, and the resources and help available has made it nowhere near as stressful as it might have been otherwise, it has just been an agonizingly slow process (or at least it seems like). We have been working on this paper since September and it has been demotivating since it has been such an arduously long process. Another struggle with writing the research paper has been an internal one of finding the motivation to crank out the pages. Again, this is a more personal issue with the assignment because I tend to work well under pressure and because the paper has been spaced so far out, it has been a struggle to find the drive to work on it. However, there is an upside to making the research paper (if the assignment was to be kept) assigned and due sooner: it would not take as much time to read and grade all of the papers. Also, getting this assignment out of the way sooner could also lead to more free time in the classroom enabling different assignments that would be fun or interesting to be done. Also, maybe instead of the vocab being quizzed (which could be replaced by reading quizzes over articles relating to fight club or something else), it could be assigned as extra credit and at the end of the semester, there could be an optional vocab quiz or scattered ones throughout the semester offered as extra credit. This would encourage students to look at the vocab list more often and not a day or two (or minutes) before class.

As a whole, the class is a great class. With some of these minor improvements or suggestions, the class could be much better because there would be more time to teach other material, or, enjoy more time to the self because there wouldn't be as much to grade all at once (like there inevitably will be for the research papers when they are due), and who would not want more time to the self?

Research Paper Analysis

        I think this research paper helped me in a number of ways. The process of writing this essay was effective in helping me learn about campus resources. I learned how to use the online library database and also how to check out a physical book. I also learned how to make an appointment with the University Writing Services. The UWS was extremely helpful in my writing process. 

I believe all the proper preparation for this paper was made. However, I think the process of writing this essay was too long. This process possibly did not need to be stretched out over such a long period of time. If this amount of time was required to be used to practice writing papers, then perhaps several smaller essays would have been more effective than writing one large essay. 

The amount of in-class writing was enough because I write more efficiently outside of the classroom. Although it is easier to get one-on-one help while writing in a classroom setting, it is just as easy to write a draft outside of class and turn it in for revisions. The feedback on our papers was helpful in determining what needed to be corrected or revised. I also believe peer-editing is a very effective method because it allows students to get a perspective other than the professor’s. Having several people read a piece of writing is a way to ensure all mistakes are caught and many different suggestions are made.

Rhetorical Analysis of the Research Process

            The process of writing this research paper has taught me very much about conducting research and analyzing the data I receive.  The class in the library that focused on research was actually very helpful in understanding how to research a specific topic and gather thorough and credible sources about it.  The library itself is a great resource, and I found a dozen books that I directly cited in my paper or used to get a better understanding of the issue at hand.  Fight Club definitely helped me in this process.  I learned how to effectively argue verbally, which translated into a more cohesive argument on paper.  Being forced to represent sides of arguments which I disagreed with helped me plant adequate naysayers in my research paper.  The earlier Fight Club sessions in which we took time to collect research on particular topics before arguing helped me understand the process of research and structure argumentation.  The more recent Fight Club sessions, while based on more spontaneous research, made me make decisions about more divisive issues.  Both of these kinds of verbal arguments bolstered my abilities to formulate an effective argument in my research paper.

            I think the drafting process was thorough and well-timed.  I never felt terribly rushed or overwhelmed, and I am confident with my paper’s current status at this point in time related to the deadline.  The in-class writing was helpful in that it encourages a higher level of thinking.  I cannot remember exactly when that took place this semester, but it would probably be most helpful if it was the last assignment before assigning the first draft of the research paper.  Strunk & White are great sources for developing a thorough rhetorical argument, and I think they should be placed earlier in the research paper process.  The other sources we looked at (i.e. TSIS, CDA) were adequate, but I think we should have studied Strunk & White alongside them, rather than a long time afterwards.

Research Paper

The process of this research has helped me grow tremendously as a writer, as I was able to incorporate numerous ideas we learned throughout the semester into one cohesive paper. At first, this assignment seemed irrelevant and trivial as Prof. Strickland simply told us to write about a topic that connected to our hometown and major. However, this mere proposal developed into a well thought out and meticulously written research paper. The strength and growth of my paper would not be where it is at without the help of “They Say, I Say” paradigms, fight club discussions, and class tips from presentations or websites.         

                One assignment that I would have liked to work more on was the outline. I enjoyed finally putting together my claims and evidence and thought it to be extremely beneficial. In fact, I realized how crucial my outline was after writing such a lengthy and in depth paper. I found myself referring back to my outline numerous times in order to make sure my ideas flowed, and to avoid any repetitiveness. Organization and structure is crucial to a strong paper, which is why I believe it would have been beneficial to perhaps have two drafts of my outline as I solidified my main points and my evidence for my claims with research from my annotated bibliographies.

                Overall, I do believe the daily assignments such as fight club and analyzing paradigm from “They Say, I Say” were crucial as they indirectly helped us build strong arguments and recognize counter arguments. I do not believe that more short papers, or more in-class writing would be as beneficial as having multiple drafts/outlines/annotated bibliographies or having more guided editing tips in class. This research paper has allowed me to practice and build the knowledge I have learned throughout the semester into applicable strategies in my writing. 

Research Paper Analysis

        I have written research papers in the past, but this experience was completely different. I liked that we were able to choose our topics because it is easier to invest a significant amount of time in a project that I care about. It has made my writing better on this paper. I do not believe that writing the first annotated bibliography was helpful to start with because I wasted time writing about sources that did not relate to my ultimate proposal. I will say that the revised annotated bibliography was helpful because it allowed me to see how I could incorporate my research into the paper. Next, we wrote a proposal. This assignment was useful because, again, it allowed me to write the big picture behind my idea. And, I ended up using sections from that in the introduction to my paper. Then, we wrote an outline followed by a draft. Outlining is an effective first step to writing because it makes writing a large paper easier.

         I propose that the research paper writing process should progress in the following sequence: annotated bibliography, proposal, outline, draft, second draft, and final. Between writing the outline and draft, resources such as Strunk & White and the quote paradigm should be introduced. Time should be provided in class to write or revise. Additionally, the class should partner up for peer editing after composing the outlines. Having the opportunity to discuss the arguments with another person will allow for writers to address potential counter arguments that were overlooked.

         Overall, the writing process has been at times overwhelming but at other times smooth. Following a structured writing process will mitigate the daunting task of writing a 10-12 page paper. This assignment is a great foundation for developing argument, research, and composition skills.

Research: Knowledge

      The research paper in my expert opinion is strenuous but helpful; every person at one point in their lives has to learn how to craft and research an argument that they are passionate about. Now in preparation for this paper I think it would of helped to have a few shorter papers due before the larger one. We as a class could've researched less sources over different topics in order to get a sense for how to craft a good argument, instead of just kind of going straight into the major paper. That way when it comes time to create the major research paper we as students could feel more confident in our arguments as we would have seen the mistakes we were already prone to make when writing a research paper. Also I would've liked more mandatory writing in class so that I could see what problems I was having, cause not until the first rough draft did I get any solid feedback on how to make my existing paper better. For me personally it's easiest to learn how to make something right by first doing it wrong and then making corrections, that's why I enjoyed the feedback written on the actual draft. Now in helping with the final draft I think having an earlier draft being due would be beneficial, that way feedback about the paper could be given earlier, which is the part of the writing process which I found the most useful. I think that resources like Strunk and White could have been introduced much earlier in the writing process, probably after the first draft that way the writing of the final draft could involve more fine tuning and less rewriting. Overall the research paper writing process was carried out fairly well and will be an important part of my education as a whole.

Research Paper Rhetorical Analysis

              The in-class essay, while it was useful if we were writing shorter research papers, I think that this research paper and in-class essay were too different in magnitude for it to be an accurate representation of how writing the research paper would be.  It was like writing sections of the paper, not the entire thing.  I think having done an earlier draft would have been helpful.  Personally, I changed my topic from the first annotated bibliography to the next assignment, so I think that if we had started the research earlier, then it would have been easier to have a firm hold on the topic that we wanted to write about.  I also think that reading the resources like Strunk & White would have been more useful to read at the beginning of the project.  It would have been helpful to have their tips kept in mind while initially writing the paper rather than looking if you did everything that they said after the majority of the paper was done. 

                  I think that writing a couple shorter papers would have been useful also.  It would have been better with preparing how to make an effective argument.   Fight Club was useful in preparing how to argue, but if we had written a paper, it would have better prepared us on how to write out an argument in a format that is different than speaking.