Reading Critically and Researching Effectively to Support a Thesis

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Sample Writing Process for a Documented Essay

6. Revising

Mechanics

Physical layout

Citations

Punctuation

Spelling

Style

Tone

Does the tone or voice shift? (examples: first person to second; formal to informal)

Does the writer sound sound pompous?

Does the writing sound too conversational?

Word choice

Is the diction (level of vocabulary) appropriate to the audience?

Are there ambiguous referents?

Are key terms repeated for emphasis?

Are there numerous indefinite pronouns? Ambiguous pronouns?

Are the descriptions appropriate to the topic?

Is the wording precise and concrete?

Sentence flow

Is there a sense of wordiness, such as tripping over long verb or noun phrases?

Are the main ideas of the sentences highlighted? Are the supporting clauses interrupting the idea flow?

Does the reader "gasp for breath" at the end of a sentence?

Are there unintentional rhymes or alliteration that work against the ideas?

Are the sentences appropriately varied?

Organization

Do the paragraphs hang from a clear topic sentence/controlling idea?

Are the transitions present and meaningful?

Does the organization flow as expected?

Content

Is the opposition addressed completely/adequately?

Are all assumptions and logic explicit or directly implied?

Are all claims support and/or qualified?

Is everything true?

Are there enough concrete examples?

Are some details too lengthy or irrelevant?

Is there too much repetition?

Do the readers have all of the needed background?

Start with the big picture, then move to the specifics

5. Reviewing

Consider feedback with an open mind

Review the writing situtation--Rhetorical context--of the assignment

Look at your biases

Ask questions

Take it to the WTC or the instructor

Solicit feedback from readers

See Revising list (Content, Organization, Style, Mechanics)

Have others read it too you

Read it out loud

4. Drafting

plan time to set the draft aside before review and revising

a good first draft will go over the word limit in many cases

not a free-write--on some subjects you may need to express emotion and opinion first, then go back to outlining and drafting

emphasis is on completeness, not perfect prose

first drafts focus on explanation of ideas

3. Organization of Ideas--Learning and Shaping Your Findings

Outlining implies a variety of techniques

Formal sentence and phrase outlines

Work well with formal research papers in APA and MLA

while still flexible, best used after full discovery of ideas

resemble a pre-draft of a paper

subject and verb-based

Topic outlines

good for general planning

noun-based

list ideas and sections

Scratch outlines

road map of reading or writing

descriptive

Verb-based

Cubing

Make a physical, six-side cube

Several variations--most common is

Describe, Compare, Associate, Analyze, Apply, Argue/Debate

Intent is to look at perspectives

Questioning

Also works for Cubing

Who What Where When How Why

Mindmapping

Concept maps

label the connections with arrows in verb terms

Look for connections between ideas and authors

Mindomo

Central idea

branch out to observations

branch out to sources

2. Discovery--From the Topic to the Working Thesis or Thesis Question

This will begin to move to Learning Your Findings (see MindMapping, Questioning, and Cubing techniques)

Keep track of your resources and evaluate them. Try the following techniques:

Keep a running bibliography with a partner(s) and share source evaluations in a lit circle

Compile an annotated bibliography using the same information above

Keep a readers' log of what you are writing

Comment on the following as it applies to your assignment

style of the author--syntax, diction, organization, allusions and figures of speech

context of the publication

obvious or subtle political/social biases or orientations

intended audience

timeliness of the publication

credibility/credentials of the writing and author

relevance to the topic

Summarize the main points within 150-300 words

Create a running bibliography of each reading in MLA or APA format, depending on the assignment

In many cases, allow yourself the freedom to revise your Working Thesis or Thesis question, most often refining it by broadening or narrowing the scope

Use the Working Thesis or Thesis Question to filter your research sources for relevance to the topic

Consult the required resources. These will often include:

Smart web browsing

Videos/documentaries

Books

ebooks

library books, both specialized and general

textbooks

specialized reference texts (such as Gale Virtual Library)

Peer-reviewed or scholarly articles, usually from a database

Convert your topic into a Working Thesis or a Thesis Question

A Thesis Question asks a specific question about the topic that will lead to a conclusion with substance

What is the significance of X to the Y population in the ___ time period? is even better as a Thesis Question because it gives a definable scope to the topic and helps with the manageability of the paper.

What is the significance of X? is better question because it may lead to a claim.

What is X? is not often the best choice of question because it leads more often to a list of facts

A Thesis Question is an alternative to a Working Thesis

A Working Thesis is very much like a hypothesis--this is what you think you will find

A Working Thesis gives shape to your research and refines your thinking

A Working Thesis is often a clunky version of a thesis--it has a WHAT and a SO WHAT

With your topic in hand, make a list of search terms

Use the general sources to compile your list and to make note of potential resources

This is where general secondary resources can help point you in the right direction

1. Exploration--Finding What to Write About

Find a topic

Manageable topics

Make sure you have access to the sources you need

If there are many, many resources, then you may find that your topic is moot, or that you may need to narrow it.

If there are few resources coming up after a good set of search terms are used, you may not have enough to go on.

Do some early hunting and gathering to narrow your topic

Are there enough resources or too many?

If your topic is too grand in scope, you will give an incomplete paper or run long. You may run out of time, which you will need to draft, reflect, revise, and proof your paper

If the resources are specialized, you may have to order them

Keep your time and word count requirements in mind

Relevant topics

Weed out topics that will only lead to a list of facts

Weed out topics that have passed their sell by date, topics that are no longer in dispute or that have recently changed status so that there is not a body of research to draw on.

Scan the following for topic ideas that directly relate to the course goals and outcomes.

Personal connections to the course ideas

Audience/class needs

Specifically local applications of course ideas

Geographical applications of course ideas

Current debates within the field brought up in class

Assignment criteria and objectives

Texts and readings

Lecture notes

The outcomes, of course

Interesting topics

Reply to these ideas with "Yes And" or "No But" angles that take the familiar and change it. Synthesis

When was the class mesmerized by a video?

When was the professor really into a topic?

Review lecture notes/videos

Recall class discussions

What interesting questions arose that people didn’t have answers for?

What topics were talked to death?

Know your audience, as much as is possible

Emotional passion can spell danger

Follow your intellectual passion

If you don’t care, why should we?

Review your assignment carefully