Week 12: Incorporating sources
Overview
As you write your final project, continue to consider your audience—your reader—when writing.
In the case of class assignments, you are typically writing for your instructor and sometimes also for your peers. As such, you will choose vocabulary which reflects their knowledge and understanding of your topic.
Also continue to pay attention to the structure of your argument and how the “frame” of your thinking enables your reader to grasp your key points.
Finally, ensure that you have time to reread and revise your writing and, where available, incorporate any feedback you might receive on your work. Clear sentences, well organized paragraphs, and a consistent use of terminology will all contribute to a compelling argument that engages your reader and allows them to fully understand your point of view.
Readings
Section I: Writing clearly
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., Williams, J. M., Bizup, J., & Fitzgerald, W. T. (2016). The craft of research (4th ed.). University of Chicago Press.
- Chapter 2: Connecting with your reader: Creating a role for yourself and your readers (pp. 16-26)
- Chapter 13: Organizing your argument (pp. 189-199)
Before class activities
Key questions to ask while reading and watching
- Who are your readers and what do they need from you as a writer to engage in your work?
- Is your argument clear and well organized? Is it supported by credible evidence?
- What contribution are you making to the research conversation of which you are a part of?
- What process are you using to revise your work?
“Pile of words”: Group and label key concepts
Organize the words below into two lists of similar terms and label each list (include definition of each label).
Remember: You may already understand some of these ideas relatively well and others may be new to you—you are encouraged to look up (e.g., in a dictionary or encyclopedia) the unfamiliar concepts in order to create your lists.
Make note of your reasons for grouping the ideas together as you will share them in class. These are self-paced individual activities, for which there are no right or wrong answers. The instructor will not grade this work.
Predict a learning outcome
After class activities
After class, annotate each reading for key ideas. For videos and podcasts, you can annotate the transcript.
Summarize the author’s key ideas from each reading.
Highlight the following information:
- Purpose of the reading;
- Scope (the extent of the study);
- Thesis (the main argument[s]);
- Method (research method if applicable);
- Outcome(s) and conclusion.
Respond to the following statement about the readings: do you agree or disagree with the statement and why?
“Conversations are social activities in which we are expected to play our parts … But writing is an imagined conversation. Once we decide what role to play, and what role to assign to our readers, those roles are fixed.” (Booth et al., 2016, p. 16).
Did this reading provide any inspiration or insights you can use in this or any of your other classes? If yes, what is the inspiration and/or what are the insights?
