RR - "The Art of Quoting"

Evidence is necessary for credibility in any and all circumstances. In the instance of writing, quotes act as this needed evidence. But as with all evidence, more is needed. Quotes do not speak for themselves; author's commentary on the topic is needed. The two work together to form a tight bond of credibility. The words you are incorporating represent what someone else has to say about the same or similar topics, yet it's purpose is solely to back up what you have to say. When incorporating the words of others, it is important to provide enough background to their words so as what they are saying becomes clear and fitting to your audience. "Quotation sandwiches" are key to a successful incorporation of other's thoughts and ideas. Yet always keep in mind that you want the incorporation of quotes to strengthen and support your ideas, without disrupting the flow of your paper.

RR - Getting Squirrelly

Overall I feel this to be a very strong essay. The author has brought to my attention that though I may encounter squirrels on a daily basis, I really do not know much about their behaviors. The follow are two things that particularly stood out in my mind about the piece.

I found the introduction to be very enticing. The details and early childhood reference really drew me in. I could easily find connections to my life as I too have been surrounded by squirrels from an early age. Though I agree with Tina in that it is unclear as to what the purpose of the paper is. Not until the end of the third paragraph was I really certain as to the topic of the paper. However, I wouldn't consider this a weakness. In fact, I think it's refreshing to be pulled into a research paper as the author has done here. The only weakness I find in the first three paragraphs is in the last sentence when she deliberately tells us what she is focused her research on. It is a pet peeve of mine, and maybe only because I was always taught it was bad, to blatantly tell us before hand what you are going to tell us later (or that which we should be able to infer).

I find her use of "I" in her paper to stand out from the way in which other authors seem to be using the pronoun. She uses it to explain why she was intrigued, what questions she was asking to lead to the research she conducted, rather than incorporating her opinion.

RR - Chapter 3: Ballenger

Advice for your research and writing:

• Take notes! Don't just copy passages out of books, check out books from the library that are seemingly relevant to your topic, or print of entire articles without reading through and making note of what is important. This lack of effort in the research stage makes for a far more challenging writing stage.
• ie: "I was always a slow writer, but I now realize that one major reason I got bogged down writing my research paper drafts was my inattention to notetaking [...] I now believe that the writing that takes place in the middle of the research process - the notetaking stage - may be as important, if not more so, than the writing that takes place at the end - composing the draft."
• Making sense of the information you are acquiring during research is the most important foundation of your paper. Without taking the time to make it your own, you are far more likely not only to misinterpret the information, but also to plagiarize. 
• "The relationship between a source and a research writer is often complex." What exactly does this mean? 

- "Paraphrase is the academic equivalent of this therapeutic method for getting people to listen to each other. Try to say in your own words - and in about the same length as the author said it - what you understand that author to mean."

- Summary: "a reduction of longer material into some brief statement that captures a basic idea, argument, or theme from the original."

- "As a general rule, the college research paper should contain no more than 10 or 20 percent quoted material [...] The fact that a quote sounds good isn't reason enough to use it. LIke anything else, quotes should be used deliberately, with purpose."

RR - Polygamy in America

What made this article most readable, despite the curiosity of one at such an 'unknown' topic, was the author's ability to write the piece without presenting his bias. I know from personal experience how difficult this can be, and I can only imagine the added difficulty brought about by the controversy of such a topic. I feel it is safe to assume that everyone has a strong opinion on religion, let along polygamy. Yet, in refraining from showing any bias, Scott Anderson was able to present the information in a captivating way. It was almost as though he was narrating the story of many peoples' lives. I find his use of language and incorporation of personal stories and opinions from FLDS members to be more than fitting for what I believe to be his purpose in writing this article. I also feel this article to be an appropriate example of when not to use "I" in a research paper. I'm glad to be free of Anderson's opinion as I feel it is almost irrelevant to the piece and would therefore become a distraction or annoyance. Overall, I feel the piece was extremely well written and very captivating as it was indeed still a research paper (which many people dread).

RR - Bartholomae

Bartholomae challenges the way in which we view reading. He believes that “one of the difficult things about reading is that the pages before you will begin to speak only when the authors are silent and you begin to speak in their place.” What does this mean? What message is Bartholomae sending?

• Does this relate at all to what is further implied as reading being a conversation: the author talking ‘with’ you rather than ‘at’ you?

“Each of us will come to his or her own sense of what is significant, of what the point is, and the odds are good that what each of us makes of the [writing] will vary from one to another.” It may seem obvious that when discussing a piece of literature in an English class not everyone interprets the piece quite the same, though I never thought to think about how the same piece impacts each person so differently. This seems like an important thing to keep in mind when reading a piece to be used in a research paper.

• Despite the different ideas each individual chooses to focus on, the original piece provides a ‘frame’ in which everything fits. That is to say that we are given a basis for discussion amongst one another. 

Strong Reading: the combination of reading, thinking, and writing

“Text provides the opportunity for you to see through someone else’s powerful language, to imagine your own familiar settings through the images, metaphors, and ideas of others.” Though there may be some truth to this statement, is it fair to assume all written text provides us with this opportunity? Haven’t you ever read something and found yourself struggling to make any personal connections with the piece?

“A danger arises in assuming that reading is only a search for information or main ideas.”  What ‘danger’ is spoken of here? Is Bartholomae hinting at ideas of critical thinking? Is there ever a time when one reads something strictly for purposes other than searching for information or main ideas?

“Read as though it made sense and perhaps it will.” – I.A. Richards

RR - Chapter 2: Ballenger (thru p.95)

According to the text, our learning goals for the week include learning when and where to search for information, what language produces the best search results, advanced searching techniques, determining the quality and worth of the information we find, and useful and effective notetaking methods.

Things to keep in mind during research:

(A few pointers)

• It is undoubtedly "Google's accessibility that makes it so irresistible" and despite Google's ability to 'keep up' with library search engines, the articles were lacking quality.
• The library is an indespensibe research tool as the quality matters greatly in academic papers.
• More is better! Too much is not enough. It is important to "find sufficient information to fully explore a narrowly focused topic," "find varied sources," and "find quality information."
• The researcher's most important skill is HOW he/she phrases her search.
• Don't lean too heavily on a single source. Use a sufficient number of different kinds of sources.
• "A good researcher always takes a skeptical view of claims made in print; she should be even more wary of claims made in Internet documents."
• The goal is to develop your working knowledge into a focused knowledge.

RR - Chapter 1: Ballenger

Overall, I feel I have heard the bones and structure of this material a number of times throughout the years since my first research essay. However, as with everything, a slightly different use of words, angle of approach, or personal opinion might make it stick just that much more. Throughout reading this chapter, I was able to make a number of insights and ask a number of questions. The following include these connections.

Things To Remember (Insights):

• "Your curiosity must be the driving force behind your research paper."
• Picking a good topic is about finding the right question(s) to ask.
• Though using wikipedia as a source in one's paper is frowned upon, it is a great beginning point in the research process and even in searching for one's topic.
• The main purpose of a research paper is not to report, but rather to explore, argue, or analyze.
• Developing your reading skills are a key component of writing good research papers. 

Questions:

• The book makes the point that the general research strategy is to "work from more generalized information to more specialized information." However, the book later goes on to say that "the challenge is not to find a unique topic but to find an angle on a familiar topic that helps readers to see what they probably haven't noticed before." In developing this new angle, wouldn't one have to venture into the specifics of the topic, ultimately going against the idea of working from generalized to specialized?
• William Badke defines 'working knowledge' as one's "ability to talk about it for one minute without repeating yourself." How soon upon beginning your research paper should one have developed a 'working knowledge'? Or should the topic one picks be one which he/she already has a 'working knowledge' of? What if you have a clear idea of what you want to focus on without having developed a 'working knowledge' of that topic?