Chapter 18 is all about understanding design principles. Using design effectively is the most important part in writing your research paper. It's important to understand the design principles. Balance, the vertical and horizontal alignment of elements on your page. Emphasis, the placement and formatting of elements, like headings and subheadings so they catch your readers attention. Repetition, the use of elements like headers, footers, navigation menus, and page numbers, across the pages in your document. Consistency, the extent to which you format and place text and illustrations in the same way throughout your document.
You also need to design for a purpose, presenting your information, ideas, and arguments in a way that helps accomplish your goals. Also, design for your readers so they understand your organization. Help readers locate info and ideas, and help readers recognize the function of parts of a document. Design to address genre conventions.
Elements you can use are fonts, line spacing, alignments, and page layouts. You can also use color, shading, borders, and rules. Illustrations like photographs, charts, tables, and digital illustrations appeal to your readers and help them see your point of view.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Chapter 16: writing with style
Chapter 16 is about writing with style. You can begin writing with style by writing concisely, your readers will not read your paper if it is hard to follow so three techniques that help you write concisely are: 1) Remove unnecessary modifiers, words like fine, many, somewhat, great, quite, sort of, lots, really, and very because they provide little info to a reader.
2) Remove unnecessary introductory phrases, like there are, there is, these have, these are, here are, here is, it has been reported that, it has been said that,it is evident that, it is obvious that, etc. Instead use for example because it allows you to emphasize a point.
3) Eliminate stock phrases, search your document for phrases that can be replaced with one or two words.
You can also write with style by using an active and passive voice effectively. An active voice would be: Juan too an exam.
The tornado leveled the town.
and a passive voice would be : The exam was taken
The town was leveled.
understanding when to use active or passive will make all the difference in your paper.
Adopting a consistent point of view is another way to write in style. First person would be I or we, second person would be you, third person would be she, he, it, one, they, or nouns.
Choose your words carefully. There are two different types of formality, informal and formal these will be determined on issue and how you choose to write it. Specialized language allows readers to communicate effectively and efficiently, so word choice is very important!
How can you polish your style?
Vary your sentence structure, there are 4 types of sentences that can be used to vary your sentences : statements, questions, commands, and exclamations.
You can also polish your style by creating effective transitions. Transitional words are first, second, third, finally, however, and nonetheless. Transitional phrases are on the other hand, as a result, and in turn. There are also transitional sentences and paragraphs that strengthen your paper.
Introduce other authors effectively while integrating others work into your paper by saying the author wrote or the author said. And avoid sexist language that will upset your readers, consult a good handbook and read widely.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Chapter 12 Entry
Chapter 12 is about developing your argument. You first want to understand your position and start to develop reasons for your argument. Once you have confidently chose reasons, you want to support those reasons with evidence. You can find and use evidence from sources and other gathered research. Evidence will act as concrete detail and allow your opinionated reasons to sound fact and logical. It is important to have a strong reason with evidence to support your reasoning. You also want to make sure your thesis, reasoning, and evidence is appealing to the reader and will draw in other readers. You do not want to sound opinionated, so it is important to acknowledge the opposition. The reader will enjoy reading a paper that has concrete facts to PROVE why you believe what you believe. Don't just say your position; prove your position. It is also key to stay logical so your readers can follow along.
It is also important to use reliable sources to make sure your assignment has "integrity" according to the Bedford Researcher. The book mentions "fallacies" which you need to check for, look for, search for, and locate. You need to make sure your paper is intelligent and organized with logical evidence and key supported detail.
It is also important to use reliable sources to make sure your assignment has "integrity" according to the Bedford Researcher. The book mentions "fallacies" which you need to check for, look for, search for, and locate. You need to make sure your paper is intelligent and organized with logical evidence and key supported detail.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Working Bib
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Chapter 11 Entry
Chapter 11 is about developing your theses statement. The thesis is the basis of your paper and will ultimately decide what and how your paper will be drawn out. In order to create a meaningful and balanced thesis, you first want to understand and review your topic. Think about your position and ask yourself if you really believe what you are writing about. You want the paper to be attainable to you so that you won't bore your intended readers.
Evaluating your notes will help you reflect on your subject a little more. The book mentions to ask yourself if your notes are valuable and how well it "conveys" your position. You also want to create logical and creative reasons that you could potentially write about in your body paragraphs.
The book also talks about drafting your thesis. You can do this by understanding what type of paper you want to write about and thinking about possible alternate positions. You want your thesis statement to be narrow and focused. It is important that it is not too broad of a concept so that you can have definite points and can focus directly on your specific subject.
Evaluating your notes will help you reflect on your subject a little more. The book mentions to ask yourself if your notes are valuable and how well it "conveys" your position. You also want to create logical and creative reasons that you could potentially write about in your body paragraphs.
The book also talks about drafting your thesis. You can do this by understanding what type of paper you want to write about and thinking about possible alternate positions. You want your thesis statement to be narrow and focused. It is important that it is not too broad of a concept so that you can have definite points and can focus directly on your specific subject.
Chapter 10 Entry
Chapter 10 is all about understanding different types of research methods. Also, knowing when and how to use these different methods. The chapter mentions to start using other research methods when you can no longer find information on your specific topic.
The method the chapter mentions is to use interviews to collect information. It is important to find a good source, and ask detailed questions. Interviews can be performed in many different ways. For example, the chapter notes that you can do face-to-face, over the phone, or written interviews. All ways will ultimately allow you to gather more information on your topic and give you a little more insight.
The next method talked about in this chapter is using observations. It's pretty much like the interview. You need to plan it out, decide what you are going to observe, and how you are going to observe them. You want to identify key elements and features that you think will help you understand your issue. You can also use surveys to analyze peoples beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards certain subjects or matters. Again, you want to plan out and carefully decide how and who you want to ask.
The last ways of collecting information can be done through correspondence and public events. Basically, you want to start a discussion with a large gathering of people through social networking or public meetings. By doing this, you can address your argument and understand what and how people feel about your belief.
All of these helpful methods will ultimately help you understand your topic a little further into detail. By using different types of methods you are allowing yourself to see better and different results from a wide range of sources.
The method the chapter mentions is to use interviews to collect information. It is important to find a good source, and ask detailed questions. Interviews can be performed in many different ways. For example, the chapter notes that you can do face-to-face, over the phone, or written interviews. All ways will ultimately allow you to gather more information on your topic and give you a little more insight.
The next method talked about in this chapter is using observations. It's pretty much like the interview. You need to plan it out, decide what you are going to observe, and how you are going to observe them. You want to identify key elements and features that you think will help you understand your issue. You can also use surveys to analyze peoples beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards certain subjects or matters. Again, you want to plan out and carefully decide how and who you want to ask.
The last ways of collecting information can be done through correspondence and public events. Basically, you want to start a discussion with a large gathering of people through social networking or public meetings. By doing this, you can address your argument and understand what and how people feel about your belief.
All of these helpful methods will ultimately help you understand your topic a little further into detail. By using different types of methods you are allowing yourself to see better and different results from a wide range of sources.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Chapter 7 Entry
Chapter seven is all about being original. It is important to always use your own words and cite sources when you are using somebody else's work. It is cheating yourself if you use somebody else's work as your own. This chapter also mentions that it could completely be unintentional plagiarism. To avoid any sort of plagiarism, the chapter suggests that you do not slack off when it comes to taking notes and citing sources. Also, when paraphrasing, do not just change one word or use synonyms; completely rewrite the section in your own words to avoid any and all sorts of plagiarism. The chapter also notes how serious every case of plagiarism is and how much it can affect a writers essay.
There is a difference between plagiarism and facts. Or otherwise called, "common knowledge". Although there is a fine line, it is still important to know the difference between the two. A fact can not be plagiarised, because it is indeed, a fact. And everyone knows it. For example, the book uses the fact that the Declaration was signed in 1776. If you were to use that as evidence in your essay, it would not be considered plagiarism because it's not like anybody made it up or did a study, or has an opinion on when it was signed.
The section also mentions to create a source called a "Knowledge Inventory". Here you can understand a fact more clearly and in your own way. It is sort of like a drawing board for all of your ideas and comments about a source, quote, or anything else you use as evidence.
There is a difference between plagiarism and facts. Or otherwise called, "common knowledge". Although there is a fine line, it is still important to know the difference between the two. A fact can not be plagiarised, because it is indeed, a fact. And everyone knows it. For example, the book uses the fact that the Declaration was signed in 1776. If you were to use that as evidence in your essay, it would not be considered plagiarism because it's not like anybody made it up or did a study, or has an opinion on when it was signed.
The section also mentions to create a source called a "Knowledge Inventory". Here you can understand a fact more clearly and in your own way. It is sort of like a drawing board for all of your ideas and comments about a source, quote, or anything else you use as evidence.
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