Reflective Writing for Research Paper

Goals: How did I do with the goals I set? Why didn’t I achieve my goals? Which goals were most useful to me? Which didn’t really help?

I actually did really well with my goals. I made a goal to get my outline created and have things written already for each bullet at least a week before it was due and I had that completed a week and a half before. That was probably the most helpful goal just because I had about half the paper done super early. I had a goal to read my sources thoroughly really early on, however that didn't really happen until I was actually writing the paper. I only had a basic knowledge of each source for my outline.

Quality: Where in the writing do I feel most confident? Where am I weakest? What would I change if I had more time? What am I most proud of?

I am most confident about my use in the sources because I made sure that each quote directly tied to what I was talking about at that moment and that it fully supported my argument and help move it along. I am probably weakest at writing formally and making sure not to be repetitive. I would probably change the order of my paragraphing as well if I had more time.

Writing Processes: What writing process did I use to write this? How well did it work for me? What needs to change, moving forward?

My process worked pretty well actually. I figured out what I wanted my paper to be on and then I found some awesome sources that would help me with it. I read through those sources quickly and got the basic idea of what each one was about and wrote a paragraph about it to help me remember what each was about. I then came up with what I wanted my argument to be and devised how I could use each source to work through my points from there.

What I learned: What did I learn from this writing task? What was the hardest part? What’s something new I’m taking away from it? What part of the process interested me the most? What did my instructor do to help me learn? What did my instructor do that wasn’t effective and didn’t help me learn?

I learned that I'm not very good at keeping my writing formal. I often use second person terms and it's just a matter of rewording to fix it. The hardest part was honestly just getting my thoughts down onto the page in tandem with my sources. I loved that my professor made a powerpoint to help us use our sources throughout our writing.

How to apply what I learned: How will I apply what I learned from this writing task to future writing tasks (in my major, for example, or in the workplace)? What new goals will I want to set?

I will definitely be using what I've learned in this research paper in my major because I'm going into psychology and I'm going to have to write a lot using credible sources while also being able to distinguish what in those sources is helpful for my argument and what would be unnecessary. I would definitely want to have a deeper knowledge of what I'm writing about in the future before I decide to write about it.

Visual Rhetoric

Visual Rhetoric occurs when an author implements visual tools into their writing in order to help persuade the reader into agreeing with their argument. Things like pictures, graphs, or tables that help show the author's argument are uses of visual rhetoric. Even font changes such as bolded or italicized keywords or phrases can help the author add emphasis to the things they think are most important for their reader to understand and apply from their writing. Anything the author uses as visual rhetoric should be highly thought out and strategized to make sure the writing is as persuasive as it can be. In my own writing, visual rhetoric can help me add design to make it look more appealing to my readers. It can also add a sort of emphasis that can persuade my readers to see my argument in a new light and possibly help them to agree with me more fully.

Revision

Revision means to read over your writing and check for errors in spelling or punctuation, looking for sentences that don't make sense, fixing those sentences, and maybe even rearranging paragraphs or sentences to make the writing flow better. Revision is very important after writing because it helps make sure that the wording is correct and that it makes sense. When an author revises their work they can decide whether or not what they have written is actually what they wanted to say/how the wanted to say it, and if it's not they can change it to be how they want it before publishing it. Revision can help me in my own writing because a lot of the time I'm writing fast and don't realize little mistakes that I make and revising helps me to fix those little mistakes before I turn it in for a teacher or professor to see.

Counterarguments

Counterarguments are viewpoints others may have that are contradictory your own. They occur when a reader has different views on a topic than the writer does. Counterarguments are very important to include in a paper because they show the readers that the author has a none biased opinion and that they have done extensive research on a subject that covers their concerns as well as explains why the author has the view that they have. Whether the reader agrees with the author's argument or not can be based solely on the authors remarks regarding the counterargument and if they are respectful or not. It is important that I address each of my counterarguments because my goal as a writer is to persuade my readers to agree with my argument and if I don't address what is important to them then my writing will be pointless to them and they will excuse it.

Doing Research

Doing research in writing means finding sources from scholarly journals or articles that can benefit the writer in their understanding of the topic they are interested in writing about. A good researcher uses keywords or key phrases that are closely associated with the topic they seek to learn about in order to find information that may introduce new claims or counterarguments that the author may not have thought about before. The research part of the writing process is what produces the sources that a writer may use to add credibility to their argument and allow them to enter the conversation in a scholarly way. In the same way, I can use research to find the sources necessary to help improve my understanding and strengthen my reasons for writing. I can also use my research to more solidly cover any counterclaims that may possibly appear in the minds of my readers by finding sources that are from the other side of the argument.

Reading and Using Sources

Reading and using sources is truly essential when it comes to writing a paper. When a writer reads and uses the sources they have researched, the author becomes knowledgeable about where the conversation is currently, what the conversation has not yet addressed, and what the author can contribute by providing their piece of writing to the conversation. In writing a paper, the author can then take the knowledge that they have received from the sources and add credibility to their argument. If the paper has no credibility, then essentially the author's argument is rendered useless and will be dismissed by others involved in the conversation. By reading and using sources for my writing, I can further my knowledge of the topic I want to write about as well as make an effective and credible contribution to the existing conversation, which can potentially move the conversation forward to find a solution.

Paragraphing (Includes the following concepts: Topic & Concluding Sentences; Transitions; Old-to-New)

Paragraphing is the main form of organization in writing. It includes a topic sentence that explains what the paragraph will be about, an explanation that elaborates on the topic sentence, and a concluding sentence that wraps up what that paragraph talks about. Throughout the paragraph, a writer must use the old-to-new method in order for the writing to track. This method works by mentioning what has already been said and then adding new information to that knowledge. By taking the old info and adding new info, the writer has the ability to create smooth transitions between sentences within a paragraph. Furthermore, paragraphing itself provides the means by which a writer can transition from one point to the next without a breach of the writer to reader contract. I can use paragraphing to improve my writing by applying the principles that it suggests, which will then make my writing more effective.

Drafting

Drafting a paper is basically writing down an outline of the things you want to say, filling in that outline, and then revising. It usually takes at least two or three times of drafting until you have a final draft that contains all you want it to say and in the way you want to say it. It also fixes many grammatical errors and sentence structures that help with the flow of the paper itself. Drafting is important in the writing process because when you make a draft it helps you identify what parts of your writing are unnecessary and what is integral to your main point. When I use drafting in my writing process it improves my writing because of the fact that I can figure out what exactly my point is and then I can eliminate anything I've already written that is contradictory or irrelevant to my topic.

Entering the Conversation

When an author starts writing about a specific "hot topic" or controversy, that is called entering the conversation. Entering the conversation in writing is about bringing your knowledge to the table for everyone else to benefit from. Whether that knowledge is applicable to the subject at hand or actually beneficial or not, really just depends on how you've prepared that knowledge. Something an author might do to strengthen that knowledge and understanding of a specific topic would be by doing research of some kind. By doing so, an author can deepen their own education about that subject and help others with their own understanding by writing about what they have found. If I can use this strategy in my own writing, not only will it provide me with a deeper knowledge about the things I choose to write about, but it can also allow me to educate others in that subject as well.

Invention

The invention is the very first step in writing. It is writing down topics or ideas for your writing and then taking one of those topics or ideas and expanding upon them by using various methods. There are many methods for invention: such as diagraming, bullet lists, doodling, free writing, and other forms of these activities. Invention acts as a starting point when an author is looking for what they want to write about. This is important because it allows the mind to see connections between related topics, and also connect issues or topics that would not otherwise be or seem to be connected. By using invention in my own writing, I can not only address the things I most love and find interesting, but I can also find ways to relate those very topics to things outside their usual mode of classification and apply them to my own understandings.

Research Questions & Topic Refinement

Research questions are questions that help a writer narrow a very broad topic to a very specific topic. This can be considered topic refinement because topic refinement takes a general idea that the author wants to talk about and then it looks at the different aspects of that idea and weeds out the ideas that are unnecessary for the author's argument. These two things take time and effort to do, however, they are vital to the writing process. In order to refine your topic, you must ask questions about the argument and find any counterclaims that you may have missed. These questions also help to find new angles and ideas that may not have come up before, which is what validates the importance of the questions. By asking research questions about my topic and using them to refine my topic, my writing can improve by being more focused and more fluent.

Audience, Purpose, and Genre

In writing, the audience is who the writer intends to read their work, the purpose is the underlying meaning the drives the author to write and let the reader discover through their writing, and the genre is the specific type or manner in which the author creates the writing. Understanding what these three things provide helps the reader understand the very fabric of what the writing is, what it means to accomplish, and the means by which it is given; from the audience, purpose, and genre, the audience can have a deeper understanding of what the author wants to convey. If one of these things is missing, the writing becomes not only ineffective but unnecessary to the reader as well. Without these things, a text shouldn't really be considered writing but rather a list of points. Applying these things to my writing can help improve my writing by adding a reason for the writing and the mode of the writing.

Summary vs. Analysis

A Summary is basically a way to take a very long explanation and make it very short and concise but still be able to understand all the points from the long explanation. An analysis is taking everything that was said and examining it to draw a conclusion. In other words, a summary explains what a text is about and an analysis explains the how and why of a text. It is crucial to understand the difference between the two when writing because you have to be able to have the right balance between them depending on what you're writing. Knowing the difference between summary and analysis can help improve my writing because it can help me distinguish the evidence from the deduction. It can provide the what and then help explain the how and why, which then improves the all-around argument as a whole and provides substantial support for the writing.

Outlining (Arrangement & Organization)

Outlining is a way the organize your thoughts and help you assess what you want to talk about and what you don't want to talk about in your writing. It's basically a road map of where you want to start, where you want to go, and how you want to wrap it all up. An outline can help you think through your main point and all the supporting claims you'd like to gather throughout your writing. By making an outline, I can create the direction I want my writing to go and from there I can more easily fill in the rest with examples and evidence. This will help improve my writing because it will help me to think through the process of my argument while helping me solidify my argument. It can also help me in that I'll be able to figure out early on what I want to talk about and help me weed out the unnecessary comments.

RA reflective questions

Reflection Questions

Goals: How did I do with the goals I set? Why didn’t I achieve my goals? Which goals were most useful to me? Which didn’t really help?

I felt like I did very well with achieving the goals I set for this Rhetorical Analysis paper. At first, it was a real struggle because I couldn't see clearly the different rhetorical tools used in the article as they weren't very evident. The most useful goal was just to write down my thoughts and ideas on the page and go from there.

Quality: Where in the writing do I feel most confident? Where am I weakest? What would I change if I had more time? What am I most proud of?

I feel most confident in the supporting of my claims. I feel like I am usually the weakest in my main claims until I finally know what my support really is. If I had more time I would have tried to connect the tools and paragraphing a lot more by making it all support one main claim. I am most proud of being able to find new angles to write about each tool.

Writing Processes: What writing process did I use to write this? How well did it work for me? What needs to change, moving forward?

My writing process was that of the main outline. I felt like I actually used it pretty well despite the fact that I don't really ever use it. Something that really needs to change moving forward is that I need to be able to make the entire outline first and then start writing.

What I learned: What did I learn from this writing task? What was the hardest part? What’s something new I’m taking away from it? What part of the process interested me the most? What did my instructor do to help me learn? What did my instructor do that wasn’t effective and didn’t help me learn?

I learned what a rhetorical analysis is compared to any other piece of writing. The hardest part was identifying what the tools used were and then not sounding so redundant when elaborating on them. Something new I learned is how to find another angle on the topic so that I can cover all my bases to have a well rounded supporting argument, and that is the part that interested me most. I loved that my instructor gave us template sentences to work with and guided us with what exactly we were meant to be doing.

How to apply what I learned: How will I apply what I learned from this writing task to future writing tasks (in my major, for example, or in the workplace)? What new goals will I want to set?

I will apply these new things to my future writing tasks by looking for new angles to examine the topic with. My new goal would be to create a better outline before I started writing.

Peer Review

A peer review is when you take a full rough draft and let others read/review it. They give feedback on what they think is effective, ineffective, done well, not done well, or what they think is altogether unnecessary and should be taken out. They also provide ideas that can help improve your writing. Getting a review of your writing is important because it helps you not only know how effective your writing is, but it can give you another perspective on the subject matter that you can then address in your writing. Because an author needs to write concisely and effectively, having another's perspective on their writing can add greater depth and character than the author may be able to provide on their own. This can help me with my writing because I tend to stay focused on one point and then continually explain that point, in a variety of ways, but then I never address any other point that can help support my argument.

Critical Reading

Critical reading is not just reading for entertainment. Critical reading is being able to read through a text and understand not only the meaning of the text but to also make connections outside of the text and apply it to the material. This creates a deeper understanding of the reading as a whole and helps improve comprehension and ability to relay the material to another person. Critical reading is important for before writing because if you don't understand what the text is saying, or what literary, rhetorical devices used and why then the writer won't have much to write about. Being able to analyze a text and draw conclusions as to what the author's purpose is and the process in which they made it is integral to know whether or not their argument is effective or not. The goal of any writer is to convince their readers of their argument and their argument must be effective if they want it to work. That is why critical reading can help so much in the writing process. It helps set a framework for the writer.

Logos

Logos typically means logic, however, viewing logos as logic limits the meaning it has. As a whole, logos means argument. Logos is what creates an argument. It is an intellectual process of thinking between a claim, the reasons for that claim, and the assumptions behind those reasons. Learning how to use logos correctly and persuasively can drastically affect how effective the argument turns out to be. This means that if I can learn how to draw a claim from solid reasons that come from concrete assumptions, I can then use that claim to make an overall convincing thesis. Because logos produces critical thinking, it also then creates a conclusion from those intellectual processes. If an error occurs in the process of thinking, then the rest of the support for the main claim is overall less effective. Therefore, as a writer, I need to learn how to keep my line of thinking focused and connected so that it doesn't fall apart in the end.

Pathos

Pathos is emotion. When writing, authors use pathos to get the reader emotionally invested in what they are trying to say. It is used to help completely 'covert' the reader to the writer's side of the argument. Emotion is what hits deepest in an argument. Its what drives the argument. I have learned many different ways to use pathos in an argument. You can use stories, concrete details, a strategic word choice, or a call to action. Word choices are important because of their context and what they denote or imply based on said context. The thing I think hits home most is using shared values. Using these strategies can help improve my writing because it can create more levels of depth if applied right. Although, writers like myself need to be careful with how much pathos they use because too much will make the writing see melodramatic and unimportant.

Reflective Writing

Goals: How did I do with the goals I set? Why didn’t I achieve my goals? Which goals were most useful to me? Which didn’t really help?

I think I did really well with the goals that I set. I made a goal that would do more research before starting to write however, I should have done better with that. My goal to write more clearly was definitely the most useful to me. However, it also kind of hindered me because it made me want it to be perfect the first time I wrote it.

Quality: Where in the writing do I feel most confident? Where am I weakest? What would I change if I had more time? What am I most proud of?

I am most confident in my writing voice. I am probably weakest in my use of ethos and just getting my thoughts down on the page. I am most proud of my ability to start trying to get better at the things that I am weakest at. Next time I would go straight to the source first.

Writing Processes: What writing process did I use to write this? How well did it work for me? What needs to change, moving forward?

I used a process where I went through many different ideas and started writing about them, and then picked which one was best to write about.

What I learned: What did I learn from this writing task? What was the hardest part? What’s something new I’m taking away from it? What part of the process interested me the most? What did my instructor do to help me learn? What did my instructor do that wasn’t effective and didn’t help me learn?

I learned that I have a really really hard time coming up with what I should write about. However, when I actually do start writing, I can focus pretty well. The hardest part was definitely figuring out what I wanted to say.

How to apply what I learned: How will I apply what I learned from this writing task to future writing tasks (in my major, for example, or in the workplace)? What new goals will I want to set?

I am definitely using my knowledge of going to the writing center to get another person's view of my writing before I make my final draft. That seriously helped me so much. A new goal that I want to set, would be to go to the writing center earlier.

Ethos

Ethos means having Character. It is the way you present yourself to other people. It is the compelling reasons that support your claim. It is used to persuade the reader by using credibility. I learned that if I was a P.h.D psychologist writing about bullying and the effects it has on a teenager's behaviors the reader would believe me more fully than if I was an angry parent making a complaint. I learned that using ethos in a paper brings in a higher level of persuasion needed to convince the reader of my argument. I also learned that you can seem more credible than you actually are because of the way you present your argument by using ethos. In addition, I also learned that I can use ethos not only to enhance my writing but even further to improve my public speaking. It can also help with my interpersonal communications.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a sentence that includes the main claim that you want to make. It provides the meaning of the writing. I learned that the thesis not only provides the main claim but also provides the source of the argument in the first place. If there were no thesis, there would be no argument. If there were no argument, the writing would be left pointless. I also learned that a good way to write a thesis is to begin with the words "Although some people....., actually....." in which you would place an verb in the first blank and a claim in the second. I learned that using templates like these help clarify what your claim actually is, as well as possible counter claims. This knowledge of thesis statements can help in my writing because it can provide clarity of what and the purpose of what I want to say.

Intros and Conclusions

The intro to a paper presents the main claim (i.e. main thesis statement), the main reason behind that claim, a general assumption from that reason, and sometimes most importantly a hook to get the reader engaged. The conclusion to a paper re-states the main claim, provides a summary of what was said in clear sentences, and sometimes contains a call to action. I learned that a good introduction can include many things: a quote, humor, anecdotes, counter claims, or even statistics. It can use these things only as mush as they are pertinent to the topic. I also learned that most well written introductions use the front-door approach meaning that it starts immediately on topic. I learned that a rule of thumb for the conclusion would be to spend at least one full sentence on each major claim. Another thing included in a conclusion would be an answer to the "so what?" question (i.e. the call to action, etc.). These things can help improve my writing by providing a way for me to get my main points across in a more concise way, as well as improve persuasion.

Claims, Reasons, and Assumptions

Claims, reasons, and assumptions are the basic building blocks needed to create an argument. A claim is a belief or opinion a person makes known to others. A reason is a point or a fact used to back the claim. An assumption is a preconceived belief necessary for the reason and claim to be valid. I learned that by using the block method, or various other methods of choice, you can break down exactly what your claim is and from there you can determine what your reason and assumptions are specifically. I realized that this can be very useful to do before sitting down to write because it can help me clarify what exactly my assumptions are and separate them from my reasons in order to make my claim more rock solid. It can also help me to more easily think of possible counter arguments so that I may address them in my writing.

GRAPE

GRAPE is an acronym for Genre, Rhetoric, Audience, Purpose, and Exigence. They are the main aspects needed for effective writing. I learned that all these aspects work together in many different ways to create good writing. I never really understood exigence until I read about it. It is a lot like a purpose, however it is mainly an issue or problem that instigates the writing. I also learned that these concepts are very much intertwined. You cannot have an audience without a purpose as to why you have that audience and you cannot have a purpose without having an audience to give it to. I can use these tools in my writing by simply remembering their meanings and applying them as I write. As I do so, I know that my writing can and will become not only more understandable, but also more persuasive and efficient in the way it is presented.