Topics to Review for Research Writing Skills Test

Finding a Research Topic

If you were assigned another research paper, what steps would you take to find a topic to write about?

Evaluating Sources

How do you evaluate sources? What makes them good quality sources?

Formal Research Writing

Research writing is more formal than other types of writing. Explain some differences between informal essay writing and research writing.

Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting

You get sources into your paper using these three methods. Define each and explain why and how use them in a research paper.

Logos, Ethos, Pathos

These are three ways to persuade an audience. Define them and give examples.
Review three ways to argue.

Logical Fallacies

These are arguments with bad logic. They are often used because they fool people, but good sources won't have logical fallacies and you shouldn't use them in your own writing. Be familiar with at least 4 common fallacies.

Responding to the Other Side

You can acknowledge or refute the opposing side's arguments. How do you do this and why does it help persuade your audience?

Signal Phrases

Signal phrases introduce quotations into your paper, often by explaining what the source of evidence is or the name and qualifications of the expert you are quoting. Know how to use them and give an example.

Brackets and Ellipses
These are tools to help you handle quotations in a research paper. Ellipses allow you to leave out part of a quote, and brackets go around anything you added to a quotation to help your audience understand it. Know how and why to use [sic] also.

In-text Citations

These are citations used within your writing to show where source information came from. You either mention the source in your writing or add it in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. Give examples of in-text citations and show where the punctuation goes when using an in-text citation at the end of a sentence.