Grissom's Grammar and Composition

This blog is for any student writing papers for college, for current and former students in my Communications Cluster at Lindenwood University, and my students at St. Charles Community College.

}
Search this site powered by FreeFind

Thursday, November 18, 2010

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.

Labels:

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Update on Library Class

Good news. We have a room in Butler Library for our orientation tonight. Come in the front doors and up to the stairs to the main desk. I will meet you there.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Library Class Tomorrow Night - Confirmed

We will meet at the library tomorrow night, regardless of whether they are able to schedule the orientation. Michael is working on getting us a classroom and we may know by tomorrow at 9 a.m. We will do our own crash course if need be, but everyone should have an opportunity to do research and start on Assignments 1-3 when we meet there tomorrow night. Bring several topics to research. We may be going to another room, or in the morning I may post a room where we will meet.

I will go to the library and gather anyone who doesn't know where to go, so if you don't get a chance to look at the blog, come to the library and we will go from there. Email if you have questions and if you were not in class on Monday, please email me so I know you have received notice of the change in meeting place. I will try to call anyone who was absent if I don't hear from them tomorrow morning.

Here is a link to the campus map for reference.