Self-Assessment: Research Writing Survey
Feeling confident about your research writing skills related to the writing process is key to obtaining a credible research paper. While a good story can help us remember things, properly using statistical evidence could be a lot more persuasive than simply telling a story. Developing research writing skills might not come easy for many of us but the good news is that this is a skill that can be developed – and even mastered - through practice. Following are some key questions or subjects you can review to assess your knowledge.
For
example, many of us can see a research paper assigned in a course as a
burden. However, switching perspective
will allow us to view it as a unique opportunity to learn and further develop
our research writing skills. If you are
in the group of students who have felt that burden, rest assured you are not
alone. Many of us have at one point been
there. As a college professor, I can see
research as a great opportunity for my students to learn. As a student in a doctoral program, although
challenging at times, I find that research writing has allowed me to obtain clarity to
thinking while strengthening my knowledge. During the research process, I have also found the
opportunity to obtain different points of view allowing me to develop new ideas
supported by scholastic papers in reference to that particular subject I am
researching. In his book Using Sources
Effectively author Robert
Harry, (2014) explains “research involves the collection and organization of
ideas and thoughts, the analysis of statements and evidence, and the comparing
and contrasting of conflicting claims” (p.2).
It is also important to note that the research process allows students
to develop writing skills, a great competence required to work effectively in
future assignments.
One
of the most important skills we need to develop is the ability to use
supporting material such as quotations, examples, research, etc. Your confidence in your ability to use them
can effectively strengthen your ideas in a paper. Although APA style could be tricky it is
imperative to support the material with the proper quotations. Supporting material is particularly important
to me because it provides context to my research, which is crucial to subject
interpretation while it also allows the reader to follow up on any
specific subject or author should they have an interest to further
research. Harris, (2014) explained, “the
proper understanding of events and thought processes requires knowledge of the
surrounding information environment” (p.3).
Rest assured that your ability to utilize supporting material continues
to increase as you do more research. My
experience has proven that it is an ongoing learning process that we can master
as we further advance in our research activities.
Perhaps
one of the trickiest skills in research writing is paraphrasing. The proper use
of the sources we obtain for our research paper is crucial in order for us to
be able to deliver a paper that is considered a serious research worth
reading. For this reason, it is
important to introduce the ideas and concepts clearly, and appropriately in
order to show the reader we have taken the required time to do the research
while showing the familiarity and engagement obtained in the process. Harris, (2014) added “in order to take your
ideas seriously, your reader must come to believe that you are neither gullible
nor sloppy in the way you use information” (P.8). When paraphrasing, we must be extremely
careful to ensure capturing the original idea from the author avoiding biases while at the same time properly use it to support your own ideas.
You
might be asking yourself, how can I master the art of research writing? To start, you must obtain some kind of formal
training. For example, in my case, I
obtained my first college degree in the 80’s when there were basically no rules
or laws for plagiarism. This made it
extremely difficult for me when I was assigned my first research paper - just a few years ago - during
my graduate program.
However, attending a few APA seminars and reading the plagiarism
information provided by the university allowed me to become familiar with the
subject and I was able to understand the importance of properly citing the work
and ideas others have shared.
If
you find plagiarism to be a difficult subject to address, one of the most
challenging items we can encounter in writing a research paper might be
incorporating sources that conflict with the central argument or idea I am
researching. For example, during a
recent literature review assignment I found it to be extremely challenging to
find sources that were not in conflict with the central idea. I attribute this challenge to the lack of
time that I, as many of you might have, given our busy work schedules. Finding the appropriate literature required
for our research requires time and the proper organization of ideas supported
by an outline of the subjects we want to research.
Before
I close this blog we need to address a subject many of us avoid – unintentional
plagiarism. How confident do you feel
about knowing the rules for using sources well enough to avoid unintentional
plagiarism? Well, I recently did a self-assessment that allowed me to realize
that although I understand what is plagiarism I could easily unintentionally
fall into it. I strongly believe that
learning more about this subject is crucial, given the many rules that apply to it. Sometimes when paraphrasing, I
question the appropriate use of the source but it is hard to confirm whether it
is considered to be plagiarism. When in
doubt, I use four simple rules you can also find valuable for your research writing:
§ Use as many sources as possible to avoid using somebody
else’s ideas in your writing.
§ Whenever possible, use direct quotes and when paraphrasing,
don’t forget to mention the source.
§ Avoid large quotes as you might fall into "fair
use" standards – any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited
and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a
copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright
owner” (Cornell, 2016).
§ As long as original, bring your own thoughts into the
writing. Sharing your ideas or personal
thoughts on the subject matter of research will help you avoid unintentional
plagiarism while giving your paper an undeniable touch of originality.
Cornell (2016).
Copy right and Fair Use: “What is
Fair Use?” retrieved from
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-fair-use/
HARRIS, R. A. (2014). USING SOURCES EFFECTIVELY:
Strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism. S.l.: ROUTLEDGE.
US Copyright (2016).
U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index.
Retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/
