Academic Writing—Peer OR Self-Reviewing an Argumentative Essay Draft

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Reviewer:

Writer:

What is the writer’s thesis statement? (If you cannot figure it out, ask the writer):

For each area that needs additions and/or reworking, mark your peer’s paper with the appropriate symbol, for example, “1b” if the writer needs to work on the five or six paragraph format.

1. Essay format and development of body paragraphs:

a. The paper needs to be expanded to meet the 500-700 word length (Mark with 1a).

b. The writer needs to work on developing the five or six paragraph format (1b).

c. The writer needs to develop one or more of the body paragraphs (1c).

2. Research sources and use of sources:

a. The writer has not used any outside research sources (Mark 2a and return the paper to the writer, who should see me immediately).

b. The writer needs to use more outside research sources (2b).

c. The writer needs to refer to the source within the text itself, for example, “According to Smith (2009)...” or “The author of ‘Child Development’ (2006) stated that...” (2c).

d. The writer needs to work on his or her reasoning skills, to develop inferences, and to arrive at his/her own opinions, supported by his/her research sources (2d).

3. Paraphrasing and quoting (based on the source brought to class by the writer):

a. The writer has plagiarized by cutting and pasting a significant amount of source material without using quotation marks. (Mark with 3a and return the paper to the writer, who then should see me immediately–not to be punished, but to be advised).

b. While the writer has made an attempt to paraphrase the source material, he or she still needs to work on the proper paraphrasing of research sources (3b).

c. The writer needs to use quotation marks around text that is more than three consecutive words from the original, unless it is a common English phrase. If you are not sure, ask the instructor (3c).

4. Counterarguments:

a. The writer needs to recognize one or more counterarguments (4a).

b. The writer needs to accommodate one or more counterarguments (4b).

c. The writer needs to refute one or more counterarguments (4c).

5. Introduction and conclusion:

a. The writer needs to develop an appropriate and interesting introduction, with the thesis at the end of the paragraph (5a).

b. The writer needs to develop an appropriate and interesting conclusion, which includes a restatement of the thesis, but in different words (5b).

6. Transition signals:

a. The writer needs to incorporate some appropriate transition signals from paragraph to paragraph and for comparing and contrasting ideas within paragraphs. (“In addition,” “however,” “thus,” “on the other hand,” etc.) (Mark areas with 6a). See the handout from Fall 2009 semester.

7. Overall writing quality (Choose ONE–and be honest, please):

a. Even for a draft, the overall writing quality is good; however, the writer should expect to do some minor editing and revision for the final paper (7a).

b. The quality of writing is what one would expect of a rough draft, but the writer should expect to do some significant editing and revision (7b).

c. The quality of writing is lower than one would expect, even for a draft, so the writer should expect to do some extensive editing and revision (7c).

8. APA documentation:

a. Missing internal citations. The writer needs to incorporate internal citations within the text to attribute all source material (Mark, within the text itself, all missing citations with 8a).

b. Incorrect internal citations. The writer needs to incorporate proper internal citations within the text to attribute properly all source material (Mark, within the text itself, all incorrect citations with 8b).

c. Missing References list. At the end of the essay, the writer needs to add a reference list, following the format as specified in the APA handout (Mark the end of the essay with 8c).

d. Missing Reference entries. The writer needs to add one or more reference entries in the reference list, following the format as specified in the APA handout (Mark, within the reference list itself, missing entries with 8d).

e. Incorrect References. The writer needs to develop a proper reference list, following the format as specified in the APA handout (Mark, within the reference list itself, all incorrect citations 8e).

f. Alphabetical order of References. The writer needs to re-order the list in alphabetical order, according to the author’s last name or (if the name of the author is unknown) according to the first word of the article’s title (Mark, after “References” title, 8f).

9. Reviewer’s narrative comments (about three or four sentences that focus on the most urgent areas that the writer needs to work on and/or correct–and be honest, please):

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Academic Writing--The Persuasive Essay: Introductions and Conclusions (Marked Group Work)

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Click on each image for a larger view:

Groups 1 and 5


Group 2


Group 4

The unreadable blue highlighted text in dialogue bubble JSS10:

Very good conclusion.

Your group is the only one that wove in the thesis statement very seamlessly.

It’s short and to the point, but very powerful.

___________________________________________

Source for exercise (includes the complete essay):

Cell [Mobile] Phone Use Should be Banned While Driving.

_________________________________________

Note: the original essay does NOT have good internal documentation, but, for this exercise, we were concerned only with developing solid introductions and conclusions.
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Academic Writing--Marked Paraphrasing Group Exercises

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Your marked paraphrasing group work is posted below, as jpeg files. To read the content, click on the image, and it will be large enough to read.

The links are to the original essays.

Group 1--Should Dangerous Sports be Banned? Yes!


Groups 2 and 3--Save Our Sports!


Group 4--Should Parents Resort to Physical Punishment in Order to Discipline Their Children?


Group 5--Should Animals be Tested for the Advancement of Scientific Research?

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Academic Writing—Brainstorming for a Topic

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For those who have decided to accept “The Research Challenge,” please select a topic that will hold your interest for the rest of the semester because you’ll be working with it until May.

First, you should be aware that there are two types of argumentative essays:

1. Issue Essay (Arguing a Position)

In an issue essay, you take a position on an issue (usually controversial and up for debate), defend it, and try to convince your audience to accept your viewpoint.

2. Call-to-Action Essay (Proposing a Solution to a Problem)

In a call-to-action essay, you define the problem (which most reasonable people would agree is a problem), propose some solutions to the problem, argue why your solution is the best possible choice, and why your solution(s) should be adopted by your audience. For example,

In the U.S., universal health care is currently being widely debated; most reasonable people believe that our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed. However, there is lively debate regarding HOW the health-care crisis should be solved.

In Macedonia, just about everyone agrees that there is a “brain-drain” problem (smart young people leaving the country to find jobs abroad), but there may be disagreement as to how to solve this serious national crisis.

But where to start? Brainstorming!

BRAINSTORMING! (Issue Essay)
1. Develop a Broad Topic.

Find an interesting controversial issue, such as “The Macedonian Question.”

2. Narrow your focus.

Develop a specific research question so that you can cover the issue in 500-700 words, for example,

Should Macedonia risk losing inclusion in the European Union by insisting on retaining ‘Macedonia’ as its name?

3. Research your issue first on Wikipedia and then other sources.

Wikipedia, a good preliminary source, will reveal if your topic is viable and may offer, in its reference section, some great research sources, both online and offline. However, you may NOT use Wikipedia as a source for your final paper. Everybody loves Wikipedia, but its authors, not vetted by Wikipedia editors, can be wildly inaccurate or can have specific agendas to push or axes to grind.
Check to see if valid and authoritative online sources are available for your issue; otherwise, you will not be able to support your viewpoint.

4. Assuming that your preliminary search proves that your topic is viable, consider the issue from several perspectives—even if you think you already know your own position on it.

This process will help you see the issue in different ways and formulate your counterarguments.

5. Develop your thesis.

Take a position by answering your original research question:

Macedonia should insist on retaining “Macedonia” as its name, for history and the future of Macedonian identity are more important than the current economic crisis.

OR
In the interest of economic viability, Macedonia should adopt another name so that inclusion into the European will be more likely.

6. Define your purpose for writing the essay (other than the essay has been assigned to you), for example,

“My purpose is to convince reasonable fellow citizens and sympathetic Greeks that my position on this issue is the best viewpoint to endorse.”

7. Define your audience.

For example, your audience for the above topic should be fellow Macedonian and Greek citizens and politicians who may be indifferent to or wavering on the issue. Why?

• Explaining the naming question to the entire planet would require too much background and historical information, which is beyond the scope of a 500-700 word paper. In this case, your audience ought to have some basic knowledge about the issue as opposed to John Doe from Peoria, Illinois, who will have zero knowledge about the Macedonian Naming Question.

• It would be futile to try convincing hardcore opponents, so you may have to concede that particular audience to the other side of the issue.

• There is no point in trying to convince your supporters. You already “own” them (In the U.S., this is referred to as “Singing to the Choir”).

So if you know that your audience will consist of both Macedonians and Greeks who are indifferent or not quite sure what to think about the Macedonian Naming Question, you have a real opportunity to persuade many of them to adopt your viewpoint by tailoring your argument specifically to them.

8. Counterarguments:

List every possible counterargument to your viewpoint (as you delve deeper into your research, you may discover even more counterarguments) and think about how you might recognize, refute and/or accommodate them.

BRAINSTORMING! (Call-to-Action Essay)
1. Develop a broad topic.

Find a current problem, one in which there is little debate as to the existence of the problem. In other words, if the problem itself is not widely recognized as a problem, then any proposed solution would be pointless. For example, the Macedonian Naming Question would be too controversial and open to debate. However, “solving the financial crisis in Macedonia” would be a good broad topic because few Macedonians would disagree that a financial crisis exists.

2. Narrow your focus.

Develop a specific research question so that you can cover the your proposed solution in 500-700 words, for example,

How can Macedonia stop the “Brain-Drain” problem, resulting in the systematic loss of our best and brightest young people who immigrate to foreign countries for job opportunities?”

3. Research your problem first on Wikipedia and then other sources.

Wikipedia, a good preliminary source, will reveal if your topic is viable and may offer, in its reference section, some great research sources, both online and offline. However, you may NOT use Wikipedia as a source for your final paper. Everybody loves Wikipedia, but its authors, not vetted by Wikipedia editors, can be wildly inaccurate or can have specific agendas to push or axes to grind.

Check to see if valid and authoritative online sources are available for your issue; otherwise, you will not be able to support your viewpoint.

In this case, for support of your solutions, you might find examples of how other countries are working with their “Brain-Drain” problem and how others have solved the problem. You are not likely to find specific proposed solutions for Macedonia in a global resource. You may need to find regional local resources, such as local newspapers, magazines, and books.

4. Assuming that your preliminary research proves that your topic is viable, consider several different solutions to the problem—even if you think you already know what solutions to propose.

For a call-to-action essay, it’s best to keep an open mind because your research may reveal better solutions than your original ones. At the very least, this process will help you see the different ways in which a problem can be solved and will help formulate your counterarguments—in this case, opposing solutions.

5. Develop your thesis.

Answer your original research question by offering some proposed solutions within your thesis sentence:

Macedonia can stop the “Brain-Drain” problem, which results in the systematic immigration of our best and brightest young people to foreign countries for job opportunities, by implementing the following solutions (Proposed Solution #1) , (Proposed Solution #2), and (Proposed Solution #3).

6. Define your purpose for writing the essay (other than the essay has been assigned to you), for example,

“My purpose is to offer the best possible solutions for solving the “Brain-Drain” problem that currently plagues Macedonia.”

7. Define your audience.

For example, your audience for the above topic should be fellow Macedonian citizens and politicians who may agree that there is a problem but who may at a loss as to how to solve this growing problem. Why just a Macedonian audience?

• Offering Macedonian solutions to the entire planet would be irrelevant and beyond the scope of a 500-700 word paper. In this case, your audience ought to have some basic knowledge about the problem as it pertains to Macedonia. While it is true that Joe Smith in Detroit, Michigan, may have similar Brain-Drain concerns (given the state of the U.S. auto industry as workers flee to other cities and states), any proposed solutions for Detroit are likely to be different from that of Macedonia.

• With your proposed solutions tailored just for a Macedonian audience, you will not have to explain the historical background to your audience.

So if you keep your audience small and focused, you have a real opportunity to offer in-depth solutions to a specific problem.

8. Counterarguments:

List every possible alternative solution to the problem and think about how you might recognize, refute and/or accommodate them (as you delve deeper into your research, you may discover even more alternative solutions).

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Academic Writing--Discussion of Research Protocol

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When discerning research protocol, there are three areas to consider:

1. Discussion of sources (print and electronic):

• Books

• Scholarly/professional journals

• Newspapers/news magazines

• Popular magazines

• Niche publications.

2. Determining the authority and credibility of the author.

Important questions to consider:

• Who is the author?

• What are his/her credentials?

• Is the author writing from his/her position of authority within his/her specified field of expertise?

• Does the author have an agenda, for example, is he/she a paid spokesperson for a commercial or even a non-profit enterprise?

3. Determining the authority and credibility, objectivity, currency, coverage, and reputation of the publication.

Important questions to consider:

• What is the reputation of the publication?

• How long has the publication been in business? (In websites, the age of the site and the domain name can be important indicators of credibility.)

• What is its slant or political viewpoint?

• Are its articles well-written and presented in an objective manner?

• How important is extremely current information to the readers of this publication? How current are its articles and information in general?

• Is this a niche publication? If so, what is its focus?

• How thoroughly does the publication cover its topics?

• How relevant is the publication to YOUR topic?

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Academic Writing--The Research Challenge!

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The Research Challenge!

For the Spring 2010 semester, you will have two options for earning your 15 points:

Option 1: Argumentative Essay Final Exam (15 points total) = 15%

OR
Option 2: Argumentative Essay (15 points total)

--(written out of class and submitted in lieu of a final exam): = 15%

--3 drafts (of the same paper, 2 points each) = 6%

--Final version of paper (6 points) = 6%

--Selection of topic, definition of audience,and development of thesis statement (1 point) = 1%

--Development of topic sentences (1 point) = 1%

--Development of counterarguments (1 point) = 1%

Obviously, I believe that Option #2 would be the best choice because you will receive feedback throughout the semester from me and your peers. I suggest that you begin the semester with Option #2 in mind because if it doesn’t work out, you can always switch to Option #1. However, you CANNOT begin with Option #1 and then switch to Option #2.

Option 2 will work best if you submit all your homework in a timely manner. It will do you no good to submit three drafts in the last week of class. I wouldn’t accept them late anyway.

So if you select Option #2, be prepared to attend class regularly and submit all your homework on time. If I see good faith effort on your part, I will work with you.

Option #1

May be a good choice if you have taken this class before (for example, in the U.S. or the U.K.), and already know the subject matter and just need the credits to fulfill a university requirement.

Option #2

May be a good choice if the subject matter is new to you and you have never written this type of essay.

Below I have listed some advantages and disadvantages of both options:

Advantages of Option #1

• If you miss submitting the homework/ assignments associated with the final paper, it won’t affect your final grade.

• Your topic will be selected for you.

• If you anticipate a lot of absences due to conflicts and/or outside jobs, this option will offer you some flexibility.

• For practice, you may still submit the rough draft homework/assignments, so you don’t have to decide right away whether to do Option #1 or #2.

Disadvantages of Option # 1

• The final exam is very difficult and asks you to complete in 90 minutes what the class has been doing all semester. The bar has been raised high on the final examination. If you do not pass this exam, you may end up not passing the course at all.

• You do not get to select your own topic, and you might end up with one that may bore you.

• If you have a bad day (sickness, tiredness, conflicting exam schedule, etc.) on exam day, your entire score is still riding on this one exam.

• You will receive limited feedback on your writing (just on your final).

• Even if you do some of the homework/assignments, the exam will still count 15% (and you will not receive the Option #2 points).

Advantages of Option #2

• Consistent feedback from me and your peers.

• Your 15 points for the semester are not riding on just one exam.

• You get to select your own topic, therefore writing about a subject that interests you.

• You can still begin the semester with this option in mind, but if keeping up becomes a problem, you can still switch to Option #1.

Disadvantages of Option #2

• Submission of homework/ assignments and regular class attendance are mandatory.

• This option will keep you busy all semester, not just at the end.

• If you have too many class and/or job conflicts, this option may not work out (unless you are self-driven and can properly submit the work without being in class).

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