Drafting your Autoethnography

IMRD

Introduction– Use the scholars to set up your argument. Then

describe your experiment (the 1-2 sentence version) and what you found.

Methodology– Describe your research methods in detail.

Results– Include the charts from your think-aloud and write a

couple of paragraphs pointing out the important numbers.

Discussion– Prove your argument by analyzing quotes from your

transcript, and working with the numbers in more detail.

Introduction

Remember Swales?

Establish your territory Establish your niche Occupy your niche

Establish your territory

Topic generalization

Claim centrality Review previous

items of research

Example: “Understanding your writing

process and what works best for you to achieve that final draft helps students to become more skilled writers. Using the knowledge of your writing process is more beneficial than many people believe. One aspect to understanding your writing process that many are unaware of is rhetorical situation and the ability to apply it.”

Establish your territory, cont’d

Review previous items of research

Example: “Keith Grant-Davie

explains how rhetorical situation is seen as a set of ‘influential factors within the broader contexts that help explain why decisions were made and why things turned out the way they did’ (127). In simpler terms, rhetorical situation is comprised of four factors that shape how and why an author uses a specific style of language. These four factors are: exigence (purpose for writing the paper); rhetors (speakers/writers); audience; and constraints.”

Establish your niche

Raise a question Identify a gap Continue a

tradition Counter-claim

Example: “By using rhetorical situation, authors

can shape their bad drafts to address the intended audience. One paper with an intended audience for a history professor should not be written the same as a paper to a family member or friend. The different diction used in each writing situation should vary. The paper for the professor would be more formal, while the paper for the family member would be more informal. With time, dedication, incubation, and knowledge of rhetorical situation, authors who understand their unique writing process can transform their shitty first draft into published masterpieces.”

Occupy your niche

Outline present research

Announce principal findings

Indicate research-report structure

Example: “To better understand my writing

process, I wrote two very different types of papers and analyzed the writing process I used for each. I discovered that different types of writing require a unique writing processes, as well as why this process differs between mediums of writing. I studied my own writing process to better understand myself as a writer, and how I can shape my shitty first drafts. I also had a goal to determine how rhetorical situation, particularly exigence and audience, helped me develop each of these papers; in addition, I was interested to discover how the personal significance of the subject influences the way I write.”

Discussion

Organize it

Create a quick outline with the main points you need to highlight to prove your argument.

Example: – Planning– Editing– Writing – DistractionsOR– Audience

awareness– Spelling correction– Incubation

Drafting a paragraph: discussion

Topic sentence/claim Context for evidence Evidence Analysis

Drafting a paragraph: discussion

Topic sentence(s)/claim– Summarizes what

will happen in that paragraph and connects back to your overall argument.

Example: “The change in the audience

between the two papers resulted in a change in my composing process. While I was writing the assignment for my composition class, I had no clear and distinct audience in my mind while I was writing. For the senior letter, Natalie was the clear and distinct audience that I was writing for. I believe that because I had no clear audience while writing the composition paper, I had less interest in it.”

Drafting a paragraph: discussion

Context– Sets the evidence

up for the reader; frames the evidence in terms of your argument

Example: “When analyzing the

composition transcript, I noticed the very first line almost directly summarizes how I felt about beginning the task of writing the reflection”

Drafting a paragraph: discussion

Evidence– Quotes from

transcript– Pieces of

composing style sheet

– Numbers

Example: “When analyzing the

composition transcript, I noticed the very first line almost directly summarizes how I felt about beginning the task of writing the reflection: “Ok, so I just woke up and I need to write this paper.”

Drafting a paragraph: discussion

Analysis– Connects the

evidence back to your argument

Example: “Before I even

started the paper, it is clear I was not excited to write it. Thus, my exigence for writing affecting my writing process.”

More evidence?

You can (and probably should) use more than one piece of evidence in a paragraph.

Repeat the pattern:– Context– Evidence– Analysis

Example:– “There was also a high level of

uncertainty about the meaning of the article: “’What was Murray’s writing process, and how do they compare to yours’” I have no idea. ‘What was your impression of Murray’s writing process’” Yeah, I am going to skip that one for now” (Appendix B). It is quite obvious that while analyzing the transcript I realized how confused I was about the article. Due to this level of uncertainty and lack of dedication to the paper, clearly I wrote the paper solely because it was assigned to me and I was just trying to get it over with.”

Conclusion

Point to the bigger picture Questions you may want to consider (you

don’t have to answer all):– What did you learn about your writing process

that you didn’t know before?– How can this knowledge help you as a writer

in the future? – How do your findings change the way we think

about writing processes?– How do your findings change the way we

should think about teaching writing?

Formatting

Use subject headings– Methodology, Results, Discussion– Can use sub-headings to further divide the

discussion section Include appendixes

– Appendix A: the code we created– Appendix B: your transcript– Appendix C: composing style sheet– Appendix D: actual piece of writing from the

think-aloud (reading response, etc.) Don’t forget a title and works cited