MINDING THE RESEARCH GAP

Teaching Students to Use Sources Effectively

Aims

Why do we assign research papers? What do we hope students will take away from them?

What disappoints you about student research papers?

Professors’ Complaints

Broad, unfocused topics No real question, position, or sense of

purpose Clumps of information, roughly sorted

into categories Inappropriate sources No clear sense of voice Disorganized

Hjortshoj 167

HBLL Research

2010 Student Information Seeking Behaviors Website confusion Frustrations Time Use what they already know Don’t know how to “chunk” research

process

Student Processes

Website confusion Frustrations Time Use what they already know Don’t know how to “chunk” research

process

Three Things to Remember

Our aim is to help students better UCE (use) research:

Find and understand the research they encounter

Put that research in context with other research and their own thinking

Enter the conversation in their own writing

Burke’s Parlor“You come late. . . . Others . . . are engaged in a heated discussion . . . . You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense . . . . The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress.” Kenneth Burke, qtd. in Joseph Harris, “Forwarding,” Rewriting: How to Do Things With Texts”Logan: Utah State UP, 2006.

Building a Bridge

Reading for Understanding

Thinking in Context (Preliminary Writings)

Entering the Conversation (Writing)

Finding Sources and Reading for Understanding

Reading for Understanding

When you approach a new research project, what do you do to get a sense of the field?

What do you ask your students to do?

Discuss your answers with a partner

Choose a topic

Problem Solution

Seeing the topic as “what the paper is about”

Seeing the topic as “only a point of departure”Identifying “a real question . . . a real viewpoint”

Hjortshoj, The Transition to College Writing, 170

Invention Activities

Ask questions Think about own experience Check general sources/ review articles

for background Look for issues

Helping Students with Topic/Thesis/Choosing a Project

Finding Sources

Library Resources Subject librarian and Research Guides

Research Lab

Reference Desks

Selecting Sources

Location of Source Scholarly Peer Reviewed

Author(s) Institutional affiliation Education Other publications

Date Awareness of the Conversation

References to other scholarship Cited by others Explains connections and alternative explanations

Assignments to Help Students Find & Select Sources Discuss Suggestions

Reading Sources

Joseph Harris suggests that readers look for a “project” rather than a thesis by asking:

Aim: What is the author trying to achieve? What issue or problem is the work addressing? What does the author want to argue? Why?

Methods: How does the author connect ideas together?

Materials: Where does the author get evidence and examples? What texts get cited?

In other words, ask “What is this work trying to do?” not just “What does this work say?”

Assignments that facilitate understanding Reading journal

Two columns: one for summaries, one for questions and critiques

Conversation Starters One page reflection on reading that ends

with question for class discussion Book/Article Reviews

Summary of project along with a critique of strengths and limitations

Others?

Reflecting

Write: How do you help students find and read the

literature of your discipline? What assignments/class activities might be

useful? Discuss

Thinking in Context

Thinking about Readings in Context of What Others Have to SaySummarize and Synthesize: What do we know about the immediate

areas of this research field? What are the key arguments, key

characters, key concepts, key figures? What are the existing debates/theories? What kinds of methodologies are

generally employed by researchers in this area?

Putting Others in Context cont’dComparison and Critique Questions How do the different studies relate to one

another? What is new, different, or controversial about the various studies?

What views need to be further tested? What evidence is lacking, inconclusive,

contradicting, or too limited? What research designs or methods seem

unsatisfactory?

Mary Dossin’s Twenty questions (see packet p. 3)

Thinking of Readings in Context of What I Have to Say Four ways of adapting others’ material to

your own purpose (from Harris, Rewriting): Illustrating Authorizing Borrowing Extending

Ask: “What does this work add to my project?”

Assignments to Facilitate Thinking in Context Annotated bibliography

Full citation; brief (2-3 sentence) summary of main points; one sentence explanation of how this work supports your project

Literature review Identify important research trends; assess

strengths and weaknesses (of individual studies as well the existing research as a whole); identify potential gaps in knowledge

More Assignments on Context Research Proposal/prospectus

Common sections: Introduction/background, problem, methods, review of literature, outline, bibliography

Questions to ask: What problem or question do you intend to address? Why is this question or problem significant? How far along are you in your thinking and research?

What do you expect to find? What is your working thesis statement?

What have other scholars already written on your topic? Attach a working bibliography.

Adapted from John Bean, Engaging Ideas, 207

Reflecting

Write: How do you help students put researched

information in context? What assignments/class activities might be

useful? Discuss

Entering the Conversation

Entering the Conversation

Start with a point worth making Easy Thesis Generator:

Although some believe _________________, I believe __________________ because _________________.

Tips on Entering the Conversation Distinguish what you say from what

others say Consider possible objections Explain why your point matters Connect different ideas together

From Harvey Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say, I Say

Getting Started: Academic Introductions

Move 1—Establishing a Research Territory Establish centrality, importance, interest, and/or

relevance of topic Briefly review previous researchMove 2—Establishing a Niche Indicate a gap or problem Extend previous knowledgeMove 3—Occupying the Niche Outline purpose State the nature of current research List research questions or hypotheses Announce principle findings State value of research Provide “map” of paper

Swales, John M., and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2004.

Responding to Others

Look again at your article. Find an example of each of the following:

The author agrees with other scholars The author disagrees with other scholars The author agrees and disagrees

simultaneously

We will discuss these examples momentarily.

Agreeing

Make sure it’s clear what you add to the conversation.

Templates for Agreeing: I agree that _________________ because my

experience __________ confirms it. X is surely right about _________ because, as she

may not be aware, recent studies have shown _________.

X’s theory of _______ is extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult problem of ______.

Others?

From Harvey Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say, I Say, 57.

Disagreeing

Templates for Disagreeing (Graff, Birkenstein 55): I disagree with X’s view that _________ because,

as recent research has shown, _________. X’s claim that ________ rests upon the

questionable assumption that __________. By focusing on ______, X overlooks the deeper

problem of _______. Others? Ask yourself: “What do I hope will result from

pursuing this disagreement?” (Harris 55)

Agree and Disagree (“Yes, but”)

Harris calls this “Countering” and identifies three ways:

Arguing the other side Uncovering values Dissenting

Templates for Agreeing and Disagreeing “Although I agree with X up to a point, I

cannot accept his overall conclusion that ________” (Graff and Birkenstein 60).

“Although I disagree with much that X says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that ________” (Graff and Birkenstein 60).

“Until now, writers on this subject have disagreed on points a, b, and c. However, underlying this disagreement, there is a consensus of views on point d. In this essay, I will show why point D is wrong” (Harris 64).

Tips on Disagreeing with Civility Focus on positions more than phrasings Don’t try to guess the motives behind the

work Be careful with modifiers

Avoid suggesting that the limits are obvious: “clearly, simply, in fact”

Avoid portraying author as well-meaning but clueless (“Earnest, well-intentioned”)

Emphasize what you are contributing Take the gold out of Egypt Adapted from Harris, Rewriting

Taking an Approach

Acknowledge Influences Concerns: What problems, questions, and materials

does the author work with? Methods: How does the writer collect evidence? Style: What style does the writer adopt?

Turn an approach on itself Ask the same kinds of questions the author asks

Reflexivity Reflect on the choices made (regarding tone,

methods, values, language) while writing From Harris, Rewriting

Summary, Paraphrase, Quotation

Ways to Use Sources

Why do we cite sources?

To give due credit for information To help readers continue their research Other?

What do we cite?

ALL borrowed material Quotations Paraphrases Summaries Facts

NOT Common Knowledge

Summary

What is a summary? A summary is description of the piece or idea

“in short.”

When do you use a summary? When lots of information needs to be

conveyed quickly When the source includes information that’s

helpful but not essential (Evans) When what you have to say is routine (Harris)

Paraphrase

What is a paraphrase? Restating an idea or passage in your

own words

When do you use a paraphrase? When the information is important, but

not the wording

Quotation

When should you use the words of a text verbatim?

When you are commenting directly on the language of a text

When what you have to say is more contentious (Harris)

“[To] show what your perspective on it makes visible” (Harris 20).

When the language is particularly vivid

Strategies to help students incorporate quotes Introduce the source as needed Explain the significance of the quoted

passage Use “gisting” to cut down on

unnecessarily long quotes Identify four or five key words in a passage Trim or rearrange the quote to use as little

as possible while keeping those key words or phrases

SOURCES1. “Avoid the temptation to load up your paragraphs with long or full quotes from your sources. I often see what I call “hanging quotes” in research papers. Embedded in a paragraph is a sentence or two within quotation marks. Though the passage is cited, there’s no indication of who said it. Usually the writer was uncertain about how to summarize or paraphrase or work part of the quotation into his own prose.” (Bruce Ballenger 186)

2. “Plagiarism results from a writer’s failure to integrate information from sources into his or her own thinking. Such failure often originates in inadequate paraphrasing and summarizing during the note-taking process.” (Jean Johnson 176).

First Example Paragraph Based on Sources

Students are often tempted to load up their paragraphs with long or full quotes from their sources. These might be called hanging quotes, since they are cited but there’s no indication of who said it. When writers fail to integrate information from sources into his or own thinking, they are uncertain about how to summarize or paraphrase.

SOURCES1. “Avoid the temptation to load up your paragraphs with long or full quotes from your sources. I often see what I call “hanging quotes” in research papers. Embedded in a paragraph is a sentence or two within quotation marks. Though the passage is cited, there’s no indication of who said it. Usually the writer was uncertain about how to summarize or paraphrase or work part of the quotation into his own prose.” (Bruce Ballenger 186)

2. “Plagiarism results from a writer’s failure to integrate information from sources into his or her own thinking. Such failure often originates in inadequate paraphrasing and summarizing during the note-taking process.” (Jean Johnson 176).

Second Example Paragraph Based on Sources

Writers sometimes have trouble integrating information into their own paragraphs. They sometimes fill their paragraphs with long quotes from their sources or “hanging quotes.” This usually means that they don’t understand the connection between their own ideas and their resources. Or perhaps the writer was uncertain about how to paraphrase the information (Ballenger 186).

SOURCES1. “Avoid the temptation to load up your paragraphs with long or full quotes from your sources. I often see what I call “hanging quotes” in research papers. Embedded in a paragraph is a sentence or two within quotation marks. Though the passage is cited, there’s no indication of who said it. Usually the writer was uncertain about how to summarize or paraphrase or work part of the quotation into his own prose.” (Bruce Ballenger 186)

2. “Plagiarism results from a writer’s failure to integrate information from sources into his or her own thinking. Such failure often originates in inadequate paraphrasing and summarizing during the note-taking process.” (Jean Johnson 176).

Third Example Paragraph Based on Sources

Writers sometimes have trouble integrating information into their own paragraphs. Bruce Ballenger explains that students may “load up [their] paragraphs with long . . . quotes from their sources” (186). When such passages include a citation but no introduction, he calls them “hanging quotes” (186). Jean Johnson suggests that this problem may begin while the student is taking notes (176). When writers truly understand the connections between their own ideas and their sources, then the information can fit smoothly into their paragraphs.

Plagiarism: What should you do?

If it is fraudulent: Know BYU’s policy:

http://honorcode.byu.edu/content/view/5302/5698/#plag

Know your department or college’s policy

Meet with the student and determine appropriate action

Notify the Honor Code Office

If it is innocent: Recognize cultural

differences

Recognize textual difference

Talk as a teacher, not a judge

Worry about how they’re learning (What don’t they understand about documentation conventions)

Activity

Working with 1-2 faculty members, analyze the research assignment description that you have brought with you. (If you didn’t bring one, describe the assignment you use or would like to use).

How does this assignment encourage students to bridge the gap between research and writing?

What are some additional ways that this assignment could help students integrate research into their writing?

What are some preliminary or intermediate assignments you could incorporate into this assignment?

Sources

Bean, John. Engaging Ideas. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Evans, Keith. “In Your Own Words, Please: Helping Students Incorporate Sources.” Tutoring Paper, Honors 300R, Winter 2009.

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say. New York: WW Norton, 2006.

Harris, Joseph. Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts. Logan, UT: Utah State UP, 2006.

Swales, John M., and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2004.