In the reading AW chapter 8 it talks about Reading and Writing in the Social Sciences. The first thing I am going to talk about is structure. Common elements that are found with structure are quantitative and qualitative studies. With quantitative studies the more quantitative the study is you are more likely to use the MRAD format. IMRAD format is Introduction, method, results and discussion. With introduction you want to give a brief overlap on what you did with the study. With methods are quantitative and qualitative studies. With results you just put all your results that were found in the study. Finally discussion. In the decision you talk about why you did the study and its impact on doing the study. Other elements found in structure are conclusions, titles, abstracts, acknowledgements, references, and appendices.  Common elements that are found with language are active and passive voice. Active voice is when someone is doing the action., In passive voice however someone is receiving the action. Also what is talked about in language is hedging. Hedging is when you want to make a point but not overstep the point. Common elements that are found with references are in text documentation. In text documentation is when you are making a reference for one of your sources in your paper. What is also found are summary and paraphrasing. After reading and writing a literature review you want to synthesize sources. What synthesizing sources is the process of identifying and describing the relationship between and among researchers. Another way to organize your sources is making a source synthesis chart. The author essay the source synthesis chart helps with visualizing areas that overlap in your sources. In the study what I find lacking in the information is the study is really not anything in my opinion it is all information that I am newly learning.          

Starting with the common elements of structure that are discussed in chapter 8. Usually following the different structures of either quantitative, qualitative, or a mixture of the two called, “Mixed-methods”. In quantitative writing it usually follows the case of IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). The Introduction is where evidence or what is already know is most likely to be found in the report. Methods is when either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed are identified in the report. Results are usually presented by using heading as opposed to a title when following the IMRaD format. In the chapter there is an example of a results heading with a subheading just below it, showing that this is where they would be found. Other examples of structure of a report are conclusions, abstracts, acknowledgements, references, and titles. These all are headings or explanations where something would be when writing.

Another common element is language. Such examples include active and passive voice. Examples of this would be how the sentence is laid out. When the topic of the sentence comes first that is active voice, ie, “They asked her” would be active. “She was asked”, would be passive. Hedging is another example of language. This is when authors want to make a comment that isn’t completely fact without making a false claim. Using phrases like “seems as if”, “looks like”.

In regard to reference in writing there are different ways to have it. MLA, APA are examples of in text documentation. Paraphrasing is also reference, when not making a direct quote one would need to paraphrase or summarize.

How to organize sources for a literature review? When you have little knowledge on a topic it might be less of a review and more about learning about that topic. When you are comfortable with a topic you have more knowledge of organizing the information and honing in a specific topic you know a lot about without research. After picking your topic research comes next. After researching and organizing your topic, you need to synthesize your sources. This means the trends among research. How does the research from one person compare to different research from someone else.

Social sciences focus on studying human behavior, human systems, and interactions between behavior and systems. According to the reading, “professionals in the field of the social sciences help us understand why we do what we do as well as how processes (political, economic, personal, etc.) contribute to our lives” (183). Reading and writing in the social sciences includes many common elements of structure, language, and reference and this chapter of A Guide to Academic Writing discusses them.
One of the main methods of structure in the social sciences is the IMRaD, which stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Starting with the introduction, researchers establish a context for the study and provide an appropriate background on the topic. In the methods section, researchers identify the methods used, explaining their reasons for choosing them. In the results, researchers often present their results by using headings and subheadings and simply stating what they found. The last section, discussion, is where researchers explain the significance of their findings and reflect on their findings. Other structural conventions in the social sciences can include titles, abstracts, conclusions, acknowledgements, references, and appendices.
When it comes to language conventions, social scientists use various languages depending on the audience and genres. The different aspects of language consist of voice and the concept of hedging. In this chapter we see that passive voice is used more often than the active voice. It is explained that this is because “skillful use of the passive voice can actually foster a sense that researchers are acting objectively or with neutrality” (208). The concept of hedging is when researchers want to propose a claim based on their findings but want to avoid overstepping the scope of their findings. To do this, researchers use specific words or phrases to essentially “beat around the bush”. These phrases include but are not limited to, probably, perhaps, some, possibly, sometimes, might, likely, it appears that, apparently, and partially. Hedging is most often used considering the fact that many claims about human behavior are made and that not all individuals will agree with the conclusion.
The last common element of structure is references. Regarding social sciences, the reference style most often used is APA. This reference style includes many distinguished features, specifically when it comes to in-text documentation and summarizing/paraphrasing. Within both aspects, there are comparisons that can be made to the MLA documentation we have previously learned about.
The process of writing a literature review, as discussed on page 213, includes many different steps. One of the most important steps of this process is organizing the gathered sources. An individual must find the most efficient way to organize their sources to keep their research in line. Two ways that they can accomplish this are by producing an annotated bibliography or a source synthesis chart. Either way will provide a good foundation for the organization of the individual’s sources, ultimately keeping them on track and allowing for the visualization of the areas of overlap in research.

So last week you read AW: Chapter 8, “Reading and Writing in the Social Sciences.” For this blog post, please discuss in detail as many of the common elements of structure, language, and reference in the social sciences as you were able to identify and give examples from the text. After that, focus on the “Writing a Literature Review” section on page 213 and discuss how to organize sources for a literature review. BE SPECIFIC.

What do you find lacking in the information presented in this chapter? Writing this will get you in the habit of discussing these items in a piece of writing in preparation for the final. It will help you to discuss these things in your own writing.

 Next semester, I see myself taking on a heavy workload that may cause me to have anxiety, however, I also feel that I will make a lot of new friends, just like Sarah did. Even though I am curious about how next semester will go, I am somewhat worried that I may struggle in some of the classes.

Now that this is my third time changing majors, I am hoping that business(with a concentration of marketing) can work out for me.. In the Freshman book,  Sarah drops her theater minor because she felt as if it was not for her, however; Sarah did not change her major so it is not a big deal.

Although I am worried about next semester , I am looking forward to meeting my new professors and having a different schedule. Waking up at 8 in the morning is just not it; luckily,  my earliest class is at 9 in the morning next semester.

Overall, I do not have any special plans for spring break, other than hanging out with my family and friends so that I can catch up on how their life has been. I hope to watch some football with my family and travel somewhere that I have never been.

My plans for my Summer Break is to workout, have fun, play games and work so that I can stack my money up for my Sophomore year. I also hope to go goat cart riding because that is one of my favorite things to do when I am on vacation.

As the weeks fly by faster and faster, I pray to God that I can keep up and stay on top of my assignments.  In high school, life seemed so much easier than life in college because my teachers expected a lot less from me. During my time in high school, I had maintained all As while obtaining a 4.0 gpa; however,  I have one F this semester and all Bs.  Luckily, the class that I have an F in is a high F so I can pull it up.

Sometimes I regret deciding to go to college because  of the stress and responsibility that come with it  Sometimes I don’t think I can bare the workload. in the “Freshman Year ” book, Sarah said that ” I just feel like I failed this year, I disappointed everyone, I over did everything in High School and then got to college and I’m a nobody”. I can relate to Sarah because I do not recall me withdrawing from a class in high school. My worry is that come May, I’m going to feel as if I wasted my parents money and I may think that college is not for me or a waste of my time.

I do not want to have those thoughts, so I am talking with my advisor and working hard to maintain good grades and pull up my failing grade by the end of the semester!

As the spring semester gets closer, I feel both excited and nervous. I’m nervous because I have gotten to know the people in my current classes, and it feels comfortable. Starting over with a new group of classmates makes me anxious because I’ll have to go through the process of getting used to new faces. But at the same time, I’m excited because I’ll have the chance to meet new people and make new friends which is something I enjoy.

I’m also happy that my registration process went well. I was able to sign up for all the classes I wanted. The only problem was that I didn’t get into a class required for my major at first, but I filled out a waitlist form and luckily, they were able to put me in the class. I’m really thankful to my advisor for helping me with that. One challenge I might face this semester is adjusting to my new schedule. I’m also worried about how much work my new classes will have, especially if they turn out to be hard.

For spring break, I’m really excited because I plan to visit my aunt in California. Just thinking about it makes me happy!! California has always been a place I have wanted to visit, and I’m looking forward to the experience. Even though my relatives in Richmond offered for me to stay with them while my mom goes back to Kenya, I really want to stick to my plan of going to California. I’m not sure yet what I’ll do once I’m there, but I hope it will be a fun and exciting trip.

This summer, I plan to intern at Virginia Housing again, where I have interned since my sophomore year of high school. I’m excited to return because the people there feel like family. I’ll also continue my part-time job as a caregiver for the elderly, which has been the best job I’ve had so far. I’ve learned that once you get to know them, elderly people can be really funny and sweet. Lastly, I’m planning to go skydiving with a friend, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m excited for the spring semester to start, but I can’t wait for the school year to end so I can enjoy these fun plans.

In the book Freshman Year Sarah communicated about her registration for the next semester. She totally forgot about it and then ended up having to go to her advisor. Although I was not late on my registration I had many problems with signing up for classes. As an elementary education major classes go very fast as many individuals here at longwood are in the same major. I ended up having to reach out to my advisor about what classes I should take to still get the degree I want in the timely manner. After talking with my advisor I finally got a few more classes I needed. 

Sarah also mentioned studying for finals. Although finals still feel so far away they really aren’t in the long run. I have started to prepare slowly for my finals, so I’m not so packed the week before studying even though I still will be. 

 As I signed up for next semester classes I started to worry on how well I will do with some of my classes. I am having to take political science which is not a strong spot in my studies as I don’t have much past experience. This class will be a challenge for me as I am already thinking about how much I will need to actually sit down and study. 

I have not really thought that much about spring break as I have other breaks on my mind right now. The closer spring break gets the more I will look forward to it. My parents are both higher up in their jobs, so we don’t normally do anything for spring break. Although as a family we don’t do much, my friends and I have thought about possibly taking a few day trip somewhere. If that plan does not work out I would like to possibly work at my job right now or even start to sub at schools close by. 

Talking about breaks, summer is one that is always on my mind. Summer break is one of my favorite times throughout the year. As of right now my plan for the summer is to work and travel as much as possible. After realizing how much money I spend here at school I need to make sure I pick up shifts over the summer. Although I’ll be spending most of my time at work I do plan to do fun things as well. I already have two trips planned. One of going on a family beach trip and another a friend beach trip that will also include going to a concert to see one of my favorite artists.