Blog 3
Going into week 5, I have definitely learned how to research better. I have been working on my annotated bibliography, as well as a research paper for my history 221 class. The annotated bib has helped me a ton with my other paper, as it has taught me how to use the library website and google scholar to find good sources. Being able to tell if a source is credible or not is huge, as not only do you get better information, but in turn it also gives your paper more credibility because of the authors you are referencing.
As far as citing, learning the APA will benefit me for lots of other subjects, however history papers use the chicago style manual, which I have yet to learn. It was a little tricky at first to figure it out, but honestly practice and repetition is what gets it down. Lucky for me though I live in a time where google is a thing, so even when I’m stuck I can take a quick look at the APA manual and figure it out in a few minutes.
I do think I am still a little lost on the plagiarism side. I am not sure when I need to cite the whole source in text, instead of just in the bibliography. I also don’t know when to use paraphrasing vs direct quotes. I think that this is a skill I will develop over time so I am not too worried about it.
Overall I think that I am way more comfortable being organized. I am able to sort my sources by topic, keep track of their links, DOI’s, and utilize apps like Mendeley to store them. This has really helped me stay on track and not drown in hundreds of pages of information. Learning how to skim through and read key parts of my sources has also been super helpful. For example, reading the abstract, then chapters or headings, then conclusion. I still have tons of room to grow, but I am much more confident now than I thought I would be 5 weeks in.
Sometimes you just have to get thrown in the deep end and figure it out.
Hey Cullen,
I enjoyed reading your reflection and it is definitely clear that you have made great progress on your research and writing skills in just a few short weeks. I relate to a lot of what you have mentioned, specifically about learning to find sources through Google Scholar and Greenwood Library. Once we get back this learning phase of finding reliable and credible sources, hopefully it becomes easier. I definitely agree that understanding things like how to identify these credible sources can not only improve different features of your writing, but also provide strength in your arguments.
Your experience as we go through the annotated bibliography assignment is also something that caught my eye. It is something I found valuable because I know it is important to stay focused and be organized when working with a large assignment. Learning how to write citations correctly is also a great step because it is important to give credit to the authors you have gained your information from. It is also important to have the ability to come back to sources to review and look over them again. In addition, I can understand how learning different citation styles like Chicago for your History papers and APA for English can definitely be a challenge. I think that constant uses of online sources can help you become more confident when citing.
In your post, you also spoke about plagiarism and citing sources and I definitely see where you are coming from. Learning different skills like paraphrasing, direct quoting, and being able to summarize is a skill that will help drive you into whatever future career you want. It is important to focus on things like correctly citing now so you do not build a bad habit early on.
In short, I believe that as we both continue to learn and understand things like citing, research, and correct formatting, we will grow a sense of confidence that will help us in our academic careers. Best of luck as you continue your academics and beyond.
Ethan Reed