Chapter 1&2 Summaries

Chapter 1:

In Chapter 1 they discuss how to write with confidence and tackle a research paper. They also discuss that you have ownership of your writing. This is meant to help you stay on task and keep track of what is ahead of you. You also need to understand the process of writing a research paper. Those being, learning about the topic, taking a position and lastly being able to share your position with your readers. Another important thing this chapter discusses is finding sources and working with the information you discover. This chapter also goes into depth on how to find an appropriate topic and how to find a topic that suits your assignment. They also discuss ways to help go through topics and pick one. They suggest brainstorming, looping and clustering. I have used all three of these techniques to help narrow down topics. I find them to be helpful and very beneficial in the long run. Lastly, this chapter discusses how to look at your viewpoint you are taking on your topic. Here they suggest to keep in mind your audience and think about what they may or may not know already. But, one thing to keep in mind is to write about a topic you have a passion about.

Chapter 2:

Chapter 2 goes further into exploring your topic and ways that you may go about that. The one thing they suggest is imagine yourself in a public meeting and propose your said topic. This is a great way to look at your topic from an array of angles. It'll allow you to hear all the voices that your topic has attached to it and also make your position easier. This chapter also discusses ways to dig deeper into your topic; those are creating a plan, discussing your topic with others, make observations and find and review sources. Lastly this chapter discusses how to focus your topic on a certain point. They suggest, that you find conversations about issues within your topic by concepts that are repeated, themes that are discussed, disagreements among sources and recurring voices throughout your sources. I found this to be very helpful in the sense that you need understand both sides of an argument and listen to the opposing side to get a well-rounded story. It also helps take your topic and find a more specific issue within. This chapter has helped me take my chosen topic and narrow them down and finding a specific issue I want to focus on. Which is one of the most difficult parts of this paper.