University:
Boston University
Course:
CAS WR 153 | Writing, Research, & Inquiry with Creativity/Innovation
Academic year:

2023
Views:

282

Pages:

18
Author:

Mia Hobbs

CREATING A RESEARCH SPACE (CARS MODEL) 1.Establish a territory 2.Establish a niche 3.Occupy a niche 1. ESTABLISH A TERRITORY 1. Claim centrality 2. Make topic generalizations 3. Review selected, representative previous research 2. ESTABLISH A NICHE • Make a counter-claim • Indicate a gap or unanswered question… AVOID CREATING STRAWMEN 2. ESTABLISH A NICHE • Make a counter-claim • Indicate a gap or unanswered question • Continue an existing tradition • Confirmation approach • Lens approach • Building approach 3. OCCUPY YOUR NICHE • Announce your plans • Present the main conclusions or principle findings • Outline the structure/organization of your project BUILDING SOURCES INTO YOUR WRITING SOURCES SECONDARY SOURCES PRIMARY SOURCES • Journal articles • Experimental data • Monographs • Fieldwork data • Edited volumes • Photographs • And more… • Archival documents • Social media • And more… Caution! 1. Don’t assume the evidence speaks for itself 2. Don’t move to quickly from evidence to conclusion SELECTING SOURCES • Provide background information of context for the reader • Supply evidence for or to help develop an argument • Provide scholarly support for an argument • Present a counterargument INTEGRATING SOURCES Quote Paraphrase Summarize Synthesize QUOTE Use quotations when: • You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument • You want to disagree with an author’s argument • You want to highlight eloquent phrases or passages PARAPHRASE Paraphrase when: • You want to avoid overusing quotations • You want to use your own voice to present information or someone else’s ideas SUMMARIZE Summarize when: • You want to establish background or offer an overview • You want to synthesize knowledge from several sources • You want to present the main ideas of a single source or when the entire text is relevant to the discussion SYNTHESIZE Synthesize when: • You want to draw broader conclusions about your topic based on your sources • You want to offer a new insight or different perspective rather than simple restating what each source says Be careful not to: • Force a relationship between sources if there isn’t one • Leave the reader wondering what the relationship is between the sources • Ignore outliers in your research SCAFFOLDING SOURCES • Topic Sentences – set the tone for the paragraph • Framing – bookend your sources • Signal Phrases – transition from your voice to your source’s “The millions of species of plants and animals on the earth have a phenomenal influence on the human species. Not only do they provide a substantial amount of our food, they are of great value in medicine and science. Over 60 percent of the purchases we make at the pharmacy contain substances that are derived from wild organisms (Myers 2008). Studies of plants and animals have led to discoveries in virtually all of the sciences, from biology and chemistry to psychology and astronomy (Wilson 2001). Furthermore, plants and animals are vital to the maintenance of our ecosystem. Their diversity and balance directly control food webs, nutrient diversity, supplies of fresh water, climate consistency, and waste disposal (Eberly 1988). Finally, many species act as barometers of our environment. The salmon, for example, is extremely sensitive to changes in the condition of the water in which it lives. Any abnormality in population or behavior of fish usually indicates some type of chemical imbalance in the water. The same is true of butterflies and their responses to the environment within prominent agricultural areas. Clearly, the millions of species of plants and animals in the world are vital to the continued thriving of the human population.” 2 mins STRENGTHENING YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW 1) Is you discussion of the literature organized chronologically or by topic? Have you explained which approach is being used in your review and why? 2) Have you used headings or paragraph breaks to show distinctions in the groups of studies under consideration? 3) Have you explained why certain groups of studies (or individual studies) are being reviewed by drawing a clear connection to your topic? 4) Have you made clear which of the studies described are most important? 5) Have you covered all important areas of research related to your topic? 6) Have you used transitions and summaries to move from one study (or set of studies) to the next? 7) By the end of the literature review, is it clear why the current research is necessary? STRENGTHENING YOUR USE OF SOURCES Make sure that you have made conscious decisions about how and where to use each source and that you've made the reasons for those decisions clear to your readers