EN1201 Quiz Study Guide: Composition and Rhetoric Concepts

Reading Strategies

  • Effective academic reading requires an active approach to improve comprehension and recall (Puragganan & Hewitt, 2004).
  • Skimming: Begin by skimming the text to identify its overall structure and unique features.
  • Active Questioning: Generate specific questions at three distinct stages: before, during, and after the reading process.
  • Identifying Main Points: Actively look for the author's central arguments and primary findings while reading.
  • Note-Taking: Take notes during the reading process to facilitate deeper understanding and long-term memory.

Note-Taking Strategies and Plagiarism Avoidance

  • Proper note-taking is essential for maintaining academic integrity and ensuring the accuracy of future writing.
  • Avoiding Plagiarism:
    • Researchers must avoid both word plagiarism and idea plagiarism.
    • The easiest way to avoid repeating an author's sentence structure or lifting phrases is to read a section, put the work down, and then write notes entirely in your own words.
  • Verbatim Notes:
    • Do not write an author's words verbatim without immediately using quotation marks and recording the source location.
  • Systematic Records:
    • Maintain systematic records of all consulted sources.
    • For every borrowing, record:
    • Author
    • Title
    • Year
    • Source
    • Location (e.g., URL or database)
    • Page or part numbers

Paratext and Factual Paratext

  • Paratext: Refers to the materials surrounding a text that influence how it is received and interpreted.
  • Factual Paratext: As defined by Gérard Genette, factual paratext is "a fact whose existence alone, if known to the public, provides some commentary on the text."
    • Includes external information about the author or the context of publication that impacts the reader's understanding.

Patterns of Development: Argument and Illustration

  • Writing often follows specific patterns of development to organize ideas and persuade audiences.
  • Argument:
    • Taking a position on an issue.
    • Consists of a claim/conclusion supported by reasons and evidence (Gaetz et al.; Reinking et al.).
  • Illustration:
    • Using specific examples to clarify a main point (Gaetz et al. 50).
    • Involves selecting and arranging examples to help the audience understand the author's message.

Evaluating Credible Sources

  • When gathering information, sources must be evaluated using a standardized course checklist. Key criteria include:
    • Authority: Who is the author or organization? What are their credentials?
    • Purpose: Why was the information created? Is it intended to inform, persuade, or sell?
    • Accuracy and Verifiability: Can the information be cross-referenced with other reliable sources?
    • Currency: Is the information up-to-date for the specific topic?
    • Relevance: Does the source directly address the research question?

APA Style (7th Edition) Guidelines

  • APA style provides a standardized framework for academic communication.
  • Purpose of Style Guidelines:
    • Style guidelines encourage authors to fully disclose essential information.
    • They allow readers to "dispense with minor distractions, such as inconsistencies or omissions in punctuation, capitalization, reference citations, and presentation of statistics" (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. xvii).
  • Paraphrasing vs. Direct Quoting:
    • Paraphrasing: Restating another author's idea in your own words. This is the preferred method for integrating sources.
    • Direct Quoting: Using the exact words of an author. This requires quotation marks and the inclusion of a specific page or part number.
    • Signal Phrases: Use signal phrases to clearly differentiate your own ideas from the ideas of others.
  • Patchwriting:
    • According to Giuliano (2021), patchwriting is a type of "word plagiarism."
    • It occurs when a writer mistakenly believes they have paraphrased because they:
    • Added or removed a few words.
    • Replaced words with synonyms.
    • Maintained a similar sentence structure and used the same phrases as the original author.
  • Narrative vs. Parenthetical Citations:
    • Narrative: The author's name appears as part of the sentence (e.g., "Orwell (2002) argues…"). Use the word "and" between authors.
    • Parenthetical: The author and year appear in parentheses at the end of the sentence (e.g., "(Jöreskog & Sörbom, 2007)"). Use an ampersand (&).
  • Author Rules in Citations:
    • 1–2 Authors: Include both names in every citation.
    • 3+ Authors: Include only the first author's name followed by "et al." in every citation (including the first), unless this creates ambiguity.
    • Avoiding Ambiguity: If multiple works from the same year would shorten to the same "et al." form, list as many names as needed to distinguish the references before adding "et al."
  • Citing Specific Parts:
    • To cite a specific part, include the author-date plus the part: (p. 10), (pp. 3-17), (Chapter 3), (paras. 2-3), (Table 1), (Slide 7), or (1:30:40) for timestamps.
  • Reference List and Paper Formatting:
    • Formatting: Double-space the entire paper and reference list. Use 1-inch margins and a student title page setup.
    • Reference List Layout: Start the reference list on a new page after the text. Use hanging indents for all entries.
    • Capitalization Rules:
    • Sentence Case: Use for titles of articles, books, reports, and webpages in the reference list, as well as table column headings and notes.
    • Title Case: Use for titles of works appearing in the text, titles of periodicals (which are also italicized), all headings, paper titles, and table/figure titles.

Library Search Terms and Boolean Operators

  • The NWP library "One Search" and research resources are used to locate peer-reviewed articles.
  • Filtering: Use the "Content Type" filter to select "Peer Reviewed" to ensure source academic quality.
  • Boolean Operators:
    • AND: Limits the search; results must contain all terms.
    • OR: Expands the search; results can contain any of the terms.
    • NOT: Limits the search by excluding specific terms.

How to Read a Scientific Article

  • Scientific articles typically follow the conventional IMRD structure (Puragganan & Hewitt, 2004):
    • Abstract: A concise summary of the entire study.
    • Introduction: Provides context, background information, and the research question or hypothesis.
    • Methods: Describes how the study was conducted, including participants, materials, and procedures.
    • Results: Reports the data and findings of the research without interpretation.
    • Discussion: Interprets the results, explains their significance, and addresses limitations or future research.

Illustrative Paragraph Structure

  • A well-constructed illustrative paragraph follows a specific plan to ensure unity and clarity.
  • Paragraph Plan Components:
    • Topic Sentence: A precise claim that establishes the controlling idea of the paragraph.
    • Supporting Sentences: Provide evidence and examples to develop the claim while maintaining unity.
    • Wrap Sentence: Reinforces the controlling idea and brings the point to a conclusion.
  • Methods for Ordering Points:
    • Points within a paragraph should be organized using one of four logical methods:
    • Chronological: Organized by time or sequence of events.
    • Climactic: Organized from least important to most important.
    • Logical: Organized based on a clear line of reasoning or cause-and-effect.
    • Random: Used when the order of examples does not affect the reader's understanding.