Chapter 1 Notes: Inquiry, Social Writing, and Source Use

The discussion centers on the book’s opening ideas: inquiry habits of mind of academic writers; chapter one sets up what academic writing is and how to approach it.
Prompt and environment: students were asked for favorite lines or themes from early chapters; focus shifted to practical material for the course.

What is academic writing?

Definition given in the session: "What is academic writing? What scholars do to communicate with other scholars in the field of study and their disciplines?" In other words, writing in academia is not just student-to-teacher; it’s an exchange among professionals in the field.
Consequence for voice: the writing voice in this class should reflect an academic audience, i.e., writing to other scholars, not telling a personal story unless it serves an academic point.
Reading like an academic: you’re expected to read as an academic would—possibly more than once, and potentially beyond surface-level understanding.
Research mindset: go beyond Google results; read deeply, with multiple perspectives, and aim to produce connections that aren’t obvious without careful study.
The aim of academic writing: craft arguments that persuade an audience, and engage with the conversation already happening in the discipline.
Foundational practice: custom to extensive reading that prepares researchers to examine an issue; in this class, the basic assignment may involve 2–3 sources for a 5-page paper, but other courses may require more.
The educator’s real-world reflection: long papers ( 8–10 pages for college-level work) require long-form planning (outlines, drafts, sources) rather than a single sitting.
Core goals for writing across levels:
- Be exposed to multiple viewpoints; avoid one-sidedness.
- Seek surprising connections that a casual reader might miss.
- Be challenged by the research; progress your own intellectual capability through the process.
- Develop an argument crafted to persuade readers to see something in a new light.
A practical note: when an assignment is short (e.g., a
3-page paper or a 5-paragraph essay), you can often satisfy the prompt with a concise argument. For longer tasks (e.g., 10-page or 70-page papers later in a degree), plan with drafts and outlines.

The social act of academic writing

Writing is described as a social act: you’re engaging in a conversation with other scholars and the field.
Audience and social context: who are you socializing with when you write? The answer often includes people who relate to your topic and those who can critique or build on your argument.
The “conversation” metaphor: a paper should reflect a dialogue between the writer, the reader, and the existing body of work in the field.
You’re not the first to talk about an idea; other scholars have weighed in, and good academic writing situates your contribution within that history.
Voices and authority: balance your text goals with the historical conversation in the field; include the voices of others as you argue your point.

Drafting and revision: the multisage process

You can have multiple drafts of a paper; a first draft is not the final product.
Personal reflection on revision: anecdotes about past experiences with early drafts and how revising improved coherence and avoided rambling.
Revision improves organization: connecting ideas across sections, cutting run-on sentences, and ensuring ideas are properly linked.
Practical workflow comfort: for shorter tasks, smaller revisions may suffice; for longer projects, pre-drafting and outlines are essential.
The speaker’s experience: early academic life involved minimal revision; later experiences highlighted the value of revision for better grades and deeper understanding.
Consequences of insufficient revision: poor coherence, misplaced ideas, and weaker argumentative connections can lead to lower grades (e.g., CDs in graduate work).
The teacher’s recommendation: aim for at least one careful revision before submission; in longer papers, drafting and revising multiple times is standard practice.

Reading and thinking like an academic

Reading academically involves more than passive consumption:
- Read to understand arguments, not just to retell a story.
- Revisit difficult passages after discussing them with others or relating them to other known topics.
- Use reading as preparation for deeper analysis and writing.
Real-world example given: discussing topics like Breaking Bad and Blair Witch Project with peers to gain broader context before returning to the book’s arguments.
Reading strategies encouraged:
- Don’t get stuck on hard sections; come back to them later.
- Read beyond the surface to uncover underlying assumptions and methods.

How academics read and write: foundations for this course

Reading beyond Google results: seek credible, diverse sources and use databases rather than relying solely on search engines.
The aim of extensive reading: examine an issue from multiple perspectives and identify connections that aren’t obvious from a single source.
The social act extended to research practices:
- Use scholarly sources to build arguments.
- Practice critical reading by evaluating the credibility and relevance of sources.
The role of credible sources: the credibility of a source often rests on its authorship, publishing venue, currency, and how well it is cited by other scholars.

Types of sources and how to evaluate them

Source types covered (examples from class activity):
- Articles (scholarly, peer-reviewed)
- Scholarly articles (peer-reviewed journals)
- JSTOR and school databases (bound to the institution’s access)
- Wikipedia (not typically a citable source, but can be used to locate credible sources; later discussed for how to extract credible information)
- Newspapers
- Books
- Library databases and print copies (e.g., Time magazine reprints, old journals, etc.)
- Poetry (context-dependent for topic relevance)
- New sources like poetry or cultural materials can be relevant depending on topic
- Documentaries (noted as generally credible when produced by reputable sources; some databases categorize them separately)
- Theses and dissertations (primarily for university-level research)
Practical note: many sources you find in databases are not online-only; some are prints or scans of prints available via the library (e.g., PDF scans or table-of-contents views) to help you cite properly.
Key takeaways about sources:
- Scholarly articles are typically published in journals and undergo peer review; editors curate content based on scholarly standards and peer feedback.
- Magazines and newspapers often rely on advertising revenue and may be more prone to biases or sensationalism; not all content is equally credible for scholarly work.
- Editors and advertising dollars can influence what gets published in magazines; peer-reviewed journals minimize such influences but are not immune to concerns—rigorous evaluation by domain experts is the standard.
- Print copies in library databases can provide authoritative content that is temporally appropriate for many academic needs; digital access via library portals often mirrors print holdings.
Why this matters: understanding the differences helps you select sources that meet assignment criteria (e.g., scholarly/peer-reviewed only) and anticipate potential biases.

Scholarly vs. popular sources: a quick illustration

A Time Magazine example is used to illustrate editorial decisions: editors decide what to publish; consumer advertising (e.g., Toyota ads) can influence what content gets published.
In contrast, scholarly articles go through peer review where experts in the field critique and approve the content before publication; this is designed to ensure accuracy and scholarly value.
If a teacher asks for scholarly and peer-reviewed sources, you can point to specific journals or book chapters rather than magazines or general online content.

Using library databases effectively

The Mercer County College library demo covers practical steps:
- Use the library’s merge search bar to pull results from multiple databases at once.
- Filter by full text online to access complete articles without paywalls.
- Use the scholarly and peer-reviewed filter to isolate high-quality academic sources; e.g., from an initial 1,800 results, applying filters can yield a refined set (e.g., 28) of credible sources.
Why use library databases: many high-quality sources are paywalled outside the campus network; the library provides access to these sources for students as part of their tuition.
The difference between print and online: some items exist only as print or as scanned PDFs; both formats require proper citation.
The example shows you can still locate credible sources even when full text isn’t easily available online; the library may offer print copies or scanned PDFs through its system.

How to evaluate a website or source quickly

Domain endings to consider:
- .com: commercial; often contains advertising; reliability varies.
- .gov: government sites; reliability depends on the agency; use with discernment.
- .edu: educational institutions; often credible if maintained by reputable institutions, but verify currency and authority.
- .org: organizations; may have educational content but check for bias.
About pages and purpose: check the site’s stated purpose to see if it aligns with scholarly aims.
Recency: look for last updated dates; content that hasn’t been updated in many years may be less reliable for current topics.
End-user intent: distinguish sites created to inform/educate from those created to persuade or advertise.
Practical note: the session emphasizes that you should evaluate sources on a case-by-case basis and consider the intent behind the site.

Preliminary research and Wikipedia cautions

Preliminary research is useful for getting an initial sense of a topic, but it should not be cited as a primary source in academic work.
Wikipedia is acknowledged as a starting point to locate credible sources, but you should move beyond it to peer-reviewed and scholarly sources when writing.
The classroom will have a dedicated module later on about using Wikipedia appropriately for research—extracting credible information from it while citing primary sources.

A concrete example: Blackbeard the pirate – a sources exercise

The class uses a hypothetical exercise about how Blackbeard died to illustrate source reliability and diversity:
- Different accounts exist (e.g., death at the hands of Lieutenant Robert Maynard; beheading and display of the head; other rumors about alternative deaths).
- Some sources locate the event in 1718 (not the 1700s as occasionally misremembered); some still circulate local legends about Cape May or North Carolina as death sites.
- The discussion emphasizes that there is no single authoritative source, and researchers must compare multiple sources and assess credibility.
Practical formats used in the exercise:
- Some sources are paywalled (newspapers from the day, scholarly articles, religious archives).
- If free, Wikipedia articles can be used as a stepping stone to credible sources.
- The instructor notes that Mercer’s databases provide access to scholarly materials and print reproductions, illustrating how libraries curate content that isn’t freely available on the open web.
The takeaway: use the library’s databases to access credible, citable sources; understand that older or print-only materials may require special access, but are legitimate sources for research.

The Mercer library demonstration: access steps and tools

The class demonstrates navigating the Mercer County College website to reach Library Services and the library’s digital resources.
The demo highlights a specific resource path: from the library homepage to an eBook reader, with options to read online or download for offline use.
The session emphasizes how to access an eBook (e.g., a design/game studies book) and how to locate relevant chapters (e.g., designer games) for journal entry planning.
Important note: not all resources will be immediately accessible; the instructor indicates that access may require logging in or assistance from tech support.
The takeaway: be comfortable using the library’s tools (search bar, filters, and eBook readers) to locate credible sources for your assignments.

Journal #1: Designer Games – a concrete assignment anchor

The class discusses a potential first journal entry focused on designer games (board games) and related topics.
How to use the source: read the first few chapters to discuss core ideas about how designer games shape thinking, learning, or social interaction; pull quotes or ideas to embed in your introduction and analysis.
The assignment will guide students to explore topics beyond just board games, including how games and play influence children's lives and development, as well as broader cultural implications.
The instructor’s plan: provide journal entry instructions within the journal itself, including how to access the designer games material via the library portal.
A note on accessibility: a free source may be available, but other aspects may require library access or login; the teacher will supply access instructions in the journal.

Topics brainstorm: student ideas and group discussions

The class engages in a group activity to brainstorm potential paper topics and sources:
- Nippon Tewari proposes basketball as an entertaining topic (history and cultural aspects of a sport).
- Isaiah Patockney discusses driving as a therapeutic activity and a potential health/mental health angle; exploring different facets of driving as lifestyle and psychology.
- Casilio (spelling) suggests physical health and exercise, though cautions about narrowing the topic to something more specific (e.g., exercise and well-being).
- Rikuyasuda suggests soccer as a topic: its history and modern-day significance and happiness aspects.
- Edgar (transfer student) proposes boxing—focus could be the sport, its culture, health benefits or risks.
- Other topics include “blue traffic crashes and preventive measures,” reading’s mental health/benefits, and how books influence personal growth.
- Sarrsona notes cozy games and coffee representation in games; a cross-disciplinary angle combining game studies with cultural representation.
- A topic on how music affects happiness is proposed.
- A light-hearted aside about smoking rituals and health effects is noted for potential research angles.
- Video games and mood: exploring how video games can elevate mood or contribute to mental health.
- Flying and high-stress environments as a topic; potential for researching stress, health, and safety in aviation.
The instructor encourages allowing students to change topics if new ideas emerge, especially after initial drafting; topic flexibility is welcomed as long as it stays academically viable.
The class plans to converge on topics that are manageable, interesting, and supported by available sources; the professor emphasizes not forcing a topic students do not want to write about.

Practical guidance on topic selection and next steps

Students are encouraged to begin research on their chosen topics and to be prepared to adjust topics if needed.
The instructor previews next week’s focus: formulating paper ideas and planning (how to craft a topic, develop a thesis, and outline).
The class will continue to explore how to turn a topic into a compelling academic argument, including how to integrate sources and evidence effectively.
Final reminders:
- For early-stage topics, you may rely on preliminary ideas and sources to guide you, but you’ll need credible, citable sources for final drafts.
- You should plan to read and research with the goal of building a well-supported, multi-perspective argument.

Quick reference: key numbers and terms from the session

Short assignments: 3-page papers; 5 paragraphs.
Medium-length work: 5–8 pages; shorter sources (2–3) vs more as required by course.
Long-form work: 8–10 pages or more; comprehensive drafts and outlines expected.
Source counts: for a typical 5-page paper, 2–3 sources; in other courses, more may be required.
Database search results: initial results can be very high (e.g., around 1{,}800 results for a broad search); applying filters (full text online, scholarly/peer-reviewed) reduces results (e.g., to 28 credible items).
Historical example in class: Blackbeard death cited as 1718; alternate legends exist about Cape May or North Carolina; multiple sources disagreed, illustrating source comparison.
Old publications: Time magazine issues go back to 1923; examples used to illustrate historical context and advertising influence.

Summary of core takeaways

Academic writing is a socially situated practice that sits inside a larger conversation among scholars.
The writing process is iterative and multisage; drafts, outlines, and revision are essential for stronger work, especially for longer papers.
To write well, students must develop the habit of reading like an academic—careful, multi-source, and critical—and they must go beyond quick online results.
A robust research strategy involves a mix of source types, with emphasis on scholarly and peer-reviewed materials when required by the assignment.
Library databases and proper citation practices are essential tools for credible academic work; understanding the differences among source types helps to select appropriate evidence.
Topic selection is flexible and collaborative; students can shift topics as ideas evolve, accompanied by instructor guidance on feasibility and sourcing.
The class will continue building practical skills: sourcing, evaluating, citing, and planning papers, with attention to audience, evidence, and the scholarly conversation.
If you want to revisit any topic, the PowerPoint from the session is available on Blackboard for reference, including the preliminary research concepts and domain guidance.