1. Find one link to a writing resource and post it to the forum. Write about how and why you think this resource will help you to improve your writing. What general area in the Writing Rubric does this resource fit into?
2. According to the Athabasca University definition, plagiarism occurs when "the work submitted was done in whole or in part, by an individual other than the person submitting the work" (AU website). Would this include your own work? In other words, can you plagiarize yourself? Why?
3. Why are graduate students assigned critical review assignments? How does understanding this purpose help you to prepare your assignment? Provide specific examples of how you will prepare your critical review now that you understand its purpose.
4. What are your initial comments on the article you have read? This is your chance to talk about the article and get familiar with it.
5. Having read the article by Allyson Skene using the guiding questions provided in the textbook and course readings, what criticisms and positive comments do you have to offer? Think about your answers to the questions guiding your critical reading.
6. Practice using the writing skills described in this unit by choosing one positive comment and one criticism and rewriting them to express different degrees of approval or disapproval. For example:
1. The article was poorly organized.
2. Although the argument was sound, the article lacked organization.
3. The author could have provided clearer headings to help the reader follow his argument.
4. The conspicuous lack of clear headings made deciphering the argument nearly impossible.
Choose a partner for this exercise.
7. Using the sentences Swales and Feak present on page 268, write a working thesis statement for your critical review of Fernsten and Reda, and post it to this forum.
8. Using the information from the Write Site resources on thesis development, identify two strengths and one weakness in your partner's thesis statement.
1. Why do you think academic writers have adopted style guides? Why do you think are there so many different guides (APA and MLA are just two of the many different guides)?
2. If you have experience with another style guide (Chicago, Turabian, Council of Science Editors, etc.) how does it compare to these style guides?
3. If you have any favourite websites or online resources that help you with your academic writing, either style guides or other writing references, please share the links here. They may help your classmates as they revise their critical reviews.
1. What makes a literature review different from a critical review? How is this reflected in the content, the format, and the style of the literature review?
2. In step 5, why do we suggest you not read the abstract before preparing your summary?
3. How do you approach reading an academic article? Do you read it multiple times? What do you look for each time you read the article?
1. Define and discuss "problematization."
2. Summarize the parameters that Appadurai identifies for what counts as scholarly research. If one or two of these don't make sense to you, indicate which, and discuss what you're having trouble understanding.
Deal with these questions in this forum, in your writing process blog, or in both.
1. What are some evaluative distinctions you might make between a literature search and a Google search? Consider the differences between research sources found using library services and those found using public Internet searching.
2. How do the criteria for critical evaluation apply to your specific area of research interest?
3. Why is citing your sources a key feature of academic writing? How does this convention strengthen your writing?