Chapter 1

Chapter 1 is all about getting your mind and ideas in the right place before starting your research paper.  It is about how you can instill confidence in yourself by know ahead of time what your plan is.   Chapter one goes into detail about taking ownership of your project, understanding the research project, working with sources, developing a position, understanding the importance of readers and context, being aware of technological advances and changes, managing your time, and finally how to pick your topic.  This chapter focusses heavily on choosing an appropriate topic, I think they do this to stress the importance of this step.  It is the first step, but also one of the toughest.  Bedford gives three steps to picking a topic; step one is to identify conversations about your topic, step two is to assess your interest in the topic, and step three is to consider your writing situation.  This chapter also includes a very helpful project timeline, a guideline on how to approach, work through and finally finish your research paper.  

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is all about digging deeper into your topic. The chapter outlines some interesting ways to explore your topic. For example, it suggests discussing your topic with others, which at first look does not seem so different, but for me that is not the usually way I start to examine my topics. However, I do see the helpfulness behind it.  The book says to make a list of people and a list of questions to ask them then go down it.  It also suggests to make a list of places you might make observations about your topic, a list of resources to search or browse like catalogs, libraries, and databases, and create a system for keeping track of the information you collect.  Then it says to conduct preliminary observations, find and review sources, skim your sources then take notes on them.  Finally this chapter explains ways you can then focus your topic so that it is easier to find more helpful sources.  It suggests identifying conversations about the topic, assessing your interest, and frame your argument for the focused topic. 

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 covers the first step in the writing process: managing information and taking notes. When I'm having a hard time with beginning an essay, I tend to rely on research and noting down as much factual information and ideas as possible. In the chapter, it describes the importance of organizing digital information so it is kept in a safe place to return to later on. Digital information is considered to be information found on the internet, in bookmarked apps, to-do lists, and note apps. Modifying direct quotations is also covered.  Bedford goes into detail in using an ellipsis, brackets, and using "sic". An ellipsis is used when you are trying to describe to the reader that your quotation isn't exactly identical to the exact source - such as when you only want to use half of a statement compared to a whole. Brackets are used in the form of changing and adding words to a quotation, and "sic" is used to declare that the author of which you are using direct quotations from had a text error, and the mistake is therefore not your own. Paraphrasing and summarizing are also key topics in this chapter, and when and when not it is necessary to do so.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 covers reading critically. They want you to understand your research topic front and back. Make a strong statement and go on from there with the body information about your topic that you found by reading critically through your sources. Bedford suggests that you want to read reread and take notes on the key points of your source. Sometimes with I’m reading information I can often forget what I just read and I end up reading the same thing two or three times but, once I reread the information about my topic I tend to have a better understanding ofwhat it says. This chapter explains that you always need to keep track of your sources and take notes on information that will help with your paper. When reading Bedford says to pay attention to the author’s main point, and whether the source is primary or secondary. What I have learned from this chapter is rereading an article can be helpful but it would be more efficient if I just read it critically and took my time by focusing on the questions in the chapter in the first place.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 reviews "Searching of information with Digital Resources." Prior to reading this chapter, I felt confident preparing both a research plan and a proposal and in researching within online databases. When doing a basic search you want to merely skim the material rather than go into full depth in regards to your particular topic, whereas when performing an advanced search it is important to focus within the "Boolean Operators".  Boolean Operators will allow you to focus a search by specifying which keywords or phrases that can, must, or must not appear in your results.  They help you to able to narrow down your search and research the topic a bit more specifically and knowledgeably.  Online databases are helpful because you can narrow down your search to author, title, keyword, or a particular heading in order to refrain from searching and digging through regular google searches that may not be beneficial to your topic or essay. Chapter eight did a fantastic job of helping me break down sources and steps that are essential to receiving a deserved grade on my final argumentative paper.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 explains how to evaluate sources and also which sources is most beneficial, that will provide you the best information. Any information you’re putting in to your paper should be useful to the reader.  Make sure you get all the evidence that you need, don't leave anything out, also if possible try to get more information than needed. Bedford suggests to really look in to who the author is and decide whether they are an expert in their field, or if they are merely someone that is just trying to put their own opinion out there without any true knowledge or expertise in the field. After taking a look at the author this chapter says to then look who the publisher of the newspaper, journal or web site was.  Also the chapter explains that you need to take into account when the source was published, maybe the information you found is from 20 years ago and is out of date. That is very important to look at dates and the time line between all your information on your topic.  Bedford suggests that all of the sources you use should evaluated the same way and make sure your information is equally vetted.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 goes into depth of avoiding the act of plagiarism. Sometimes when we write we actually unintentionally plagiarize and therefore find ourselves in an unwanted position; which is mainly when we take poor notes or improperly record our gathered information. Without the use of quotation marks, you are claiming someone else's words as your own and therefore plagiarizing. It is also important that when you include a paraphrase, you make sure to have it differ only so slightly that it might as well be considered a direct quotation. Plagiarism is considered dishonest, and can be penalized even if the author is unaware of what they have done. Intentional plagiarism, obviously, is when an individual is aware that they are copying the work of another writer and re-using as their own to submit. Research ethics are described to be ideas that make sure that you are writing honestly and ethically. It is always a good idea to make sure you acknowledge each and every source that you include regarding your topic, as well as accurately and fairly present the information and ideas. Citing your source information should always be done to be sure that you aren't claiming the thoughts and opinions of anyone else to be your own.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 explains how to prepare a research proposal, and what exactly it can do for you.  A research proposal consists of a title page, an introduction that identifies the issue you are going to address, a review of literature, an explanation of how you are going to collect and retrieve your information, a timeline, and a working bibliography.  Most importantly, a research proposal should contain a review of the literature you will be referring to. It is always a good idea to address each and every source, as well as describe the significance and reliability of each. Explaining how you will collect the information will also help you in the writing process, by creating a specific plan to follow in order to successfully finish your paper. A timeline will present a similar approach, in order to finish in a timely manner. Clarifying and elaborating on your core proposal will help create a solid basis and avoid trailing off or getting sidetracked while structuring your paper. Then, you should attach your working bibliography which will summarize as well as organize the vast amount of sources you may have used, and be easy to refer or address to later on in the writing process.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 focuses heavily on using the library to your advantage and how there is a wealth of information relevant to your topic waiting to be pulled from the shelf.  I have personally found that after you have a decent understand of your topic and start search a library for sources on it, there is often going to be a large selection of sources to browse through about you topic or related to it. Often there is at least more sources and information to be found at a library than you thought. The chapter suggests that when at the library to search the shelves using the Dewey decimal or Library of Congress system to locate your sources. Bedford also suggests to look into the possibility of your library having a periodicals room, a room of the newest issues of newspapers and journals, to help your viewpoint about the topic stay current and up to date. This chapter also goes in depth on the many different types of bibliographies (such as trade, general and specialized) and how to use them.  They also mention consulting Biographies, Encyclopedias, Handbooks, Almanacs, and Atlases.

Chapter 15

Throughout chapter 15 Bedford goes into great depth on the use of sources and how one should integrate and document the gathered information they have in order to correctly write a paper.  Sources will help elaborate on main points you address within your writing, and give outside information on your topic in order to provide a scholarly approach. Sources can be presented in the form of a quotation, paraphrase, or summary.  How you decide to introduce an idea or argument is crucial because it helps to regulate the flow of your writing and prepare it for successful transitions throughout your work. Comparing and contrasting your arguments will help you to effectively present information and keep your readers interested.  This can be done by basing how you contrast ideas and arguments on the clarity and shortness of your sources and on the effects you hope to achieve. Providing evidence will also assure that your readers will not be questioning your reliability or validity. Following a statement with a phrase such as "In a recent study..." and continuing with information direct from a source will help provide the reader with a better understanding of what EXACTLY the writer is trying to convey and help them trust in the writer themselves.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16 explains that when addressing the formality of your writing, it is important to pay attention to style.  For example, always pay attention to your lead-ins and introductory phrases and remove them if they seem unnecessary.  These can negatively impact your writing and cause your writing to appear less educated and scholarly as it would without.  It is also important to eliminate common phrases that may just lead to run-on sentences.  It is crucial to remember to adopt a consistent point of view and stick with it.  This will prevent your readers from getting confused or sidetracked while they are reading your work.  In order to prevent yourself from using unnecessary transitions, you must use them in a way to merely pass the reader’s eye along to the next sentence, rather than drawing attention and focus onto the words themselves.  Bedford explains that when using transition sentences in paragraphs, rather than transitional words or phrases in sentences, you need to place them on the ends or beginnings of paragraphs so they can link two paragraphs cleanly.  Paying careful attention to each transition is important so that there isn't generic order to them, and they are instead genuinely contributing well to the flow throughout your writing.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is about taking the sources and information you have gathered and putting it together to create a position and a statement that is relevant to your research question.  This statement should be the thesis for your paper and provide a clear statement of what your paper will cover and even maybe your preliminary position based on your personal research.  Make sure you continue to revise your positional statement so that it can be as clear and informed as possible.  Bedford suggests that after making your main statement, you review your notes and important information, ideas, and arguments that you want to use and make sure it fits.  By doing this you can often gain a better understanding of the factual bases of your position and it allows you the chance to reflect on your past positions and possibly even add them into your paper. Drafting your thesis can be quite stressful because it is often thought to be the most important sentence in your paper.  Bedford you to base your thesis purely on the credible information and arguments you found and cited and to try to make it as clean as possible.  For your thesis statement to come out crisp and clean you need to keep in mind the type of paper you are writing and the format it is supposed to be written in.

Chapter 12

Chapter 12 explains that merely stating your position and argument won't be enough to convince your readers to side with you.  You must address an array of differing arguments and portray yours as the most logical by backing it with credible research.  It should reflect your role and purpose, and your reader’s needs, interests, values, and beliefs of an issue.  The type of document which you are drafting is reflected on the way you state your reasons.  Drafting an argumentative paper consists of stating the reasons your argument is valid and why you chose them specifically. For my specific argumentative essay I will be using a set of reasons that will help the reader to at least acknowledge my position and respect the research put into it, but ultimately I hope for them to accept my argument due to it being logical and based in fact.  Bedford urges that every reason be followed with evidence.  This is where your sources will come into play and create an excellent foundation for an informed, informative, and scholarly paper.  Looking at your paper from the perspective of potential readers is one of the most important parts in drafting.  When deciding how to come off favorably to your readers, you should try to incorporate the use of appeal to authority, emotion, principles, values, beliefs, character, and logic.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 is all about the design of your paper and how it plays a critical role in the readers understanding, reaction to, and over all feeling towards it’s content.  Bedford stresses that there is an appropriate time and place for changed font, font color, and/or illustrations. There are 5 important figures within the development of design in writing they are as follows: Balance , referring to the alignment of elements throughout your paper, (such as symmetrical or asymmetrical) Emphasis, regarding where you put your main points that they grasp the reader’s attention, (i.e. The use of color or font) Placement, the use of proper organization of related topics or paragraphs, Repetition, such as headers, footers, navigation menus, and page numbers, and finally Consistency, where you make sure to format and place text and illustrations in a similar approach throughout your document.  This chapter suggests that it is best to format your headings in a consistent manner, in order to have them stand out from the rest of your paper.  Helping readers recognize particular parts of a document is also important, this will help the reader navigate through the paper.  Page layout is another way to keep the essay clean and professional with placement of text, illustrations, and other objects placed well on a page.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19 describes how you can tweak formatting a bit to have an academic essay a bit more interesting.  An academic essay is typically pretty straight-forward, basic font, basic font size, basic format.  For one, most instructors and even classmates, will prefer you to double space your writing. This will help with giving extra space for editing and review comments.  Some writers will use Word to their advantage and enhance their writing with the use of color to differentiate headings, as well as using sidebars, images, tables, and charts.  Just like the influence of your paper itself, it is best to take into perspective of the readers view.  Bedford reminds that the consideration of the purpose in writing your essay is also crucial to helping you determine how much design and illustration really needs to be used.  This also helps with the variation of types of sources and if, for example, an audio clip, image, or video is appropriate and will appeal to an audience.  Multimodal essays are an example of use of color, media, and more modern ways of presenting information.  These help to provide readers a more interesting medium to gain knowledge about a certain thing.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 is all about organization.  Bedford explains that when organizing information you are gathering for your final product, it is important to remember that you are trying to persuade your reader to your viewpoint. The goal is to help the reader to know where you are going with your argument. There are 11 different organizing techniques, each appealing to the specific type of document in which you are writing, and the topic as well: Chronology, describing events that have occurred over time in order, Description, describing physical attributes of a subject, Definition, defining the characteristics of a subject and differentiating it from another subject, Cause/Effect, used to describe a more scientific essay and its influential properties, Process Explanation, the outlining  of the steps involved in how something occurs, Pro/Con, provides the good ideas and information along with the bad for one particular side of an argument, Multiple Perspective, the use of a variety of sources and material from intellectual, respectable insiders, Comparison/Contrast, gives similarities and differences among ideas relevant to a subject, Strengths/Weaknesses, shows both the positive and negative impacts in regards to a subject, Costs/Benefits, the tradeoffs that are associated with a specific subject or argument, Problem/Solution – when the document defines a problem and then discusses how a solution may possibly be attained.