This week’s reading gave information on how to research
rhetorically. Researching rhetorically
involves maximizing and “borrowing” the credibility of source materials that
one paraphrases or utilizes within their text.
Expert opinions can be found in books, periodicals, and possibly government
documents. Using different types of
research can increase the power to convince the audience.
We do
research every day, without being aware of the process. For example, you can see how many calories
are in a certain food item or even the date of a new movie release. “The information gathering you do for a
research paper builds on the informational research skills you have by adding
additional places to look for information and additional tools to use in that
search.” A major factor to notice is the
credibility of each source and citing that information correctly. Also, use more recent sources because one
from two years ago will be more valid than one from ten years ago.
There are
two different types of research: primary and secondary. Primary sources involve personal interaction
with the subject. This could include
interviews, novels, poems, diaries, and even fictional films. “Secondary research sources analyze, collect,
or synthesize existing primary research.”
The majority of the sources used in a research paper could be secondary research. One must be careful using secondary research
because the credibility of information from that research depends on the validity
of the primary source. Secondary
research expected by professors are books, scholarly journals, major magazines
and newspapers, special interest publications, government documents, encyclopedias, or web pages.
Comprehensive
surveys that involve large populations are conducted by many people. A small survey could involve students, friends,
or colleagues that illuminates local issues.
If one uses a survey to convey their research, they must mention it in
the essay, saying the survey was indicative but unscientific because the sample
size was small or the subject pool was not scientifically selected.
Using computerizes
searches involves accessing the library’s catalogs by using different search
methods. Utilizing electron library resources
can provide databases with digital versions of articles. “Library databases make use of online forms similar
to those of a library computerized catalog.”
The internet is an incredibly resource for research, but it must be
utilized correctly. It can be hard
finding credibly research sources. Big search
engines, such as Google, can maximize the chance of finding the information
that one desires. One of the best ways
to find internet resources is through indexing projects. Indexing projects gave librarians or
volunteer researchers personally review and find websites that are of value to
academic researchers. Scholarly journal
articles, such as Google Scholar, allows one to keyword search a multitude of scholarly
journals. If it does not provide full
text for an article, it will five information on the databases where the
article is available.
I agree with everything you’ve said about what researching rhetorically online is, and I just have a few things to add. Like McClure said in his chapter Googlepedia, he wants to “suggest a blended research process that begins with the initial tendency to use Google and Wikipedia, and ends in the University library” (McClure 222). He doesn’t try to tell us that Google and Wikipedia aren’t credible or useful because he knows they can be. What he is trying to tell us is that we should use search engines online as a supplement to other forms of research, such as the university library. For example, McClure gives a situation in which a student uses Wikipedia to learn more about his topic before he writes a college-level argumentative essay about it. This is a good way to use Wikipedia, and it is called recursive preliminary research, and it’s a process that will strengthen your research and your writing” (227). Next, McClure tells us about a situation in which a student used Google as her primary resource. She was quickly pulled in by visuals like maps, charts, and tables, and we should be cautions when relying solely on visual aspects of research. McClure advises us to evaluate our sources and use the CRAAP test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
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