Responses

respond to two of your classmate’s posts (Because you are asked to write two responses this week, each should be at least 150 words.  Point out where your own research process is similar to theirs. Or,  where they differ. Offer advice—either from your own experience, or from  our textbook—solving any of the research problems they have described.

Student 1 response: “Ever  since I got to college my research process has definitely changed. In  high school, I would just look up the topic and use the first Wikipedia  article that popped up and integrated that into my research writing.  Once I got to college and learned that that is not the best way to  handle my research, now I use more reliable databases such as the OSU  Library peer review articles to pick out information on my source. I  then integrate the reliable information I found from this website and  use it for my research writing. That seems to work the best for me. I  have found that picking out too many sources for my research has made it  difficult to create a concreate argument and has made it hard to delve  into the topic in depth as I focus too much on too many different  arguments. Picking one or two good sources of research helps me really  articulate and analyze rhetorical elements of a piece well. 

Before reading the chapters 18 and 19 about finding evidence, I was  surprised to know that when finding evidence for your rhetorical  situation it is best to use a source that is within the same time and  place in which you make your argument. It all seems so simple, but I  have seen many authors go back in time and use old sources different  from the time and place which the argument was made. On page 413  Lunsford writes “For example, arguing that government officials in the  twenty first century should use the same politics to deal with economic  troubles that were employed in the middle of the twentieth might not be  convincing on its own” (Lunsford 413) I have already come to the  conclusion that finding library resources is a very good source of  information when gathering information because that is usually a part of  my research process. The part that I might want to leave out is drawing  in on my personal experience. on page 424 Lunsford writes, “Personal  experience can serve as powerful evidence when it’s appropriate to the  subject” (Lunsford 424). I find that I might shy away from personal  experience and use more sources to remain high in validity. “

Student 2 response: “When it comes to how I do my research I usually y start with google and  will just type in my topic. From there I us the first page and read  three to four different websites that are there. I have found that even  though the data can be changed, Wikipedia does have valuable information  if you look through who posted it and how credible that source is. I  will most of the time then talk to my parents and brother about the  topic I am doing research on because they have much more experience and  also have a totally different perspective on things then I do. After  reading chapter 18 and 19 I think there was so much valuable information  that so often gets over looked. For example, the idea of going to the  library and asking the librarian for help. I know I never do this  because I always think I can find it but the amount of knowledge they  have on the topics is crazy. They can point you in a direction you never  expected. I also think the idea about conducting your own research such  as inte4rviews or surveys is huge. I can go read all I want about these  “studies” done but when I go out and do it myself I am able to see how  effective and more meaningful it is. In the past when I have done this I  see a whole new side of things and usually will see why people think  the way they do. On page 420 Lunsford says “…trained observers say that  recording an observation accurately requires intense concentration and  mental agility.” I think that this point so clearly explains why just  reading from a book and reading the online observation is bad. By having  to think for yourself it helps you become an expert on the topic. You  are putting yourself in a spot to get so many different perspectives  that I think are very important.”