Comments on Paper Two

CRTW 201

Dr. Fike

Title:  Every paper must have one.  It is a good idea for the title to reflect the focused topic.  For example, rather than calling your paper “Ghosts,” call it “The Ghost in Tillman Hall.”

Topic vs. Focused Topic:  Ghosts vs. the Tillman ghost is an example of topic vs. focused topic.  The assignment was to narrow a topic down to an example such as a case study and to put that narrowly focused topic, not the more general topic, through the elements of critical thinking.

Thesis:  The focused topic must be in the thesis, preferably in all three clauses (Although…, I will argue that…because…).  The thesis must be about the focused topic, not the more general topic.  A good way to rig your thesis is to claim that a specific instance (focus) of your paranormal phenomenon (topic) is true or not.

Classical Argument:  Use the sections of the classical argument to structure the paper.  They are as follows:  introduction, background, arguments, objections, replies, conclusion.  Put these in your paper as section headings. 

The Elements:  In the background section, you should lay out your focused topic.  Then you should apply the elements to it.   Again:  Apply the elements to your focused topic in the background section.  Devote 1-2 pages to this.  Do NOT use the elements, rather than the classical argument, to structure the whole essay.  Do not create an analysis section separate from the paper.  Put the analysis IN the paper.

Self-reflection:  At some point in the paper, either in the elements section or (more likely) in the paper’s conclusion, you must discuss your own impediments, background stories, and biases.  Doing so is a way to avoid merely using evidence to support your original position.  For example, if you do not believe in ghosts or UFOs, and if your paper supports your original position without giving sufficient credence to the opposition or even showing that you have thought about your thinking in a critical way, you have not fulfilled the assignment.

Opposing Views:  The assignment calls for pro and con views, which can be major structural elements in your papers.  In other words, you can call attention, in the argument section, to your pro view.  Similarly, in the objection section, you can call attention to the con view.  Then think critically about what your sources say.

Disconnection:  Even those of you who properly applied the elements to your focused topic in the background section failed to mention the elements to any significant extent in the argument/objection/reply section.  Do not isolate the elements in the background section.

Nature of Sources:  Paper after paper used only internet sources.  Remember, however, that we have a very good collection of books in our library.  As you continue to work on your papers, you ought to check DOC to see if we have relevant material in the stacks.  No one’s topic is so current that there are not relevant books on it.  If Dacus does not have what you need, you can order it through PASCAL or ILL.

Use of Sources:  It is a mistake to append a list of sources but not to cite them properly.  Be sure to use signal phrases and citations to mark your borrowed information.  Also remember that if you are using a source’s exact words, you must do two things:  1) use quotation marks and 2) give a citation.  Using quotation marks without a citation or a citation without quotation marks around someone else’s language is unsatisfactory.

Works Cited Lists:  No one had a perfect works cited list, and some of you had errors such as the following:  all caps, lack of alphabetical order, a different font, spacing problems, numbered entries, undeleted hyperlinks, incorrectly stated dates, misuse of punctuation, and incomplete information.  With models in the Prentice Hall Reference Guide, there is no reason to continue to do your WC list incorrectly.  If necessary, get help.  But get straight on how to do MLA documentation once and for all.

Plagiarism:  More than half the papers contained some plagiarism.  There is no reason why you should misuse any borrowed information because turnitin.com allows you to check, revise, and resubmit your papers up until the deadline.  In other words, the system will not consider your paper 90% plagiarized if you revise and resubmit it.  If you finish your paper early enough, you will be able to take advantage of this helpful feature of our plagiarism checker.

Going Forward:  You were supposed to do multiple drafts in order to submit a paper that could stand up to rubric-based grading, but most of you did not do so.  Instead, you turned in rough drafts that you had composed at the last minute, and your grades (mostly D’s) reflects that fact.  All of you will want to revise your research papers.  As a means of encouraging you, I have entered your grades in pencil in my grade book.  Contrary to the policy in the syllabus, your rewrite grade, rather than the average of the two drafts, will be your grade for Paper Two.  It would be a very good idea to have a conference with me or with a Writing Center tutor prior to submitting a revision, and I will expect your next draft to meet the above criteria and thus show substantive improvement over your currently very rough and unsatisfactory work.  Cosmetically altered papers, sans substantive revisions, will not receive higher grades.   Finally, rewrites will receive grades but not comments.  When you submit your revised paper, include the original draft, your original comment sheet, and my typed comments (but not this handout) with the new draft and new comment sheet.  If you choose to revise your research paper, it will be due on the second of the rewrite due dates.