Annotated Bibliography

Throughout this semester and while working on the final paper I have realized how important that the annotated bibliography is.  I do not recall using an annotated bibliography in the past, but believe that it made the writing process a lot easier for the final paper.  I often have a hard time knowing where to begin with my research.  Since I had to turn in the annotated bibliography weeks before the rough draft was due I had a head start on my research.  As a procrastinator, it was very helpful for me to have all of my research done before I started to write my paper.  Once I had all of my research ready I was able to sit down and compile the majority of my paper in a timely matter.  I think that from now on when I am assigned a research paper I will make my own annotated bibliography even if it is not a requirement. 

"Writing is a skill, not a talent."

According to Catherine Coffin, an Author in Writing, Speaking, & Communication skills for Health Professionals by the Health Care communications Group, “Writing is a skill, not a talent.  It can be learned, but you must practice to become proficient” (p. 73).  In chapter 4 of this book, Coffin offers many very good tips on how to become a better writer and the importance of a first draft.  The first problem Coffin addressed was getting started.  I believe that for most people, as well as myself getting started is normally a big challenge.  Coffin stated “We procrastinate because the dread of staring at the blank page or computer screen while surrounded by piles of books, reprints, and note cards is overwhelming” (p.74).  Coffin suggested to free-write in order to begin, she said to just sit down and write for 20 minutes without checking spelling, grammar, data or references.  After the 20 minutes you are likely to have a good start on your paper and at that point are able to begin editing and organizing your material.  I believe that this technique will be very helpful to me in the future in order to begin a paper.  In the past, I have found that once I actually get started on my paper, the rest of it comes easy, the hardest part is finding where to begin.

Other issues that Coffin addressed are overuse of passive voice, too many nouns, and structure and organization.  Coffin explains why it is important to write in a more active voice rather than passive voice, which is another area in which I struggle with.  She states “Active and passive do not refer to tense (that is, to past-tense or present tense verbs); rather, writing done in the active voice makes it clear to the reader who or what is performing the action in your sentences” (p. 75).  The next issue she addressed was over using nouns.  Often times, people believe that adding extra words to make their sentences longer and fill up more space is the correct way to write, but actually using verbs abundantly will shorten your sentences and make them clearer.  Coffin also addresses how to organize your paper.  It is important to organize the paper in a way that is easy for your reader to understand and keeps them interested.  The most important information should be at the beginning and the end of the entire document, and also within each section and paragraph. 

I believe that all of these tips will be helpful to myself and others while constructing papers.

Research Papers

Research papers have never been my favorite type of paper to write.  Research papers must be written in order of certain steps and there are many important features that a research paper must have in order to be clearly and effectively understood.  As someone who sometimes having problems with becoming motivated, I would rather sit down with a blank piece of paper and begin writing, and then go back and edit my work.  Following the steps of a research paper is somewhat of a challenge for me.

 One should first look at different topic options and choose a topic that is of interest to themselves and their readers.  If the writer is not interested in the topic they choose, it will be hard for them to portrait the information in an interesting way to their reader.  I sometimes will use Google in order to find a topic that interests me.   Once a topic has been chosen one should begin researching their topic and taking notes of the important information.  It is important to make sure that the source material is accurate and reliable.  As a student at JCHS, I use the library’s homepage through blackboard in order to find scholarly resources.   Once one has gathered their information they may want to write an outline before beginning their rough draft.  It Is important to give credit whenever you use quotes or citations.  Within the body of the research paper citations should be in APA format.  JCHS students can find resources on how to write in APA format in the student central section on blackboard. 

As a college sophomore, I hope that with experience over the next 2 ½ years that my ability to write research papers with expand and I will learn to enjoy it more.