Maybe you’ve already developed your own system to remain active while you read. If you have, and it works for you, stick with it! But if you haven’t, here are several research-supported tips for you to try: *These tips can be applied to both physical texts and digital texts. With physical texts, read with a highlighter and a pen or pencil in hand. For digital texts, use a browser extension (like Scrible) that allows you to highlight and annotate your online text.

Discourse Communities and Conventions from Lumen Learning https://courses.lumenlearning.com/olemiss-writ250/chapter/discourse-communities-visiting-a-new-grove-tent/, licensed CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike Melzer, Dan. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 3, Parlor Press, 2020. https://writingspaces.org/sites/default/files/melzer-understanding-discourse-communities.pdf

When you interact with your classmates in your English class and learn the language of writing processes, for example, determining your rhetorical situation, you are participating in a specific discourse community

In this textbook, we’ll cover the conventions of writing, and we’ll also cover some of the resources available to you as a CNM student. And since this book is free and available on the internet, you can keep it…forever!

he best way to begin a reflection is with an open mind so you can develop a thoughtful response

Reflection writing, specifically reflecting on your own writing process, is a common assignment in English courses because it encourages you to think through and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses

You can write a reflection to help you develop an idea, think about an experience, consider the impact of your actions or choices, illustrate your understanding of a concept, or reflect on a moment

For these types of papers, primary research is the main focus. If you are writing about a work (including non-print works, such as a movie or a painting), it is crucial to gather information and ideas from the original work, rather than relying solely on others’ interpretations

This technique is appropriate when only the major ideas are relevant to your paper or when you need to simplify complex information into a few key points for your readers.

presenting background information. From there, the writer builds toward a thesis, which is traditionally placed at the end of the introduction.

When you finalize your conclusion, make sure your text is not too repetitive. While your goal is to reintroduce your argument,

The purpose of an informative essay, sometimes called an expository essay, is to educate others on a certain topic

ometimes, you may be asked to synthesize your own ideas with those of the texts you have been assigned.

Author. Title of Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location.

Title the page Works Cited. Center the title Do not italicize the title Only the title is centered; the rest of the page is left justified

When writing, make sure you inform the reader when you are using information from a source, whether that be direct quotations or paraphrasing information. And, it should be equally clear when you are expressing your own ideas.

The ninth edition of the MLA Style Guide states that your in-text, or parenthetical, citations should do the following: Clearly indicate the specific sources also referenced in the works cited Specifically identify the location of the information that you used Carefully create a clear and concise citation, always confirming its accuracy Check out the video below for more discussion of your in-text citations.

To examine the author’s credibility or ethos—that is, how much you can believe of what the author has to say

Look for keywords related to your topic.

The challenge here is to conduct your search efficiently, so writers use strategies to help them find the sources that are most relevant and reliable while steering clear of sources that will not be useful.

A successful research process should go through these steps: Decide on the topic. Narrow the topic in order to narrow search parameters. Consider a question that your research will address. Generate sub-questions from your main question. Determine what kind of sources are best for your argument. Create a bibliography as you gather and reference sources

No matter what field of study you are interested in, you will most likely be asked to write a research paper during your academic career

ou will need to put your thoughts together in a logical, coherent manner. You may want to use the facts you have learned to create a narrative or to support an argument.

A thesis is weak when it contains an obvious fact or something that no one can disagree with or provides a dead end.

A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement often is not considered arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.

Asking and then answering this question is vital to forming a thesis that is precise, forceful, and confident.

he textbook Successful Writing explains that writers need a thesis statement to provide a specific focus for their essay and to organize what they will discuss in the body of their writing

Topic sentence: summarizes the main idea of the paragraph; presents a claim that supports your thesis. Supporting sentences: examples, details, and explanations that support the topic sentence (and claim). Concluding sentence: gives the paragraph closure by relating the claim back to the topic sentence and thesis statement.

summarizes the main idea of the paragraph; presents a claim that supports your thesis.

Primary support should show, explain, or prove your main argument without delving into irrelevant details. When faced with lots of information that could be used to prove your thesis

Some writers like to begin the body paragraphs and then return to the introduction and conclusion once they know what it is they would like to focus on. There is no one right process. Find the process that works for you.

Three common ways to structure a paper are chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance

The textbook English for Business Success explains that your prewriting activities and readings can help you gather information for your assignment. The more you sort through the pieces of information you found,

Filling in small pieces with likely details from the past is fine, but outright fabricating is not.

To create an idea map, start with your general topic in a circle in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Then write specific ideas around it and use lines or arrows to connect them together. Add and cluster as many ideas as you can

However, regardless of genre, one can use some basic strategies to approach these assignments constructively.

he specific part of the country you live in, the people who make the rules, the counter culture that resists the people who make the rules, to name just a few. If you can specify which “society” you are referring to, you will not only clarify your analysis but also discover new insights concerning the significance of your perspective to a specific group.

thinking about audience has become so common that you may not even detect the audience-driven decisions.

Discourse Community Criteria: This graphic outlines the six key criteria that define a discourse community, including shared goals, communication mechanisms, participatory feedback, genre utilization, specialized vocabulary, and a level of expertise among members.