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![]() Type out the quote, give it a signal phrase that provides some context, and then write out a statement about this evidence. If it is clear that quoting this source would be beneficial, stop and do a little writing. For example, if there is a passage with qualitative data that supports the quantitative data already found in other sources, include this information in the analysis. To do this, choose a source that has potential and read it carefully, pulling out any passages that could be developed to answer the questions or support a point of view. Another approach is drafting based on sources. The annotated bibliography is just one approach to creating process drafts. Refer to our handout on Writing an Annotated Bibliography for a detailed explanation of this tool. These summary and analysis paragraphs ARE the first rough draft. This means specifying how it might help to answer one of the research questions, establishing background for the topic, or developing a particular point of view on the topic. Underneath the citation, write two short paragraphs: one that summarizes and another that analyzes holistically. When a source seems interesting, read it more closely, then create a rough citation for it. To begin an annotated bibliography, start digging for information by skimming sources’ abstracts, if available. Annotated bibliographies are very common assignments they are excellent when used as a structured process-writing mechanism. If the idea of writing these process drafts without an outline is too much to consider, consider the merits of creating a living, evolving annotated bibliography. ![]() It is this writing, produced while immersed in the research and discovery stage, that allows a writer’s ideas to develop, evolving into the comprehensive and concise position present in the final version. The final draft, however, doesn’t begin to take shape until multiple previous drafts have been constructed. Other drafts might survive in large chunks to the final, such as drafts written as source material is incorporated. Some of these process drafts, such as invention drafts (writing done at the onset of a project), will ultimately not survive to the final version. A drafting process requires a writer to generate multiple, individual chunks of writing throughout all the stages of a research project. Here in the University Writing Center, we often use the term “ drafting process.” While rough drafts do turn into final drafts, using a drafting process is more involved than simply generating a rough draft and then polishing it. As potential sources are identified, they can be tested against these questions and discarded if they are not useful. Producing an initial draft of writing in the form of a research query will guide the initial stages of the research process. This handout lists things to learn about the topic before making a claim or asserting a position. Instead of attempting to invent a thesis statement first, try writing out what questions need to be answered to fulfill the assignment. This task is exceptionally difficult (and intellectually dishonest). The consequence is that writers find themselves cornered, trying to find sources that support their prematurely constructed thesis and “cherry picking” sources to back up a predetermined conclusion. It is trying to predict what the research will reveal before actually knowing what it does reveal. Trying to draft a thesis first, before discovering any new knowledge, is fortune-telling. (“Oh yeah? So what?”) To accomplish these goals, a writer must have already taken the steps needed to be a credible expert. A thesis must be a concise, confident, comprehensive statement of the essay’s topic and the writer’s position on that topic, and it must convince a reader that both are relevant. In a research essay, the thesis statement is the component that carries the highest stakes. What Writing Comes First? And When Is the Right Time to Start Writing It?Ī common example of writers starting in the wrong place is drafting a thesis statement before attempting any other writing. Attempting to draft an essay before finding source material places writers in a difficult position, propelling them to find sources that say what they think they need to say rather than investigating what information is out there. Quite often, students will begin writing a research essay before they have even started their research. While this might seem obvious, it is often distorted by a writing process that contradicts the process of discovery. ![]() When beginning a research project, think about this basic question: Why do we conduct research? We conduct research to discover knowledge we do not yet possess.
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