Entering the Conversation Writing the Research Paper

Academic Writing and the Research Paper It is not a monologue. It is a conversation that you join. Listen to what others in field have said about your topic. Summarize what they have said which sets the stage for your views. They say.. Respond to what others have said about your topic. I say…

Remember this Structure. They say… I say…

Remember Your Reason for Writing To engage and respond to what others say. Without the “They Say”, your ideas may be reasonable and well supported, but may not make an impact or influence your audience.

“What you are saying may be clear to others, but why you are saying it won’t be.” (Graff and Birkenstein 4)

(Graff and Birkenstein 5)

Remember the Conversation Your audience has opinions, beliefs, ideas, and values. Anticipate them. Consider their opposition to your conversation or argument and be sure to address possible criticism while you support your claims.

Who is Your Audience? 1.Who is your intended audience? What are their personal characteristics? 2.What does your audience know about your topic? What could they NOT know about your topic, considering their personal characteristics? 3.What is their level of need/interest regarding your information? How will your audience use your information? 4.Keep the audience in mind when you write.

The Moves that … Make Cooking moves: read the recipe first, chemical reactions of ingredients, flavors that work well together… Driving a car moves: stop at intersection, right turn on red, enter/exit off rotary… Writing moves: thesis statements, support with evidence…

Using Strategic Templates as Training Wheels Templates to help with thinking through a conversation or an argument. Templates to help with agreeing, disagreeing, supporting, contradicting, opposing, amending, complicating, qualifying, or arguing your point of view.

Summarize the “They Say” First “They say” may be: written works of others a bill debated in the legislature your audience’s preconceptions or a film you just watched —whatever it is, you must first summarize it so that your readers know why you will be discussing a topic.

Example of a Summary and Response or They say, I say “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King, Jr. This is the context of the letter. In 1963, eight religious leaders issued a public statement against the protests King was leading. King responded to their statements and the kinds of notions their sympathizers might have been thinking, arguing against each one as he built his case for the justness of his actions and his cause. In one passage, King writes, “You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations” (King qtd. in Graff and Birkenstein 5). This is the essence of academic writing.

They Say, I Say My daughter, who goes to Stuyvesant High School only blocks from the former World Trade Center, thinks we should fly the American flag out our window. Definitely not, I say: The flag stands for jingoism and vengeance and war. She tells me I’m wrong—the flag means standing together and honoring the dead and saying no to terrorism. In a way we’re both right… Katha Pollitt, “Put Out No Flag”

Templates for introducing Summaries, Paraphrases and Quotations of Source Material In her book, ___, X contends that _____. Q argues that _____. According to Dr Grey, ______. As the well-known scientist X states, ___. Writing in the journal, ______, Albert reasons that ______. X does not deny ____. Steiner warns against _______. Use a signal phrase to introduce the quote or summary of the original author that you are referring to.

Choose the Right Verb The verbs used in the signal phrase suggest if the author agrees or disagrees with your main point. Use the right verb to show the position of the original author. Office of Academic Supplemental Instruction Services (OASIS) | Texas A&M University at Qatar. Web. 27 Mar

Explaining Quotations 1.Introduce the quotation, but also 2.explain with follow up statements what you interpret the quote to mean and 3.how the quote relates to your larger point. 4.It is better to risk “over explaining” than to do too little. Even an audience that knows the full context of the material you are quoting needs to be told what you make of the text (Graff and Birkenstein 44).

Example of a “Dumped Quote” Amato reports, “Near the middle of the 19 th century, only about 5% of first marriages ended in divorce. In contrast, demographers estimate that about half of first marriages initiated in recent years will be voluntarily dissolved.” Another point that Amato makes is that… Office of Academic Supplemental Instruction Services (OASIS) | Texas A&M University at Qatar. Web. 27 Mar

The Quote with Interpretation Amato reports, “Near the middle of the 19 th century, only about 5% of first marriages ended in divorce. In contrast, demographers estimate that about half of first marriages initiated in recent years will be voluntarily dissolved.” This means that in two generations, the rate of divorce has increased from one marriage in twenty to ten marriages in twenty. This is incredible growth. (author interprets quote) Looking at these statistics, it is clear to see that with such a change in the basic structure of the family, there will surely be some implications to society. (The author comments on the quote, tying it to the thesis.) Another point that Amato makes is that… Office of Academic Supplemental Instruction Services (OASIS) | Texas A&M University at Qatar. Web. 27 Mar

Templates for Explaining Quotations This means that____. Basically, X is saying that ____. In other words, X believes that_. In making this comment, Bloom argues that _____. Jacob is insisting that _____. Shafer’s point is that ______. The essence of Dr. Grey’s argument is that ______. Office of Academic Supplemental Instruction Services (OASIS) | Texas A&M University at Qatar. Web. 27 Mar

I agree/disagree/a little of both/neither Go ahead and say “I agree,” or “I disagree” or “I agree that ____, but I cannot agree that ____.” Then you can launch into however complex your argument (Graff and Birkenstein 52).

Disagreeing—Explain Why X’s argument fails to take relevant factors into account X’s argument is based on faulty or incomplete evidence X’s argument rests on questionable assumptions X’s argument misses the real problem altogether!

For an Issue with Many Sides in a Debate: In discussions of X, one controversial issue has been _______. On the one hand, [Author A] argues [position statement]. On the other hand, [Author B] contends _____. Other [authors] even maintain ________. My own view is _______ (24).

It Is Not Enough to Agree, You Must Add Something New to the Conversation. I agree that Strong’s data is compelling, because my experience with _______ confirm the results (57). Though her remark was a humorous aside, her comedic intuition is supported by research that states “_________.”

Another Approach Yes, but... Although I agree up to a point, I still insist ___________(59). X is right that ______, but she seems on more dubious ground when she claims that ____ (60).

Of Two Minds? I do support X’s position that ______, but I find Y’s argument about _____ and Z’s research on _____ to be equally persuasive (61). When genuinely ambivalent—feeling two ways about something—it is intellectually honest to say so. If something is complex, don’t oversimplify it just to make it easy for you or your audience to choose sides.

Clarify: Signal Idea Ownership X overlooks what I consider an important point about ____. I wholeheartedly endorse what X calls _____. These conclusions, which X discusses in ______, add weight to the argument that ___________ (70-71).

Strengthen Your Argument by Inviting Your Enemies Address the objections your critics might have about your claims. Although some readers might object, saying ____, in fact, it is the case that _____ (75). Many would probably object ___. Many will probably dispute the claim that _.

Point Your Finger (Group identity label) Americans would probably argue that ______. However, they are failing to realize that _______. “Group identity label” refers to names given to or adopted by groups of a common point of view, for example, conservatives, liberals, skeptics, feminists, true believers, sociologists, Christians, men, women, teenagers, Americans, Asians, apologists, or researchers.

You’re Writing, But Who Cares? Parents used to think spanking was ___, but recently experts suggest___. This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who long assumed that ___. These findings challenge the work of earlier researchers, who tended to assume that ___ (95).

So What? Link your conversation to some larger topic that readers already think is important. Ultimately, what is at stake here ___. If we are right about ___, then major consequences follow for ___. This discovery will have significant applications in ___ as well as in ___. Although X may seem of concern to only a small group of ___, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about___.

Wrap Up Have a point to your conversation/argument. Identify your audience. Explain what “They” say about your topic. Respond to what “They” say with your views. Address potential objections. Show why your audience should care.

Cited and Adapted from: Bellevue College, Washington [Previously Bellevue Community College]. Powerpoint. Web. 22 Mar Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W. W. Norton, Office of Academic Supplemental Instruction Services (OASIS) |Texas A&M University at Qatar. Web. 22 Mar