This week we are critically looking at how other scholars compile research. In other words, what does an article on my topic look like...I mean really look like? Sure, by now you are familiar with what scholars say on your topic and even where they publish but have you really looked at how the scholar writes and publishes his/her work?
Going back through your research, choose an article on your topic. Here, you want to choose the closest "match" to the kind of research you intend to do. Then, get out a pen and paper and begin to critically examine the structure of the paper.
Look at the tittle, the abstract, the types of paragraphs. Identify them and think about what they are doing in the essay (as in how do they work to create structure, flow, meaning). Does the article have a clever title that plays on some concept in the article or is it extremely explicit ("An Exploration of Semantics as Linguistic Therapy for L2 and L3 Spanish Speakers")? Does it use an epitaph? Does it begin with an abstract, an anecdote, a introduction of theory? Does it make the argument in the beginning or in the conclusion? Does it lay out theory first and then "unpack" that theory with examples OR is the theory interwoven with the evidence? What types of evidence are used to make the author's point?
Plot/Chart your way through the essay, paragraph by paragraph, thinking about how the author organizes his/her research into a critical argument. (Show/post this Article Outline)
After you have charted out the essay and thought about how the article is organized, write a 250-500 word critical review of the article and how you may/may not use the organizational techniques.
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