Noor Imran
Professor Williams
Writing of the Sciences
5 December 2021
Self Assessment Guide
This semester I have completed three research papers on various topics such as organ cloning, sustainable energy, and hpv vaccines. The first essay, the informative review on organ cloning having a futuristic outlook on how society would change and how the world of medicine would be impacted by the change. I wrote of how someone struggling from multiple organ failure would have another chance at living because of Henrietta Lacks “immortal” cells, which led to the research of organ cloning. The second essay, the position paper, was about how sustainable energy should be implemented in low income areas in New York City because those neighborhoods are impacted heavily by the pollution of non-renewable energy sources. Many people in those areas have respiratory diseases such as asthma. The paper provided that sustainable energy sources such as solar power and wind power, would be enough to power the city and make sure no health problems are caused due to pollution. The third and final paper was the research proposal. As time goes on, many people are becoming are becoming sexually actively at a younger age. The essay showed how many people of color are hesitant about getting vaccines, but as research proved the more people are vaccinated against HPV the less there is a spread of it.
During the course of this class we were asked to present multiple times. In one presentation, the class was asked to speak in a different language. Being a person of color I decided to speak in my parents native language. This was for the position paper. Now placing myself as an audience member, I believe if someone was to bring a proposal to me in my native language, I would trust them more because they make me feel comfortable. It is human nature to trust those who make you feel comfortable. For my informative review again placing myself as the reader, I would feel proud because as a person of color, someone just like me was able to aid in medicine and lead to such an amazing advancement such as organ cloning. It was much more easier presenting my work as a VoiceOver instead of a presentation, because sometimes anxiety gets the best of me and presentations are easily messed up. While doing a VoiceOver, I can restart my presentation infinite times and can read off a script without anyone knowing I am.
Writing different types of pieces requires having different strategies. An informative essay’s goal is to educate people about a certain subject. These essays will usually respond to one of the five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Of course, kids can also respond with “how,” suggesting a specific action. Informative essays should never reflect your own viewpoint or attempt to persuade others to take a certain action or attitude. Persuasive writings are specifically assigned to this purpose. Of course, if your informative essay is engaging enough, readers will be motivated to study more about the subject, but they’ll have to do it on their own, due to the amount of useful information you provide. The informative essay showed how it was in everyone’s best interest to study and believe in science, but it also showed the cruelty of the world and how many people would stop caring for the benefit of the people to get what they want in the name of science. Which shows how people can mistrust doctors and other scientists. Informative writing shows all the pros and the cons of the entire topic while also keeping a no bias tone.
The focus of a position paper is on a research-based issue. Because your topic and viewpoint must stand up to scrutiny, it’s a good idea to examine a few options and choose the one that you can best defend, even if it doesn’t match your actual convictions. In many circumstances, the subject and topic are less crucial than your ability to create a compelling argument. Your argument must be sound and logical, regardless of how basic or complicated your issue is. Preliminary research is required to assess whether there is adequate evidence to support your position. You don’t want to become too devoted to a subject that crumbles under pressure. To locate professional research and data, look for them on a few credible websites, such as education (.edu) and government (.gov) websites. You’re ready to expand your investigation once you’ve decided that your position is supported and that the opposing argument is weaker than your own. Visit a library and perform a search, or ask a reference librarian for assistance in locating further resources. Of course, you may conduct research online as well, but it’s critical to understand how to properly examine the sources you utilize. Make sure your articles are authored by reliable sources, and be aware of solitary sources that deviate from the norm, as they are frequently subjective rather than accurate. During the VoiceOver I chose to speak in my parents natuve language so the people of my ethnicity would feel more comfortable if I was to propose an idea to them. My flyer was also very easy to follow and written in both English and Urdu, for those who, like me, were fluent in their mother tongue but struggled with reading it.
The purpose of a research proposal is twofold: to explain and justify the necessity to investigate a research topic, as well as to give the practical methods for carrying out the suggested study. The rules for research proposals are more demanding and less formal than a generic project proposal since the design features and processes for conducting research are regulated by standards of the primary field in which the problem sits. Extensive literature reviews are included in research proposals. They must present convincing evidence that the proposed study is needed. A proposal includes a rationale, specific methodology for doing the research in accordance with the professional or academic field’s criteria, and a statement on expected outcomes and/or advantages obtained from a study.
The peer review helped an immense amount because sometimes I thought I had a clear understanding of the assignment until I received feedback and I was shown where I needed to improve my work. From there I was able to better review and edit my writing making sure I met the criteria for the assignment. Also while giving someone feedback, I would always try to see if the feedback I was giving someone else could be applied to my own writing as well.
Question 7 had asked if an articulate speaker had the qualities of an intelligent person, I had replied “An articulate person is very clear when they express their words and people can easily understand them. I think making sure your ideas are understood by everyone makes you an intelligent person because you are not only sharing your ideas with only those who are able to understand, but making people who aren’t well educated in a topic understand what you are saying as well.” I still believe this because a person does not have to be intelligent to convey their ideas while speaking to someone. But I also believe that there is no type of measurement of intelligence, like there is for beauty. As many people say beauty is in the eye of the beholder I believe that intelligence is also in the eye of the beholder.
Question 9 asked “Explain why Standard American English makes science writing more accessible to the general public.” I explained that English is now a universal language and that many people across many countries start teaching science courses in English, so when these students further pursue science majors etc, they go forward with them in English, making it easier to understand universally.
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
