Writing Workshop for ECS 15

Melissa BenderWAC ConsultantUniversity Writing Programmmbender@ucdavis.edu

Term paper components

Prospectus (1-2 pages)

Progress Report (2-3 pages)

Draft (2 + pages)

Revised Paper (9+ pages)

Analyze the assignment

Highlight the assignment

Note stages & requirements

The better you complete each stage, the more useful feedback you will get.

Writing process: draft & revision

Draft = explore & discover

Re-vision = evaluate & make changes at the “global” level

Editing = make “local” changes

Proofreading = make “micro-local” changes (checking for errror)

Turn off the inner critic (temporarily)

Take risks

Focus on developing ideas

Don’t interrupt thinking to edit

Use writing as tool for inquiry

Requirements

Select a topic on the use of computers that relates to your major or a field that interests you.

Write a 2500 word term paper.

Narrowing the field of possibility

What are the parameters? A limited amount of research Authority derived from your own

experience/education A limited amount of words

(2500)

Three topic development stages

Interest Area

Focus Area

Research question

Interest area: computers in education

Focus by discipline

Interest area: computers in education

Focus by discipline

Focus by students, e.g. K-12 or college

Focus by potential teaching techniques

Focus on specific effects

Interest area: computer crime

Interest area: computer crime

Focus by specific crimes, e.g. identity theft, damage to software (viruses, worms, hacking)

Focus by perpetrator of the crime

Focus by motivations for crime

Focus on specific techniques

Interest area: computers and business

Interest area: computers and business

Focus by type of business, e.g., banks, retail, large corporations, e-commerce

Focus by functions

Develop a research question

Topic Area: Computers and education

Focus Area: University level

Research Question: How have computer-aided

classrooms changed the student/instructor relationship?

Focusing exercise

Pair up with someone in class.

Explain a topic that interests you and why (2 minutes)

Write 3-5 questions that interest you about this topic. Try to state them as how or why questions Pick one and write 3 sub-questions (5 minutes)

In pairs, explain the focused topic (2 minutes)

Required components

Intro: explains the problem or question

Describe the topic: present research results in detail

Discussion or analysis

Answer the analytic question you posed

Conclusion: summarize main points & maybe go beyond: explain significance

Research process

Look for recent academic articles (more recent research than books)

Look for a review of the literature: synthesis of findings on a topic

Assess the validity of sources

Base all opinions on valid research as evidence

Research help

Computer Science Research database

Phoebe Ayers, Computer Science subject librarian at the PSE Library:

psayers@lib.ucdavis.edu

Integrating material from sources

When to quote?

Infrequently

Only when exact words are necessary to your argument

If you quote, make it as brief as possible

References

Cite sources in text in APA format

Bibliography or Works Cited

TIPS: Keep track of sources as you research and

write Distinguish quotes from paraphrases in

your notes and drafts