Bohn’s Blog

Since I turned my research into a creative non-fiction novel I found it was much easier to write a cohesive story and to make it flow. I created a very rough outline of my story and then I branched out in different areas to make the story more enjoyable to read. My challenge was to use my research effectively but put a creative spin on it without corrupting the research or the story. My story transitions from first person view and into the thoughts of the main character. The entire story is from the main character’s point of view so integrating research into a creative story that flows well is a challenge.

I think that most of my paper needs editing right now; mostly what I need to do is finish the entire paper and then add more or take certain parts out of the story. I think the biggest part that needs editing right now is the introduction and the transitioning of the plot. Creating the tension, twists, and turns that are necessary for a story is difficult and keeping all of the facts in order is also difficult. I also think that some of my main story components need some editing or changing around. For example, when to introduce certain ideas or characters needs some tweaking and rearranging. However, I’m a little self-concious about the whole paper because I don’t know if I’m right in where I put things or whether I’m writing correctly in the situation.

From this point, I will continue to write and let the story unfold and develop in my mind and then onto the paper. Once I’m done with the story I’ll edit the parts that don’t need to be there and tweak some other areas. I realize that this paper is dynamic and is always changing.

My research is based on the dynamics and interworkings of my own family so all of my participants are going to be from my family. The main participants will be my immediate family such as: my mother, father, and stepfather. However, I will also interview my grandparents and possibly my aunts and uncles. The focus of my research is on my family so the participants are all going to be a part of my family but most likely they will be blood related. The interviews are going to be long and personal so I don’t need too many participants but I will need the key participants to sit down for an interview with me.

My participants will not be in any physical danger if I interview them but the questions are personal and very in-depth so someone could feel emotionally damaged. Unfortunately, I’m the researcher and I have a personal relationship with everyone of my participants so their answers might be falsified or skewed. They might not want me to know the answers to the questions or they feel that their privacy is being violated. In order to protect their privacy I’m going to change the names in my paper.

The methods section of a research paper must answer two questions, how was the data obtained and how was it analyzed? Basically, the writer is giving the reader the background information on how the data they are presenting was aquired. The Asian Language Institue wrote on their website section called, Writing Up Research: Method and Research Design, “Knowing how the data was collected helps the reader evaluate the validity and reliability of your results, and the conclusions you draw from them.” (Writing p.1). I think that this is important to understand because without a methods section the reader(s) most likely will disregard the research for being unfounded or bogus. Also, different researchers use different methods to answer their questions. The writer’s method should show the reader why they chose their particular methodology. The Asian Language Institute also lists three common problems that writer’s encounter when writing their methods section: irrelevant data, unneeded explanations, and problem blindness. The writer must remember that they are not writing to beginners; they are writing to people who have been exposed to the research methods and the topics in that field. There is no need to explain every laboratory procedure or basic assessments because the reader will already know about these. Writers must also know that no matter what it means, they cannot overlook or omit any problems they encountered when they conducted their research; they must be put into their methods section. The rest of the website goes over where the method section fits into the research paper and they actually included a sample methods section.

Writing up research: method and research design. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/el21meth.htm

Josh Baum wrote in his blog post on ehow.com, “The methodology is the section of the paper in which you describe the goals of the experiment and the methods by which you hope to achieve those goals.” He then went on to list 5 breif steps to writing the methodology. The first step is to write an introduction and state the goals of the research and talk about any challenges that would stand in the way of achieving these goals. The next step is to write a breif summary of the research methodology that was chosen. “The summary should quickly cover all of the main components of the methods you’ve used to conduct your research, omitting all of the lesser details.” (Baum p.1). The third section should be the extended methodology section and it should be thorough but not over the top. The next section should be the thorough data-analysis section. This section should include all of the details used to draw the conclusions. The last step should be to proofread the work and edit anything that needs to be edited. The writer should also include a table of contents with their writing.

Baum, J. (n.d.). How to Write a research methodology. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_4597601_write-research-methodology.html

Both of these sources would be helpful to me if I were writing a methodology section for my paper. I think that they were both simple and pretty easy to understand and follow. I like how the second source used a quick step-by-step process, kind of like a how-to for dummies. I also like how the first source gave reasons for writing a methodology section. This pointed out to me that this section is very important and should not be just glanced over. Overall, both of these sources are great resources to use when writing a methodology section.

Rubric for Blog #10

Source #1

McMullin, D., & White, J. (2006). LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF LABELING A RAPE EXPERIENCE. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30(1), 96-105.

Long-Term Effects of Labeling a Rape Experience

The abstract gives a little background on previous research on sexual assault and rape. It mentions that the assumption that admitting a rape occurred is supposed to help recovery but conflicting evidence has been found. This article is about a study done that examines the long-term consequences of being a rape victim and of labeling the experience as a rape. Results showed that few differences were found based on the label the experience was given.

The first paragraph gives a lot of cited facts about sexual assault among college students across the United States. Facts such as the amount of reported rape amoung college females, the amount of females who have experienced an attempted rape or completed rape in their lifetime, the average age of rape victims, etc.

The next paragraph goes into a little bit of detail about the findings of previous studies done on this particular topic. Previous studies have shown that many victims of rape are more depressed, fearful, and anxious; report less pleasure in their daily activities; are less sexually satisfied with their relationships; are more likely to experience major depressive disorders, etc. All of the information was cited as well; the results of previous studies have also shown that differences are not found between women who were raped by a stranger or by an acquaintance.

The third paragraph gives a description of the main problem with the previous studies done on this subject. The main problem is that these studies include women who are self-indentified rape victims; they do not include women who have been through experiences that are legally defined as rape but the women do not define them as such. Even higher numbers have been reported recently, even after the media coverage and rape movements to educate the public about the definitions of rape and sexual assault.

In the fourth paragraph the authors explain the basis behind the main assumption behind the previous studies’ results. The main assumption is that labeling the experience as a rape is beneficial and necessary for recovery; the belief that women should “redfine” what happened to them so they can recover from the experience. Then the authors give two different studies with conflicting results about women suffering from emotional problems.

In the following paragraph, the authors give the results of a case and then list the different ways that the results can be construed. The results claimed that nonlabelers had less severe negative emotional reactions to the experience. Nonlabelers could have been less affected by the experience and for that reason they don’t consider it a rape, or labeling the experience may bring out the more intense negative emotions because of the associated stigma.

Tthe sixth paragraph began the summary of the findings of previously done research with the sub-heading Characteristics of Rape. The relationship between the victim and the offender has been found to have some sort of effect on the labeling process. The study found that nonlabelers were more likely to have a closer relationship with the offender prior to the attack. Other places have found that there is no difference in labeling among rape victims in terms of their relationship with the offender.

The following paragraph says that rapes that involve greater physical force by the offender or greater resistance by the victim are generally more likely to be labeled as a rape. This situation may be harder for society to blame the victim; so they might blame themselves less as a result.

The seventh paragraph explains that past experience with sexual victimization also seems to be related to labeling the experience as a rape. Another cited study had found that women who had prior forced or threat-of-harm sexual experience were twice as likely to label their more recent experience as rape.

Paragraph eight starts the Personality and Attitudinal Variables section; which examines the effectiveness of personality and attitudinal variables to differentiate between rape victims and nonvictims as well as labelers and nonlabelers. This paragraph also explains that the blitz rape script is highly associated with labeling a rape experience as a rape. The blitz rape script is the belief that all rapist are strangers who attack women from behind bushes or buildings in the dark. A woman’s failure to label her experience as a rape could be because it doesn’t fit the normal script or what she believes a rape actually is. This issue is very important to labeling research.

Paragraph nine gives other examples of variables that were examined; variable such as: attitudes related to traditional values, rape myths, romantic beliefs, and attitudes towards women, sexuality, and dating. At this present time, no differences have been found with regard to any of these variables.

The tenth paragraph talks about the examination of the rape victims’ perceptions of sexual aggressiveness in their own personal peer groups. This was measured in two ways (1) the number of male friends who were sexually aggressive and (2) the number of female friends who had been sexually victimized. It was said that the more a woman perceives sexual aggression among her peers, the less likely she will be to label the experience as rape. The results found were not supportive of the hypothesis and actually were supportive of the opposite of the hypothesis.

Paragraph eleven gives an overview of the goals of the current study and how they are different from previous research done. Previous research was not designed to examine the benefits of labeling. The goal of the current study was to address this issue by using a longitudinal rsearch design to examine the relationship between labeling and personality. In addition, the findings of previous research were reexamined in the current study.

The next paragraph goes on to explain how the current study was set-up. First, they compared nonrape victims, labelers, and nonlabelers on a range of mental health, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics. They hypothesized that rape victims would differ from nonvictims on any number of the variables.

The following paragraph said that the researchers also made a distinction between labelers and nonlabelers. They hypothesized that labelers may have more negative mental health outcomes. They also hypothesized that labelers and nonlabelers will differ on certain situational components of the rape.

In the fourteenth paragraph they examined the long-term effects of labeling the experience as a rape. The victims were all compared from a first assessment and then a second assessment approximately 10 months later. The nonvictims were included as a comparison group but because of the previous contradictions, it was hard to hypothesize.

The next paragraph began the Method section and it was about the participants of the current study. A total of 754 female college students were recruited to participate in a 5-year longitudinal study. The data came from the first two waves of data collection, the beginning of the fall semester and the end of the spring semester. The rest of the paragraph is statistics that tie in with the data collected.

The next paragraph starts the Materials section and refers to sexual victimization. In the current study, this was assessed by two measures, one that targeted childhood victimization and one that targeted high school and college victimization. Four questions were asked for each target and they were based on frequency and the follow-up questions asked about the age of the offender.

The seventeenth paragraph discussed The Sexual Experience Survey (SES) and how it was used in the current study. The researchers used this survey to assess victimization past the age of 14 and the survey assesses a continuum of sexual experiences ranging from consensual sexual experiences to rape. The first part of the study was given in the fall semster and the questions were based on previous sexual experiences and then the second part was given at the end of the spring semseter; the participants were asked to report on their sexual experiences within the past year. The research was specifically interested in completed rapes, which meant that intercourse did need to happen.

The eighteenth paragraph included the inclusion criteria; to be included in the study, participants had to have reported consensual sexual experiences only or reported an experience that meets the legal definition of rape. The women who reported being raped were further divided into labelers and nonlabelers. The women who only reported childhood victimization were excluded from the analysis and the remainder of women reported some form of sexual coercion were also excluded from the analysis.

The next two paragraphs discussed the final amount of participants used and they also discussed the tables given in the article. The additional measures used in the study were also listed.

Paragraph twenty-one was the mental health assesment section and it discussed the Mental Health Index and how it was used in the current study. The index was used to assess the current psychological distress and psychological well-being of the participants. Psychological distress consisted of 24 responses and the psychological well-being assessment consisted of 14 questions. These items appeared on the first and second surveys given to the participants.

Paragraph twenty-two discussed the alcohol use assesment of the survey given. Alcohol use was assessed in two questions that had a range of 1-5 in the answers; the responses were summed together to create an index of alcohol use with higher scores indicating more frequent use.

Paragraph 23 discusses the attitudinal characteristics used in the current study. Four subscales from the Gender Attitudes Inventory were used on both assessments. The subscales were: traditional gender-role attitudes, chivalry attitudes, acceptance of male violence, and disapproval of women taking the initiative in dating relationships. Each subscale was scored by taking the average of the items that constituted the subscale.

Paragraph 24 discussed the assessment of past sexual experiences and the assessment was done in a similar way compared to the attitudinal characteristics section. The first assessment given scored the past experiences from childhood and high school and the second assessment scored the experiences from the past year.

Paragraph 25 discussed the peer victimization section of the survey. The participants were asked how many of their female friends were sexually victimized and the responses ranged from 0-14 and the same question was asked on both surveys.

Paragraph 26 gave an overview of the chracteristics of the rape section of the given survey. Several questions were asked and they included: the amount of physical injury experienced, if the participant was drinking at the time of the event, if the offender was drinking at the time of the event, the relationship with the offender, etc.

Paragraph 27 discussed the couseling aspect of the assessment questions. Two questions were asked on both assessments that asked if the participants ever went to couseling for their experiences.

Paragraph 28 discussed the procedure of the research assessments done for this study. Participants were asked to complete a survey during their orientation at the beginning of the fall semester; those that weren’t at the orientation were contacted by telephone to complete the survey. All of the proper consent was given and participants gave their contact information for the follow-up survey and all of the surveys were given numbered codes as to ensure confidentiality. Towards the end of the spring semester, the participants were called back in order to complete the second half of the survey.

Paragraph 29 was the start of the Results section of the article and this paragraph began to examine the first hypothesis of the research. The researchers used the first assessment to determine the difference between the labelers and nonlabelers and childhood rape was used as a covariant in all of the analyses. Paragraph 30 continued discussing the technical data of the survey.

Paragraphs 31 and 32 discussed the technical data used for the attitudinal subscales and the sexual partners and alcohol assessment. the data for the four attitudinal subscales was insignificant and no further analysis was done on this data. Therefore, no significant differences in gender attitudes were found between nonvictims, labelers, and nonlabelers. The data for the number of sexual partners and alcohol use was transformed to reduce skewness; the results showed that labelers and nonlabelers reported more sexual partners and alcohol use in high school than nonvictims.

Paragraph 33 described the mathematical way that the researchers broke down the date from the rape characteristics section of the survey. They were interested in examining the aspects of the rape event that may be associated with women labeling their experience as rape. To test the data, a logistic regression was performed using variables previously shown to be related.

Paragraph 34 gave a breakdown of the actual logistic regression equation used for the study and it mentions that this model was significant in predicting  the labeling of a rape experience. Paragraph 35 discussed two additional characteristics of the rape: whether the victim told anyone about the experience and whether the offender was drinking at the time of the rape. These variables were found to have extensive missing data so they weren’t entered in the logistic rgression equation. There was no significant differences between labelers and nonlabelers on either of these variables.

Paragraph 36 began talking about the second hypothesis of the research concerned with the long-term effects of labeling the rape experience. The researchers had hypothesized that the labelers from Time 1 would be better adjusted by Time 2. Analyses were similar to those conducted on the first assessment measures.

Paragraph 37-39 were breakdowns of the mathematical material using the same variable as mentioned in previous paragraphs. The data for the four attitudinal subscales were found to be insignificant so they weren’t used again in the logistical regression model.

Paragraph 40 said that labeling may have little effect on person variables, but instead may have a more indirect effect, such as increasing the likelihood of seeking counseling; however the results regarding counseling seeking revealed no significant differences. Labelers and nonlabelers did not differ in seeing a counselor.  

Paragraph 41 and 42 began the Discussion section and it began by mention a similar assumption to the one mentioned in the introduction. They summed up their research and compared the findings to previous research; the differences among rape victims based on how they labeled the experience were very similar to previous reserach. The current study found that nonlabelers did not differ significanly enough from nonvictims or labelers but labelers id report more psychological distress than nonvictims. This difference may be due to the realization of having a concealable stigma.

Paragraph 43 said that at the second assessment, labelers and nonlabelers did report greater psychological distress that nonvictims. Also, nonlabelers reported more alcohol use in the past year than nonvictims. However, all three categories did not differ in attitudes, psychological well-being, or the number of sexual partners in the past year. This lack of difference may be due to low power or the rape victim may become more like nonvictims over time. The important finding was that labelers and nonlabelers did not differ on any variables, suggesting that labeling may not be crucial to recover.

Paragraph 44 reported that there was a difference in alcohol use between the given assessments. At the second assessment, nonlabelers reported significantly more alcohol use than nonvictims and labelers did not differ from either group. This finding suggests that a possible benefit to labeling is the decrease in self-destructive behaviors over time.

Paragraph 45 discussed the differences between the current study and previous studies done. Previous used different assessment instruments which could possibly explain the difference in the results of both studies.

Paragraph 46 mentioned that certain characteristics of the rape itself were found to differentiate labelers and nonlabelers. Women were less likely to acknowledge the rape when they experienced less physical injury; it was also found that women were more likely to label the experience as rape if they reported not drinking prior to the event. Both of these findings are consistent with past research.

Paragraph 47 mentions that the previous assumption of labeling a rape as beneficial to recovery is not completely true and can be proven to be wrong. The researchers found that labeling the rape had no effect on mental health outcomes, reported alcohol use, or seeking counseling. But differences between rape victims and nonvictims were still observed almost a year later. All of the results found suggest that the negative consequences of rape still exist but the differences on how the womean labeled the experience were not found; suggesting that it’s not inherently beneficial to admit a rape to recover.

Paragraph 48 said that the results were limited to college students from one university which limits the generalizability of the study’s results. However, the researchers claim that many sexual assaults do happen on college campuses so this pool of participants was appropriate for this research. The questions explored should also be used in a community sample of women with diverse backgrounds.

Paragraph 49 mentions another limitaion of the current study: the assessments and questions that were used. Overall the assessment measures were acceptable but some of the subscale reliabilities were low; a more reliable measure may be necessary to detect a subtle difference.

Paragraph 50 discussed the two questions about rape characteristics and why they were prolematic. The main reason was because there was extensive missing data for both questions. The researchers can only speculate as to why the participants left this section blank.

Paragraph 51 began the section about Implications and Future Research with a simple question: what are the implications regarding encouraging women to label a rape experience if it does not have the presumed positive mental healt effects? One suggestion was that the effects of labeling the experience take longer to appear than the time frame of the current study. Regardless of the label most women see rape as a negative experience and have to work through the consequences.

Paragraph 52 states that to understand the complexities involved in the labeling experience, more longitudinal studies need to be conducted. These studies need to include multiple assessments over a long period of time to determine whether the effects will eventually become apparent.

Paragraph 53 sums up the entire article, the data, results and then the discussion of the finding and the repercussions that further study will have on the basic assumption that this study was based on.

Source #2

Sable, M., Danis, F., Mauzy, D., & Gallagher, S. (2006). Barriers to Reporting Sexual Assault for Women and Men: Perspectives of College Students. Journal of American College Health, 55(3), 157-162.

Paragraph 1

     The 1970s began the rape reform era which was when feminists joined forces with law enforcement to get new laws and statutes passed that changed the definition of rape and changed rape trial procedures. In the past, the courts had enacted a blame-the-victim mentality which led to the victim being revictimized during the trial.

Paragraph 2

     Over the past 30 years, legal reforms have tried to help reduce the psycholoical and systems barriers tha have discouraged rape and sexual assault victims from reporting the crime. Efforts have included a reorientation toward prosecuting the offender, not degrading or blaming the victim. Also, public awarness and education camapigns have been greatly undertaken across the nation.

Paragraph 3

     The reorientation has also changed the definitions of rape and sexual assault. Rape is used to indicate an act of forced or coerced oral, anal, or vaginal penetration. Sexual assault usually refers to unwanted sexual acts that involve threats of physical force, intimidation, and deception. Laws across most states have also become gender and relationship neutral.

Paragraph 4

     Despite the progress, rape and sexual assault are still major concerns across the criminal justice field and across college campuses. However, sexual violence against men isrecieving more notice then it ever has before.

Paragraph 5

     Even though there have been numerous attempts at raising rape and sexual assault awareness, they are both still among the most underreported crimes in the entire United States. A little less than half of female college students never say a word about a rape or sexual assault incident.

Paragraph 6

     Statistics have found that men are less likely to report a rape than women and the lack of attention has allowed soceity to dismiss the problem as something that happens within the gay community. Among women, there is a lack of trust or confidentiality. The most common barriers stopping a victim from reporting a crime have been: its a private matter, afraid of reattack from the offender, it was a minor incident, police wouldn’t think it was important, etc.

Paragraph 7

     Exploring the gender differences about the percieved importance of barriers could broaden the understanding and could contribute to finding solutions to solving the underreporting problem. Researchers could also find ways to eliminate the barriers.

Paragraph 8

    In this study, they sought to extend the knowledge about the percieved importance of barriers to reporting sexual assaults and rapes and to explore gender differences within a group of college students. The focus of the article is the percieved importance among barriers to reporting rape and sexual assault for college women and men.

Paragraph 9 

     The survey instrument, The Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness Campus Survey, consisted of 76 structured questions; it did not include any published or standardized scales. An advisory committee reviewed the instrument for face and content validity. There wer 6 sections of questions, scenarios, and statements designed to provide information about the participants perceptions and attitude towards rape and sexual assault.

Paragraph 10

     Male and female respondents rated the level of perceived importance for 13 barriers to repoting for women and 14 barriers to reporting for men. The researchers compared frequency distribution, mean scores, and chi-square statistics to examine the gender differences.

Paragraph 11

     The survey respondents were recruited through the Department of Psychology, Psychology 1 course; over the course of one month, respondents self-selected to completel the survey and male and females completed the surveys at different times. And respondents were given written consent forms to complete before they completed the survey.

Paragraph 12

     215 student participated in the survey; more than half were female and most were 18-19 years old and Caucasian.

Paragraph 13

     The results were shown in two separate tables which show the relative ratings of importance among a list of 13 barriers to female victims reporting  a sexual assault crime, and among a list of 14 barriers to male victims reporting a sexual assault crime. The respondents rated “shame, guilt, and embarrassment,” “confidentiality concerns,” and “fear of not being believed,” as the leading percieved barriers for both female and male victims; they were significantly higher for males than females.

Paragraph 14

     The results would suggest that dilemmas inherent prior to the rape reform movement remain, despite rape reform research and legislation. Shame, guilt, and embarrassment concerns still dominate the victim’s mind when considering to report a rape or sexual assault. Society has stereotypes about seductive and vindictive women that may continue to influence women’s lack of reporting their victimizations. Many female victims know their attacker and those that do are less likely to report the assault.

Paragraph 15

     The results also support the literature that differentiates why college-age men do not report rape; men may fail to report becaue its percieved to jeopardize their masculine self-identity.

About.com’s article on introductory paragraphs said that the first sentence in any writing is like making a first impression in person. This sentence should pique the reader’s interest and should make them want to read more. The introductory paragraph consists of sentences that build up and lead to the thesis statement; which is not very interesting because it is informative and direct. The article says that using anecdotes, quotes, or facts from the actual research the author accumulated on the topic is a great way to engage the reader. The article then gives some example on how to use facts, humor, and quotations to open up an introductory paragraph. Next, it gives a few more examples to help writer’s open up their intro paragraph. The examples include: curiosity, definitions, and anecdotes. Lastly, it says to “End with a Good Beginning,” which means to come back after the first draft is written and change anything that needs to be changed and give the intro paragraph a boost.

The second site I read was a website dedicated to writing and grammar and they had a pretty cool setup. The first thing they went over was things not to do in an introductiory paragraph. The writer should never apologize in their writing or act like they don’t know what they are talking about. Writers should also avoid directly stating thier intentions for the paper or essay. Writers should also avoid using dictionary definitions and dilly-dallying. They should phrase the definition in their own words and they should get to the point in a timely fashion. The article also gives two things that a intro paragraph should accomplish: it should get the reader’s interest so that they want to read more; and it should also inform the reader what the essay will be about. Next, the article gives 5 basic patterns that professional writers follow to grab a reader’s attention: historical review, anecdotal, suprising statement, famous person, and declarative. The article then goes on to explain each topic and gives examples for each one. Finally, the article says the writer’s should experiment with each pattern and figure out which one is better for thier essay.

I think the descriptions of the different patterns that professional writer’s use is a great tool to consult for me because I can try using different patterns for my own writing. I also think that the what not to do section from the same article is a great tool as well because I have noticed that I have done some of those things before. I also noticed that both articles generally say the same thing and they both give great things to help writers out. I have one main idea for my introduction: I’m going to use a statistic or a fact from the research I have found to attract the reader’s attention. But I was also thinking of using a suprising statement that the reader might not know about my topic so maybe they would want to read and learn more. Personally, I think the introduction is the hardest part of any writing but with both of these sites it should be easier.

Fleming, G. (n.d.). The Introductory paragraph. Retrieved from http://homeworktips.about.com/od/paperassignments/a/introsentence.htm

Livermore, H. (n.d.). A Proper introduction. Retrieved from http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/intros.htm

Cornell’s article made a very good point in its introduction; it says that a writer/reader can start evaluating thier sources before they ever actually read them. Just checking out the author and where they published their work is a great starting to evaluate and find out how credible the source acutally is. In the first section, titled Initial Appraisal, the writer gives a bunch of questions for the audience to ask themselves about their own sources. The questions include finding out where the author works, educational background, and whether or not they have experience. The article also mentions that whether or not the instructor has mentioned the writer is also a good thing to pay attention to. It shows that the writer of that particular source is established in their field of work and is experienced in their writings. The next important topic is the date of the publication; this is important because if the experiment is out of date then it will not stand up well to refutable evidence. This is especially important in the scientific field because the evidence and methods are always changing and the more current the source, the less it will be refutable. Also, the edition number is also important because later editions indicate whether a  has been updated or revised. The article also says that many printings indicates that the work has become a standard source of information and is reliable. Cornell also mentions that the publisher and the title of the journal is important in establishing its authenticity. The second section of the article, titled Content Analysis, describes ways to analyze the actual content of the source. The first thing to analyze in the intended audience and whether or not the source is written properly for that audience. The next thing to look for is the objective reasoning; whether the information is fact, opinion, or propaganda is important to the authenticity of the source. The validity of the researched information is important as well. The questions for the reader to ask themselves also includes ones about the point of view of the writer and whether the language is free of emotion or bias. In the coverage section, there is one key question, whether or not the information is primary or secondary in nature. After evaluating the coverage, the last two things to evaluate are writing style and evaluative reviews. The article also lists why these two categories are important.

The second webpage that I found was really simple and easy to understand. It gave a list of 12 topics to use to evaluate a particular source. The first thing to ask is whether the auther is real or not; to figure this out the reader can check the author’s credentials, education background, other writings, and experience. The second question to ask is what the publication date and is the information out of date? This information is included in the citation and on a web page it is found somewhere on the homepage. The next topic to explore is whether the source has any later editions or whether its been reprinted and how long its been published. The webpage then gives reasons as to why this information is important. The next place to check out is the publisher and whether or not it is reputable. A book printed from a vanity press is a bad idea because the author paid to have their book printed. Whether or not the source is from a magazine or a scholarly journal is also important becuase scholarly journals usually have more cited information and therefore, they are more reputable. In the content analysis section, the first question to ask is who the source was intended for or who the intended audience was. General or specialized audience? Too elementary or too advanced? The next thing to investigate is whether or not the information is fact or fiction, whether their is bias, and whether the author used emotional language instead of intellectual language. Next, the reader must evaluate the writing style and whether or not it makes sense and is arranged correctly. The next thing to investigate is whether or not the source has been reviewed and whether the reviewers liked it or not. This is important because a good review usually indicates a good source of information. And whether or not the source was peer-reviewed is key because the reviewer is from the same field that the source was intended for. The last few topics are specialized towards evaluating web-based resources and how to find out their authenticity. The last thing sort of sums up the previous information in a simple bullet list to follow.

http://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit09/

After reading both of these articles I think that I have a decent grasp on how to evaluate the sources that I have found for my topic. Both sites were very helpful and simple, however I had an easier time understanding the second source that I found. It gave a list of questions and when you click on the question, it takes you to a page with a table explaining what is important about the question and how to find the key information in the source. The information was simple to understand and easy to find so I think its a great foundation for evaluating my sources. I think that evaluating sources is essential to developing into a good research writer. Without evaluating sources properly, research writers run the risk of having information that is wrong, out of date, biased, etc. The entire process of research writing is all about research so researching the background of the sources only makes sense. I also feel that when a writer evaluates their sources, they become easier to read and to gain information from. And personally, anything that makes something easier to read is okay in my book.

Diane Hacker’s APA formatting section in her book, A Writer’s Reference, is a useful tool when it comes to formatting because of how simple it is to understand. The first section goes over how to form and thesis and then use the evidence collected to support the thesis. This section also gave a small description on how APA papers should be organized and why. There is also a small section about explaining terms or concepts to the audience; it says, “If reader’s are unlikely to be familiar with a word, a phrase, or an idea important to your topic, you must explain it for them.” (Hacker pg 417). I think that this is an important concept because some writer’s don’t always consider that their audience doesn’t know that much information about the topic. This section also states that a writer should embrace the alternative interpretations of their topic. A writer should use them to state the opposing points of view before they counter them. The next section is about properly citing sources and avoiding plagerism using the APA formatting technique. Hacker says, “Three different acts are considered plagerism: (1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words.” (Hacker pg 418). Essentially the only ideas that shouldn’t be cited is general information and things that the writer puts into their own words. To ensure a writer doesn’t commit plagerism, they must put their borrowed language in quotation marks and put summaries and paraphrases into their own words. The following section goes over different ways to integrate sources into the actual writing. Writers should limit their use of quotations but when needed they should be used appropriately. Hacker gives tips on how to use the ellipsis mark and brackets and also how and when to properly set off long quotations. She also writes a long section about how to use signal phrases to integrate sources and what different types of signal phrases are. The fourth section is about documenting sources and in-text citations for everytype of source imaginable. The fifth section is about formatting the acutal manuscript and an actual sample paper. Formatting the paper includes the title page, page numbers and running head, margins, line spacing, and paragraph indents, long quotations and indents, etc. It also includes how to properly format the reference list.

Hacker, D. (2007). APA and CMS Papers. (2007). A Writer’s reference. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

The second reference that I read was from the Purdue Online Writing Lab and the first section went through the general formatting of an actual APA paper. It described how to format the title page and then how to write and format and abstract, which is necessary at the beginning of all APA formatted papers. The next section gives an in-depth look at in-text citations and focusing on short quotations, long quotations, summaries and paraphrases. Long quotations are supposed to be set off from the original text and shorter quotations can be integrated into the actual text. The next nine sections go over the proper citing of every type of source, so that they will be properly cited in the reference page. The next section goes over the different types of APA papers such as literature reviews, experimental reports and other types as well. The last section delves into the different ways to avoid bias in an APA paper and other stylistics such as voice, point of view, clarity, consiceness, word choice, and how to avoid poetic language. Then the reference gives an actual sample paper and sums up all of the points they made before.

I think that both of these references are helpful because formatting is essential to any paper and when references like these make formatting easier, its a win for everyone. Formatting is necessary because if papers were not formatted then it would be considered plagerism. Formatting papers is used for the express purpose of giving credit to the original researchers and their personal work. Formatting is almost like avoiding copyright fees on a movie; if a writer doesn’t format their paper then the researcher of the original work could sue the writer. Formatting is essential to any writing because it establishes the moral trustworthiness with the writer and the audience.

After reading both of the documents, I have found that they have the same main idea referring to what critical reading is. Both documents say that critical reading is not looking for what is said, but how the subject is presented. When a person is critically reading, they are looking for the purpose of the writing, they are looking to understand the tone of the writing and they are looking for any bias in the writing as well. What I understood from both documents was critical reading is not something that can be done the first time something is read. Critical reading is a through reading of a document but not for the facts. The reader must understand how the facts are used to present the tone of the document. By the end of reading an article the critical reader will understand what the purpose of the argument was and where the author stands on the issue. The document from the University of Toronto gave a list of steps to successful critical reading and it also gives a few tips as well. The second document gives a list of the goals of critical reading and also how to analyze the document that was just read. Overall, both documents state that to be a critical reader, the reader has to understand how the text is argued not what is in the text.

Knott, D. (n.d.). Critical reading towards critical writing. Retrieved from http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching/critical-reading

Kurland, D. (n.d.). What is Critical reading?. Retrieved from http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading.htm

In both documents that I read, the main goal of writing for an audience was to create a foundation of knowledge between the writer and the audience. Then the writer must build upon that foundation and close the gap between what they know and what the reader knows. Linda Flower brings up three major differences between the audience and the reader in her article; the three differences are: “the reader’s knowledge about the topic, his or her attitude about the topic, and his or her personal or professional needs.”(Flower). Flower also says that knowing the images and perspective of the reader is just so that the author can see how much persuading or presenting he or she will have to do. She also mentions that a good writer must adapt their knowledge to the needs of the writer. Dr. Stephen Hale creates a Q&A type of paper and his article discusses how to keep the audience hooked and how to get them to trust the writer. Dr. Hale says that the introduction is key to bringing the audience into the paper and also creating a rapport with the reader. Hale also says that good transition sentences or words are a good way to keep the flow of the article going. He also made a very good point about the conclusion of an essay, ” It’s also your chance to indicate to the audience what you want them to do or think as a result of having read your paper.” (Hale).

http://marlenharrison.com/images/flower_writing_for_an_audience.pdf

Hale, S. (n.d.). Choosing and writing for an audience. Retrieved from http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts

My major research question is how does violent rape effect the victim’s life and how he/she raises their children? I am a Criminology major and why people commit crimes has always fascinated me. Some people in my family have also been victims of crime but they refuse to talk about what happened with anyone. I have always wondered if their views about crime, sexuality, gender roles, etc. were influenced by what happened to them. When I was younger, I was always struck by the violent crimes that were portrayed on television and I wanted to learn why certain people were more apt to kill than others. The human mind has also always drawn my attention and I would love to figure out why humans behave the way they do. I am also curious because I would like to know how the victim’s move on and get through life with such a heavy burden.

My five assumptions are, I think that women fear reporting their rapes. I also think that women fear men after a rape or vicious attack. I also think that male children are effected more than female children by their mother’s attack. I think that women unconciously raise their children to fear crime and other people because of thier own attack. I think that most rape victim’s become cold and distant with people around them after their attack.

Why do women fear reporting their rapes? Do police officers and other city officials place a stigma on rape victims? Do rape victims fear their attacker will come back if they report the crime? Do women believe all men are evil and vicious? How do women cope with thier sexuality after the rape/attack? How do women treat their husbands/boyfriends/lovers after the attack? How do women treat thier children differently? How do women’s social habits change after the attack, whether with strangers or friends? Are children of a rape treated differently than their siblings? How does one rape create a viscious cycle through several generations?

After spending some time researching certain aspects of my topic I’ve seen some similarities. There is a ton of research about societies perception of rape and whether or not they blame the victim. There isn’t a whole lot of research about the long-term effects of rape so that might be a little difficult to find ideas for. I also didn’t find anything that was similar to my approach so my ideas are a fresh and different way to look at this topic. Like I mentioned before, there are a whole bunch of information on why women don’t report rape and how society feels about rape but there isn’t anything that quite touches my topic. I’m going to write about the effects of rape on the psyche and how it changes the victim’s behavior; also, how it changes the way the victim raises their children. I’m also going to write from three different perspectives/generations of women in the same family. Hopefully, my research will be able to show my audience the life of the victim after the attack and how her life and the people around her are effected. I don’t think that this topic is explored enough and I think that it’s mainly because of how personal the crime of rape is. So, I would like my paper to open up a whole new world for rape victim’s and other people.

My main methodology of research will be one-on-one/personal interviews with people of different ages and perspectives. Several people will be from my family but I would also like to interview other people. I’m planning on interviewing several generations of my family; my grandmothers, my mother, my father, and my aunts and uncles. Hopefully, these different perspectives on how women were supposed to behave and the different views on rape will build a foundation for the beginning of my paper. This information is crucial to establishing the reasons for my character’s fear of reporting her rape. I’m interviewing several generations of people in my family because I need the perspectives and views of the generations to see if (and how) they changed. So, I’m going to interview my mother and father so I can build my second character’s foundation and see how she would have been viewed growing up. I’m also going to interview people my age so I can build my third main character and see how people my age expect women to act/behave. In these interviews I need to create questions that will help me gain information that will explain women’s roles in soceity during the specific time period. I would also like to interview a police officer or a representative from the Alice Paul House so that I can get information about the emotional and mental turmoil that rape victims do go through on a daily basis. I would also like to interview an actual rape victim so that I can get the perspective of someone who has been through the trauma of being raped.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find any publications that catered to my specific topic but I did find several publications that would be a good fit and one is even from IUP. The journal from IUP is called Criminal Justice Policy Review is committed to studying criminal justice policies through experimental and nonexperimental approaches. It is published quarterly and does accept appropriate writings. http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdManSub.nav?prodId=Journal201357. The next journal I’m interested in is called Criminal Justice and Behavior and it is looking for papers that examine psychological and behavioral aspects of the criminal justice systems. This is also an international journal. http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdManSub.nav?prodId=Journal200960. The next journal is called The Journal of Criminal Justice and it is concerned with all aspects of criminal justice and their relationships with each other. This is also an international journal. http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/366/description. The next journal is called the Journal for Contemporary Criminal Justice and is looking for papers that are single-themed and focus on a critical issue in contemporary criminal justice. http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdAims.nav?prodId=Journal200831. The last journal I’m interested in is the Justice Quarterly section from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. This is a multi-disciplinary journal that is looking for any papers that address any issues in the criminal justice system. http://www.acjs.org/pubs/167_669_2916.cfm.