8100 Harris Ch 1 Self-Assessment: Researched Writing Survey

1. When you are assigned a research paper in a course, do you welcome it as an opportunity to learn, or do you see it as a burden or unwelcome task?
I would say I am between welcome and neutral. I do enjoy researching and writing, it is more of the "grade" that I find stressful and that is because of the small details of APA style that I may not get correct. 

2. How confident are you in your ability to use supporting material (quotations, examples, research) effectively to strengthen your ideas in a paper?
Moderately confident.
I do well with with direct quotations that help to support my viewpoint. I have more difficulty effectively summarizing multiple articles that discuss the same point and integrating them effectively in my papers.

3. How confident are you in your ability to paraphrase an idea for use in a research paper?
less than confident
As stated above, this is probably my weakest point. I worry that the paraphrase may be too close to the original, or once I have seen the actual quote I have a hard time thinking of how to restate it in other words. 

4. How much formal training have you had regarding plagiarism and how to avoid it?
some
Being a teacher in the public school system and in the department of technology and media services, our county department heads provide training about plagiarism that we are to teach the kids. It may be on a a different level, but it still does provide the basics of the training.

5. In writing a research paper, how easy have you found it to incorporate sources that conflict with your central argument or idea?
somewhat challenging
Honestly, I don't know that I have concentrated on making sure I truly show both sides of the argument. I may tell one or two studies or view points, but as a whole I haven't developed that as I should have in the past. 

6. How confident are you that you know the rules for using sources well enough to avoid unintentional plagiarism?
I would say I am neutral
There are many rules I feel like I know, needing to cite sources even if it is just the idea, but I feel there may be areas of which I am not aware that would cause me to commit unintentional plagiarism.

As I have read these beginning chapters in Harris (2014), I have a better understanding of the importance of looking at a variety of sources and understanding to use sources to still support what may be your own spin on the idea. I will be diligently working to learn more and more of the rules for citation to make sure I don't commit unintentional plagiarism, and also making sure I fully expose both sides of the argument, whether I agree with it or not.

Harris, R. A. (2014). Using sources effectively: Strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism (4th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.