Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively

Annotations:

p.38- "It is easier to use whatever one likes, or everything one finds, than to formally select, evaluate, and interpret material". The author brings up a point that all of undergraduate students fall into, especially when writing last minute. Instead of being selective about our sources, we fall into the trend that if we find a source that relates to our topic- then it is going into the paper. It is always easier... this motto is great to remember when writing a research paper. The route you are taking maybe the easier one, but it is not necessarily going to be beneficial in the long run.

P.40- Reasons why it is difficult to form an original opinion:
1) Many students like Shirley misunderstand sources because they read them as stories
2) Many students expect their sources to tell the truth; hence, they equate persuasive writing in this context with making things up
3) Many students do not create an impression
The biggest error when utilizing sources is that the author is often not taken into account. People write books, articles, etc for a variety of reason to a variety of audience. The reader must step back and see the author's purpose. Without that the source can be misunderstood and useless.

P.43- "Alice, who thinks rhetorically, understands that the only essentially the same kind of statement: they are claims. Alice understands that the only essential difference between a fact and an opinion is how they are received by an audience". A fact is something that when stated by an author is accepted a generally true requiring proof. Whereas an opinion needs extensive back up in order to be accepted by an audience. In research writing this is important because the topic of two separate articles can be the same, but the writers influence on some of the facts may change perspective.