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Victoria Michelangeli

Dr. Lindberg

ENGL 1302 - 208

30 April 2024

Semester Reflection

Throughout this fourteen-week English 1302 course, I learned more about academic

research and proper borrowing practices than I had my entire life. This course consisted of

writing three consecutive essays that showed how the academic research process is supposed to

unfold. The first of the essays was the annotated bibliography. Since I had never written an

annotated bibliography before, I learned so much through the writing process for this essay.

Overall, I learned to cite my sources correctly, summarize the most important points of

knowledge within an article, evaluate the value a particular article may bring to my work, and

assess the strengths and weaknesses of each article to see how I could use them to improve my

writing. Next, I wrote the research analysis paper. The goal of this essay was to successfully

transition the knowledge gathered in the annotated bibliography into a cohesive, essay-styled

narrative. Although this step is not necessary to form an argumentative paper, it is a beneficial

method to shift between the two differing styles. Lastly was the research position paper. For this

assignment, I learned to create a central position on my topic and incorporate rhetorical choices

to help persuade my audience of my opinion. One aspect that strongly helped me to persuade my

audience of my opinion was including various segments of my research with proper citations.

Since all my articles contained similar views towards the overarching topic, and I agreed with

that opinion, by focusing on the conclusions of each article, I could find the most influential
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segments that supported my stance. During this process, I learned the importance of proper

borrowing practices. By citing my sources correctly, I not only avoided plagiarism issues but also

gave credit to the hard work of the original authors. After participating in this academic research

process, I realized that the true goal of this class was to learn how to assess current research on

any topic and add to the conversation within the academic community.

Furthermore, one aspect of this course I thoroughly enjoyed was that it was interactive.

Rather than a lecture-styled course, the teachings revolved around pre-class readings and group

quizzes. For instance, most days, the professor would assign readings from the course book,

“Everyone’s an Author,” to give the class an idea of the subjects we would cover that day.

Additionally, many of these readings would apply to the assigned essays at the time to provide

insight into how to succeed in certain aspects of the writing process. For example, some of the

chapter readings that helped me navigate the academic research process were “Starting Your

Research,” “Evaluating Sources,” and “Giving Credit, Avoiding Plagiarism.” The first chapter,

“Starting Your Research,” guided me on how to start this academic journey. It advised me how to

choose and narrow down a topic to write about while including a suggested task schedule that

could help keep me on track. After picking my topic, the next step was to search for research

articles. However, I found this task challenging because all the articles I found seemed

beneficial, and I did not know how to choose the ones that best supported my topic. Reading the

chapter “Evaluating sources” taught me how to overcome this obstacle by explaining how to

critique an article with a critical eye to determine its credibility and usefulness in my work.

Finally, after incorporating my sources and finalizing my words, I needed to give each author

credit for their research and contribution to my work. The correlating reading titled “Giving
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Credit, Avoiding Plagiarism” taught me how to prevent potential issues regarding plagiarism by

showing me how to cite and document my sources properly.

As this semester progressed, I realized that since I am majoring in the sciences, much of

my future work will require me to use the lessons I learned throughout this course to conduct

similar academic research. One significant realization I had after completing the three main

essays was just how vital it is to have an annotated bibliography for research-based work. Soon,

when I am assigned a research project for another course, creating an annotated bibliography will

be my first step. Since I expect the scope of my research to be more extensive, creating an

annotated bibliography will help me to keep track of the various sources I will reference in my

paper. For instance, one course that my major requires me to take is a science-based writing

intensive course. Potentially, for this class, I will need to choose a topic to research and write

about for a final project similar to what I did for this English 1302 course. However, because this

will be a more advanced class, I need more than five articles to support my chosen topic.

Therefore, creating an annotated bibliography would be the logical first step to ensure everything

stays organized. To further emphasize why this step is critical to this process, let me suggest what

would happen if I were to skip over this step. For instance, after I gather all my articles, however

many they may be, I leave them open as tabs on my computer screen. I can foresee many issues

with this plan, such as the computer shutting down, resulting in lost articles, or struggling to

track which articles present what information. Furthermore, writing can sometimes be a lengthy

process, which would enhance potential issues if I were not to create an annotated bibliography.

For this reason, writing an annotated bibliography is a crucial step in the academic research

process that no one should overlook.

Reflecting on this course, I learned that writing is an extensive and potentially

challenging process. Despite what some may believe, it is rare for even the best authors to avoid

challenges when writing. I am one of those individuals who has struggled extensively with

writing, especially under time constraints. I grew to fear blank pages and debated how to

organize my thoughts into words for what felt like, and sometimes was, many hours. For this

reason, I grew to dislike writing and took any opportunity to avoid the subject. However, my

ideas of writing slowly changed this semester. This answer may seem convenient considering the

assignment, but in complete honesty, this course shifted my mindset of writing to be more

positive. I have learned throughout this course that my perfectionist ideals were what held me

back from enjoying the writing process. I believed that to be considered a good writer, every

word I wrote needed to be perfect with no grammatical errors and correct punctuation. However,

I have realized there is no guide to being considered the perfect writer. Writing can look different

for everyone. Others have different ideas, styles, and processes, making the entire process

unique. To move past this perfectionist mindset, I needed to learn what best worked for me in

terms of writing and stop trying to adjust to the methods of others. I needed to start embracing

what I felt was right in terms of what helped me to write more efficiently and clearly. Because of

this, I have learned that I write better at night, and to get past the obstacle of the blank page

jitters, I need to practice “word dumping.” Essentially, this means I fill the page with everything

and anything to transition my brain into writing mode. Reflecting on these aspects has helped me

grow as a writer and prevent periods of writer’s block. From these understandings, I have been

less deterred by the subject. Even though I do not consider myself the biggest fan of writing, I

have developed a new appreciation for the process. Being able to communicate my thoughts,
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share stories with others, and persuade an audience is truly an enticing reward for all the hard

work that this subject entails.

Similar to how I learned to understand and work through the academic research process,

the activities that best helped me to understand and conduct the writing process were the

assigned pre-class readings. The chapters that helped me develop in this aspect were titled

“Reflecting on Your Writing,” “Polishing and Editing,” and “Shitty First Drafts.” For instance,

the chapter “Reflecting on Your Writing” helped me to analyze and understand all my processes,

decisions, and frequent habits during the writing process. Learning to be honest with myself

about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer has helped me to grow. Moreover, the chapter

“Polishing and Editing” taught me that when revising my work, I must consider grammar and

punctuation as well as the audience, purpose, and rhetorical choices. In tweaking these areas, my

work will likely be more successful. Overall, out of everything we read this semester, the reading

I enjoyed the most was one I had read before last semester titled “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne

Lamott. Last semester, when I struggled more with writing, I believed that my writing process

was incorrect because I needed to create multiple drafts to perfect what I wanted to say. Since I

had friends who could write an entire essay in a few hours, I was discouraged by the fact that it

sometimes took several days for me to finalize a paper. It was not until I read Lamott’s paper that

I learned that my writing process was normal. Lamott’s paper read as a first draft, and because of

its informal tone, it was like reading the words of a friend. Because of this aspect, her words

were more impactful and reassured me that the multiple draft process that worked best for me

was a commonly used practice for many others. Ultimately, these readings guided me through

the writing process, helped me understand aspects I needed help with, and taught me various

lessons.
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All in all, while reflecting on my writing abilities and how they have changed through

this first year in college, I have seen a significant improvement in my writing from last semester

in English 1301 to this semester in English 1302. Last semester, I had a fixed mindset regarding

writing, making it difficult to learn and grow fully. One aspect of English 1301 that additionally

hindered my urge to advance my writing skills was that the course requirements, in a sense, burnt

me out. In addition to writing three main essays and reflections for each, my peers and I were

assigned one or two writing assignments every class day, along with outlines and start-up

assignments for each paper. However, because I was at the point where I could create a

successful paper without the need for additional resources, I often viewed these extra

assignments as a form of "busy work." Moving on to evaluating English 1302, I enjoyed the

course setup because it focused more on primary essays rather than extra assignments. Because

of this, I focused on growing my knowledge of the academic research and writing process by

writing about a fascinating topic. As each assignment progressed, I grew to appreciate the

multiple drafts, the peer review sessions, and the proofreading process. I began to realize the

purpose of each aspect and could now see how each helped me to grow as a writer. In writing

with a newfound purpose, I found myself enjoying the process. Something I never believed was

possible for me because I had disliked the subject for a long time. Throughout the semester, I

continuously learned new things. For instance, I learned how to properly write in-text citations

and block quotes, critically read peer-reviewed journal articles, understand the purpose behind

standard MLA practices I overlooked, and so much more. I now realize that writing is a

continuous learning process that never ends. As people grow and their styles change, so will their

writing, which prompts them to learn new lessons. Knowing that I could apply the knowledge I

gained throughout this course to other classes excites me because I will learn to share my
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opinions and thoughts more effectively about topics that interest me. Overall, I am grateful I

have developed a more open-minded mindset towards writing because it is a skill that will

benefit me all my life.