Reading Response 5

Often when writing papers in high school, the sources students use for their papers is questionable. At least I know when I go back and look at my papers I’m not sure they would hold up to high research standards. A problem that I often notice is that instead of doing a lot of research and basing an argument off of it, we find research that fits our argument. I know in the past I have chosen a topic and then found research that supports it. Even good research can be twisted to fit the needs of a writer. A better and more reliable for of research is to pick a topic, but not narrow down a thesis until after much of the research is done. That way, the true story is told. Another problem is using old research for contemporary issues. Old research may support your thesis, but it is useless if the newer research contradicts it. The most recent research is important for the accuracy of the information. As students, sometimes we just try to get the paper done and fulfill the research and sources requirements of our essays. However, if we are going to spend hours of time researching and writing a paper, we should care about the integrity of what we are learning. The grade is one aspect, but for me personally, I’d like all the information I learned to be legitimate and worthwhile.