Monday, May 19, 2014

Chapter 14- The Bedford Researcher

Chapter 14 of The Bedford Researcher explores effective ways to draft your document. This chapter emphasizes the importance of having an “outline” which according to the book, can be used as the “skeleton” of your document. The outline should include plans for a) The points you wish to make, b) The order in which you will make those points, and c) The evidence you will use to support each point. The Bedford discusses the importance of not just having a well-organized document, but a well-organized paragraph. You can do this by consistently following one of the many common “organizing patterns” such as Chronology (identifying the sequence of events over time), description (presenting the outstanding features of an idea), or definition (explaining an idea). Using details within your paper in order to bring an issue to life is an important tactic. You can do this by integrating information from credible sources. This will provide your readers with a more complete understanding of the point you are trying to make.

On the topic of drafting your introduction, The Bedford suggests you use these specific aspects of your topic in order to frame you discussion:
1) The agent (A person or organization that is acting in a particular way)
2) The action (What is being done)
3) The goal (Why the actor carried out the action)
 4) The result (The outcome of the action)
You can ensure that your document is easy to follow by using techniques such as proving a “map”, using heading and subheading, providing forecasts and cross-references, using a menu, and paying attention to design principals.

When drafting your conclusion it is important to reinforce your points. At the very least, you should explain the reasons you’ve offered to support your main thesis. You can also restate your thesis to help emphasize the main idea to your readers. Good strategies for forming an effective conclusion can including offering additional analysis, speculating about the future, closing with a quotation, story, or question, or finally, calling your readers to action.

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