ENGL 1551: The Writing Process

The Writing Process

The same basic procedure applies to every major paper in this class. Please follow it carefully. You might consider printing out this page and using it as a check-list.

Step 1. Read the course calendar & brainstorm. The course calendar will tell you when all phases of each project are due. After you’re clear on what’s expected—and when—you’ll be given some class time for brainstorming so you (or you and your group) can generate potential topics for each paper and ask me any questions you might have.

Step 2. Work through the Research Process. Read through the on-line material describing the research process and follow its step-by-step procedures.

Step 3. Formalize your preliminary research. After you have uncovered as much information on your topic as you can, you’ll need to create three documents: 1) an Exploratory Search; 2) a Work Plan; and 3) an Abstract. These minor projects are due before the completed paper is due; please consult the course calendar for the relevant dates.

Step 4. Draft the paper. Count on writing several drafts of each paper before handing it in for a grade. The following information describes the various drafts you will be asked to complete for each research paper.

The first draft, or rough draft, doesn’t need to win any beauty contests. It can be pretty rough and still be useful. The main thing to strive for with the first draft is to get as much of the basic structure completed as possible. Don’t worry if you can’t find just the right word or the right quote or some statistic or a person’s name—just leave a blank space and keep writing. Ideally, draft one will completely frame your subject—that is, it will cover every issue that you think is important to your topic. Remember, the more complete the draft, the better will be the quality of the response you get from us and the rest of the class.

The second draft should reflect comments you received on your first draft and have most of the organizational issues fixed and information gaps filled. I’ll comment on this draft: so, the closer you have this to “done,” the more useful my comments will be.

The third draft will be all about editing. After working this far on getting the content of your paper squared away, this draft will focus on such word- and sentence-level specifics as word choice, spelling, proper citation format, etc.

The final draft will incorporate all useful suggestions and editorial fixes. This will the be copy that I grade. But save all drafts as separate files so I you can send them to me as part of the final package for a grade.

Step 5. Get feedback. You’ll be writing more than one draft of this paper because you’re going to get response from real readers (including me) before you actually hand the paper in for a grade. Your classmates will respond to all your drafts. I’ll respond in detail to an emailed copy of your second draft. Feedback in the first two rounds should focus on such global issues as organization, adequacy of the coverage, and depth of research. Toward the end of the writing process, we’ll work on an “editing draft” that focuses on the details of writing like word choice, spelling, punctuation, etc.

Step 6. Write a Post-Paper Analysis. It’s important at the end of every project to reflect on how things went. What worked? What didn’t? What did you learn? What would you do differently now? The post-paper analysis asks you to reflect formally upon your writing process and what you learned. Details are important.

Step 7. Email your project to me for a grade. Make sure all your work is saved in Microsoft Word and, by the due date, email me a package that includes the following:

Each draft of your paper (use approved labels to clearly distinguish one draft from another).

First draft (with peer comments) P1D1 or P2D1

Second draft (with my comments) P1D2 or P2D2

Editing draft (indicating changes) P1D3 or P2D3

Final draft: P1Fin or P2Fin

Your Post-Paper Analysis

The Writing Process

The Writing Process

The same basic procedure applies to every major paper in this class. Please follow it carefully. You might consider printing out this page and using it as a check-list.

Step 2. Work through the Research Process. Read through the on-line material describing the research process and follow its step-by-step procedures.

Step 4. Draft the paper. Count on writing several drafts of each paper before handing it in for a grade. The following information describes the various drafts you will be asked to complete for each research paper.

The second draft should reflect comments you received on your first draft and have most of the organizational issues fixed and information gaps filled. I’ll comment on this draft: so, the closer you have this to “done,” the more useful my comments will be.

The third draft will be all about editing. After working this far on getting the content of your paper squared away, this draft will focus on such word- and sentence-level specifics as word choice, spelling, proper citation format, etc.

The final draft will incorporate all useful suggestions and editorial fixes. This will the be copy that I grade. But save all drafts as separate files so I you can send them to me as part of the final package for a grade.

Step 7. Email your project to me for a grade. Make sure all your work is saved in Microsoft Word and, by the due date, email me a package that includes the following:

Each draft of your paper (use approved labels to clearly distinguish one draft from another).

First draft (with peer comments) P1D1 or P2D1

Second draft (with my comments) P1D2 or P2D2

Editing draft (indicating changes) P1D3 or P2D3

Final draft: P1Fin or P2Fin

Your Post-Paper Analysis