Research Validity and

Argumentation

Bias, Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Sourcing.

Are the things said in these videos “fair”?

• Mike Gundy – “I’m a Man! I’m 40!”=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E

• Kanye West - ”George Bush doesn’t care about black people”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI

Paraphrasing and Summarizing

• Paraphrasing – o Changing a piece of writing into one’s own diction.o Is a useful technique for research because…

• It keeps you from over quoting.• It helps you grasp the full meaning of the original text.• And it is better than quoting from an untrustworthy source.

• Summarizing – o Stripping a piece of writing down to its bare essentials and leaving only

what is required to receive analyze meaning.o It is a useful tool for note taking because..

• It saves time.• It aids in reading comprehension.

Paraphrasing Tips1. Read and annotate the entire passage.2. Determine the author’s purpose 3. Identify the words you don’t know and look them up.4. Shorten paragraphs by:

a. Altering sentence structure.b. Altering word choice.c. Combining sentences with similar ideas.

5. Change specific ideas to broad ideas and broad notions to specific ones.6. ALWAYS KEEP CITATIONS THE SAME.

Using these tips, paraphrase the following passage one with

a partner:

The koala bear of Australia is a living “Teddy Bear.” Its thick coat of gray fur is just as soft as the beloved toy. The koala has a large head, big ears and small, dark eyes that look at you without expression. Its nose, as black as patent leather, seems too big for the rest of its face.

The koala is a gentle little animal. It is almost defenseless. Only its color protects it from enemies. The koala makes no nest. It just sits in the forked branches of a tree. Unlike a bird, it cannot balance itself with its tail—because it has no tail. It likes gum trees the best because it loves entirely on the leaves of the tree. Sometimes the supply of its special diet is used up. The koala, rather than seek food elsewhere, will stay in its own area and starve to death.

Summarizing Tips1. Identify essential characters, themes, and the

author’s purpose.2. Identify the setting.3. Delete nonessential phrases and words.4. Express any complex words in simpler terms.

Using these tips, summarize the following passage two with a

partner:Jabberwocky

by Lewis Carroll 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves    Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves,    And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son    The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun    The frumious Bandersnatch!

" He took his vorpal sword in hand;    Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,    And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood,   

Using these tips, summarize the following passage with a

partner: The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,    And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through    The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head    He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?    Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"    

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves    Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves,    

And the mome raths outgrabe

Appropriate Sources• Rate the passage with score of one to three

based on how credible you believe the source is. Examine the entire document and place a sticky note with a number next to each. Also on the sticky note, place one reason why you found it to be so.

Document A: Least Credible

• Anyone can publish to Wikipedia!• However, it is a decent place to start (If you scroll all the

way to the bottom, there is a list of sources you can consult)

Document C: Semi-Credible

• Just like Wikipedia, any schmo can operate a blog.• However, blogs are sometimes run by experts in their field

and often link to the sources where they retrieved their original information.

Document B: Most Credible• Websites sponsored by

recognizable institutions (government branches, newspapers and magazines, televsion channels, universities, charity organizations, and research organizations) are the most credible sources because they are backed by previous research and already solid reputations.

• Often, the information needed for citations is provided for you.

But Mr. Rossi, how do I know a source is

credible?• What to shoot for:

o Jargon – specialized vocabulary used by a particular profession or group of people.• ex. “Bail is remanded. Bailiff, please take the defendant into custody.”

o Sponsorship by a recognizable organization.o Material published in the last 10 years.o Websites with a specific author.o Specialized URLS (.gov, .org, .edu)o Advertising

• It shows that the site gets a lot of traffic• What to avoid:

o Social media (unless sponsored by an expert or credible organization)o Research articles without citations

• A new study shows that fatty foods are good for your heart!o Websites with little information.o Bias

What is Bias?• Bias – A tendency to ignore or overlook certain

facts or perspectives based for a particular reason.

“Lady Gaga is the greatest pop music artist of all time”. – Lady Gaga’s Mother

vs. “Lady Gaga is the greatest pop music artist of all time” – Jann Wenner,

Chief Editor for Rolling Stone

o In this example, who is biased?

What is Bias?• Bias is not always on purpose, but it can often prevent

individuals from seeing the true facts of a situation. • When bias is allowed to trickle into mass media, it can alter

large groups of individuals opinions of…o Raceo Gendero Ageo Political Affiliationo Social Class

• Intentional bias is called prejudice.• Extremely biased media campaigns in order to persuade are

called propaganda.• Brainstorm: In what ways are you biased? In what situations

are your opinions slanted towards a certain point of view? Why? What prejudices have you experienced? Have you ever seen forms of propaganda?

Aristotle thought about argumentation in

this way:

Writers have certain goals when trying to persuade. They attempt to appeal to…..• Ethos – (Credibility) the author relies on the

reputation of themself and others to persuade.

• Pathos – (Emotion) the author relies on the feelings of their audience to persuade.

• Logos – (Logical) the author relies on logic to persuade.

Research Notes