This class has helped me a lot in my English 1102 class. We have been learning to write papers on specific topics without rambling on about other things. This week in my English class I was assigned a paper that is about a book we just finished reading in class. For this paper assignment, we had to use a literary device we have discussed in class and provide textual proof. In class yesterday we talked about our thesis statements. She told me that my thesis statement was a great example of a narrowing a topic and it was easy to go to the book and find specific information. Thanks to this class, I have learned  how to stray away from the broad topics and stay focused on one subject. This class has also help me to learn how to cite sources properly in MLA style for my English 1102 class. I was able to find more credible websites by using the crap test and the evaluation criteria. Lastly, learning how to use Galileo was very resourceful in looking for research information. I was able to go to Galileo to find scholarly journal articles and much more  for research papers and projects. All of the tools that I have learned will be very helpful for the rest of my college career and in real life situations.

Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieverhamme/3223107635/
1. This image was uploaded by emverham which is the username, his real name is Eddie Verhamme.
2. It appears that this person is a photographer.
3. The title of the image is 2010 Camaro.
4. The restrictions for this image says some rights reserved. I am allowed to share, copy, and transmit this image under the following conditions: attribution, noncommercial, and no derivative works.
    1. I don't think I have the permission to use it without citing due to some of the rights being reserved.
    2. I do not have permission to use it to make money because it has a noncommercial restriction.
    3. I do not have permission to create derivative works. The conditions for publishing this work is that you        may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
5. Eddie Verhamme. January 24, 2009. 2010 Camaro, March 13,2013, from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieverhamme/3223107635/ 

Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography? Well a bibliography is a list of sources used for researching a topic and an annotation is a summary or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography is a list compiled of resources such as books, articles, magazines, or anything that contains information with notes. Annotated bibliographies are composed of three major parts which are citations, summary, and annotation. The citation is about 1-2 lines which conforms to whatever style the teacher assigns. The summary also contains 1-2 lines which gives the reader a general idea of what the source is about. Lastly, the annotation explains why the source is great and how it ties into the final project.

I’m pretty sure there are various reasons as to why I’m required to write an annotated bibliography. One reason I came up with was that our instructor mentioned that she did not learn how to write an annotated bibliography until she was required to write one in graduate school. Therefore, she is preparing us for assignments we may encounter in our future classes.

An annotated bibliography can be very resourceful when it comes to research projects. It can be an excellent preparation for a research project as mentioned in the webpage. Instead of skimming resources to find, it actually forces you to analyze the resources to determine whether the resources are actually beneficial to your project or not. Although, annotated bibliographies are detailed oriented and time consuming it really helps when it comes to organizing your paper. It also helps to prevent procrastination since the annotated bibliography is done first. Annotated bibliographies can also help in a research project because you can find scholarly annotated bibliographies on the web that can help you find information.

Special Collections

Today in class we had guest speaker talk about special collections. I learned that special collections are a collection of materials from a general library. In special collections, you can find a variety of artifacts. You can find items such as books, letters, biographies, diaries, old photographs, newspaper articles, and etc. At the University of West Georgia, you can find the special collections section on the ground floor of the Ingram Library.  Special collections can be found in any library and can be very resourceful when it comes down to doing research for a project or even writing papers. When writing a research paper, you can go to the special collections department and find a variety of artifacts to use in your research paper. u can also have someone from the special collections department to help you with piecing things together for a project or a research paper. If you are not able to go to the library, you can log on to westga.edu/library website and go to the Gil-find to search for items that can assist you in finding things to assist you in your research. Anyone such as students and people from the community can use the special collections to use to their advantage.

For my research today in class, I used two databases which were the PsycINFO database and the Social Science Journal (ProQuest) database. To find these databases, I went to Galileo and typed each of them into the search bar and clicked on the link. First I used the PsycINFO database. I used the search terms gun control and media to find information on my research topic. Once the search was complete, mostly periodicals and a few academic journals popped up. It brought up topics that discussed different articles dealing with gun control. It also brought up debates about the gun laws and legislation. While browsing through the different topics I noticed a lot of articles that contained research that had been conducted on guns such as things like ownership and crime rates.  Next I used the Social Science Journal (ProQuest). I used the search terms guns and media influence. This database also showed research that had been conducted on guns. Most of the information from this database was published by criminologist and criminology departments. I noted one major difference between Academic Search Complete and the other databases we used today in class. Academic Search Complete uses more academic journals whereas the other databases contained a great amount of research that had been directed in periodicals with tables and debates. I would use Academic Search Complete when I need more scholarly information on certain reports. Since I am a criminology major, I would see myself using PsycINFO and the Social Science Journal (ProQuest) to use when I am writing papers to find proper research articles.

I did not know what filter bubbles were until after watching the video and I learned that it is basically an invisible editor. I think filter bubbles has it pros and cons. I think they can be very beneficial when searching for certain things on the internet but can also be a hazard. In my opinion, filter bubbles are a bad thing because it shows us what it thinks we want to see, not what we need to see as mentioned in the video.  

Some problems filter bubbles might cause me for my academic research would be not finding relevant information. Sometimes when I search on Google for certain things, I rarely find information that is relevant on the first page.  When I do find information, it sometimes may not be sufficient information.

I think the suggestions for getting out of the filter bubble are great. I took the time to read through the 10 ways to pop your filter bubbles. While reading, I found myself underlining most of the tips that were offered to get rid of filter bubbles. After reading, I decided I would try at least one of the ways. I used number five which was turn off targeted ads, and tell the stalking sneakers to buzz off. Every time I log on to the internet, there are always ads that pop-up and it is so annoying. I use Google Chrome, so after I installed Google’s ‘Keep My Opt-Outs’ extension for chrome I haven’t had random advertisement pop-ups.

Last week we talked about different sources that we could use for research topics. Four sources that I remember talking about in particular last week were books, magazines, periodicals, and newspapers. In newspapers and magazines you mainly find articles. Newspapers and magazines were also a more popular source than a scholarly source. Newspapers and magazines were more of a scholarly source because they are reports. Reports can be biased and told from the reporter’s perspective which can persuade you to think a certain way. On the other hand, periodicals and books are more scholarly than popular. Most time when you look at books and periodicals you see a lot of words and hardly any pictures. To most readers that are a turn off because it seems like it may be boring and uninteresting. One thing that I remember mostly about periodicals is that it had a lot of tables and charts. This shows that it is more scholarly because it actually contains proof that research has been conducted in order to write the periodical. You can use these types of research to answer questions in many different ways. For instance if I was writing a report I would probably use an article from a magazine. If I were writing a research paper I would use a more scholarly source such as a book or periodical.