Authority in Writing: Knowledge (pt 1)

            I know what you’re thinking.  “Of course you have to have knowledge in a research paper, Alaina!  Research is all about facts!”  And you’re right; however, there’s so much more to a research paper than just learning and restating facts.  This concept is hard for many college freshmen to grasp.  In high school, we collected information from several different sources and compiled it together and turned it in.  We didn’t use the information to prove a point, or to serve some higher purpose in our writing.  We saw the info as absolute truth-if it was published it had to be true, right?  When we saw conflicting articles, we chose the side we agreed with the most and ignored the other.

            But guys, it’s not always truth.  If something is published, it doesn’t automatically make it 100% infallible.  It’s important to try and understand all the information you collect-not just regurgitate it.  Analyze the context of the pieces.  If there are disputing viewpoints, explore why the authors don’t agree.  Margaret Kantz, a professor at Central Missouri State University, provides an excellent example of why conflicting viewpoints are valuable in her article Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively.  She wrote that the main focus of her study, a student named Shirley, came across two different reports of the number of French troops in a certain battle against the English.  Instead of trying to understand why the numbers differed (because the opposing authors under- or over-estimated the exact amount to make their respective countries and troops look more impressive) Shirley just stated the facts, and her grade suffered for it.  She missed out on a chance to impress her professor and to stand out.  

            When you research, decide for yourself what you think is truth and make your own claim!  Use that information to back you up.  Embrace your knowledge on the subject, find an angle you would like to explore, and go for it.  Just make sure you keep an open mind.  It’s okay if you come across details that cause you to alter your view a little.  Go back, incorporate that new information, and move forward.