The Stages of Professional Writing - Research Paper Example

For instance, when I first worked on my vandalism proposal, I did not know where to start because I felt discouraged with the absence of primary resources regarding campus anti-vandalism programs. By organizing my research, I learned that I can do the primary research myself and that drafting improves my writing weaknesses through determining further content needs. Second, this class improved my ethical use of resources. I am not aware before of how to properly cite my sources. I sometimes forget to put in-text citations, which is why my ideas may lack credibility.

Feedback from my classmates and professor helped me learn how I can improve my referencing ability, such as when they asked me where I got my ideas and to substantiate them with secondary references. I am currently more careful of using in-text citations and in using language that differentiates my thoughts from other people’s ideas. Third, this class enhanced my ability to write for my intended readers and to produce cogent arguments. I had a hard time writing Assignments 3 and 4 because I was unsure of who my audiences/gatekeepers are.

By now, I know that I must write for my audience because this is a recommendation report that will not be relevant to them if I do not write with their needs, goals, and resources in mind. I also refined my cover letter and resume because I wrote for my audience. Once I determined my intended audiences and gatekeepers, I became more conscious of their needs and how I can make my writing aligned with their organizational/departmental needs and concerns. Hence, ENGL393 improved my ability to organize my writing process and to produce well-cited, well-organized, well-argued technical reports.