This semester, one skill I have improved is using proper citation style for essays, including the correct citation of numerous sources within the same paragraph. For  example used in-text citation for Matthew Rampe’s article in The Tufts Daily when I wrote: “Matthew Rampe states that ‘only 10 percent of people in the United States can speak another language fluently, while 65 percent of people in Europe can speak a second language besides their first.'”, and I properly cited Gironzetti and Belpoliti and their  article using MLA  citation and included their DOI in my works cited page. Also , I made sure to clearly add the authors again when I referenced the second quote from the same article and used the phrase  “this article also states…” to establish proper attribution between the two sources. These examples illustrate my learning process, not only in adhering to the rules for citing sources, but also in utilizing citations to construct evidence for my analysis and to effectively link multiple sources within a single paragraph.

I have learned how to locate and evaluate credible research resources for my writings this semester. In the past, before taking this course, I used to look at really random, unverified online sources that sometimes aren’t up to date or biased . Sometimes the first thing that would pop up on google I read there. But ever since we had a class in the library I have been a lot easier looking for credible sources. I was  intentional about picking the best, most academic and peer reviewed sources possible, like Gironzetti and Belpoliti’s scholarly article for my essay. Also to finding reliable information I also know that when I find good quality information it will provide depth and support for what I write and that I am using research  and not personal opinions or bias to support the ideas I am trying to argue. Through this  I have learned how to do better research and how to identify credible resources that can be used to strengthen my arguments.

Another important skill that I learned in the last few months, is the ability to combine multiple sources into one piece of writing instead of writing many paragraphs of summarized statements or quoted writings. When I started this course I had difficulty putting two authors into dialogue and synthesizing and I usually had only one quote per paragraph. By receiving feedback on my drafts that made  me include multiple sources and describe how the ideas relate, I attempted to pair ideas from at least two different writers and analyze the relationship between their ideas. For example, I rewrote a paragraph for my essay about second-language literacy by including Stein-Smith’s data about America’s foreign-language deficit and combined it with Gironzetti and Belpoliti’s claim about the lack of teacher training  showing the much larger overall issue relating to low second language literacy and the structure of education. This has made me realize that synthesis is much more than just putting 2 quotes from different text in the same paragraph. It is combining multiple viewpoints to strengthen your claim. 

I believe one of the best ways I’ve developed my understanding of revision has been through both my instructors’ feedback and peer reviews.The ability to revise my writing in a more meaningful way, particularly by means of peer review and instructor feedback, is one of  most valuable skills l learned as a result of this semester. When I began this class, I saw revision  as the process of correcting errors in spelling, grammar, or rewriting a few paragraphs to create a slightly different version of the original draft. However, through multiple revisions of my essays, peer review, and 1 on 1s with my instructor , I came to realize that revision is actually the process of revisiting your ideas, stronger structure  of your argument,. In my research paper, for instance, my instructor identified a need for me to synthesize my sources rather than use one source in each paragraph. As a result of this process, I have a new understanding that although revision includes correcting errors, it is more about enhancing the clarity, and depth of your writing. Through peer review, I have seen how readers and writers have a different perception on writing and having a different set of eyes looking through your work is good to see what you can improve on. Now feel much more capable of making significant revisions to my drafts instead of simply trying to avoid making any revisions.