Assignment 1: Citation, Summary, and Definitions GNED 1401
Due: by midnight, October 16, 2023
Format: typed, double-spaced, in PDF, uploaded electronically to the D2L Brightspace dropbox
Length: ~1000 words total (Part 2 ~400 words)
Worth (total): 15%
Citation style: APA- American Psychological Association (sorry, no MLA- Modern Language Association for this
assignment).
Find most of the bibliographic information for each of the three articles we’ve read in class so far (Graff et al.,
McCarthy, Wilder and Yagelski) listed—but in MLA style—Some pieces of information might be missing,
because MLA does not include it: the location (New Haven, CT) of the publisher of the book that Graff’s article
appears in.
Part 1: Demonstrating the “moves” of academic citation (5%)
Write a two-or-three sentence summary of each work, using appropriate reporting expressions. Your summary
should accurately indicate the general/overall topic of the essay and mention one sub- argument that you find
especially interesting.
Include in-text citations, including page numbers where possible, in each summary—particularly when
mentioning a specific sub-argument. You may quote short phrases directly, but most of your citation work here
should be in the form of overview and paraphrase.
Space these short summaries as three separate paragraphs on one page. No need to provide transitions between
them: they are distinct pieces of writing.
Write a Bibliography or References list (depending on which citation style you’re using) for the document,
giving complete bibliographic information for each of the three pieces you’ve cited.
Notes:
These summaries must be your own work, based solely on your own understanding of the articles you have read. The
only sources you should consult when writing this assignment are the articles you are summarizing (and your own
notes and tree diagram about it). You are absolutely not required or encouraged to read anything else. If, however, you
do read any of the online summaries or discussions of these articles, you *must* list them in your References list or
Bibliography, and you *must* acknowledge with appropriate in-text citations any part of your summaries where your
own thinking or wording is influenced by theirs.
Part 2: Academic summary of one article (5%)
On a separate page, write an accurate, informative, and well-organized extended summary of either Graff
et al., McCarthy, or Wilder and Yagelski—your choice. Write it for an academic audience.
Organize your summary to coherently connect a general overview to subarguments and specific details:
start with a general/overall indication of their topic,
indicate all of their major subarguments,
mention a few select details about one of (to you) the most interesting aspects of their data,
making clear to your reader how all these parts fit together
Use reporting expressions that are academic in nature and appropriate to describing the author’s argument.
Use them frequently enough that your reader never forgets that you are summarizing the
author’s argument (not making your own).
Be sure to use keywords from the article to demonstrate the close attention you’re paying to their
argument.
But don’t overdo it: make sure you’re not paraphrasing too closely for comfort, and certainly don’t
repeat whole phrases without quotation marks.) Quote rarely; quote whole sentences very rarely;
and quote only when their words are especially worth repeating.
Use APA citation style. Use in-text citations where appropriate and include a References list.
Notes:
It’s perfectly okay to reuse parts of your short summary from Part 1 in this long summary of the same work in Part 2.
This summary must be your own work, based solely on your own understanding of the article you have read. The only
source you should consult when writing this assignment is the article you are summarizing (and your own notes and
tree diagram about it). You are absolutely not required or encouraged to read anything else. If, however, you do read
any of the online summaries or discussions of this article, you *must* list them in your References list or Bibliography,
and you *must* acknowledge with appropriate in-text citations any part of your summary where your own thinking or
wording is influenced by theirs.
Part 3: Definitions (3%) and Reflection (2%)
Definitions:
Choose three of the following key concepts from our course. They all have to do with academic writing.
discourse
research
article
knowledge gap
method
citation
On a separate page, write a two- or three-sentence-long definition for each concept as we are using it in this
course. (You will write three definitions total.) Write each one in your own words. Include an example for each
one from the articles we have read together so far, giving an in-text citation for that example if appropriate (e.g.
if the example is drawn from specific pages of the article).
Base your definition on your understanding of my lectures and handouts, our class discussions and activities, and
the texts we have read together.
These definitions must be your own work. There is no need to do any extra reading or information- gathering for
this part of the assignment. But if you do extra reading and if it influences what you write in any way, you must
cite your source(s), using proper in-text citations and including a References list or Bibliography.
Example (definition of our term “data”):
Data are the materials that academics collect and analyze when they do research. The kind of data an
academic will analyze depends on their discipline. For example, Wilder and Yagelski (2018) analyzed a
large set of sample essays collected from students taking their first university composition course (p. 386)—
these essays were the data they analyzed.
Reflection:
Writing from your own perspective and in your own words, write one informal paragraph where you reflect on
your experience of writing a summary for this assignment. Respond to the following question: What does it feel
like to write a formal academic summary, and how does this compare to other types of writing you’ve done before?
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Assignment 1- Checklist
Part 1: Demonstrating the “moves” of academic citation (5%)
( ) Three separate 2-3-sentence summaries, one of each of Graff, McCarthy, and Wilder and
Yagelski, including in-text citations
( ) References list or Bibliography listing all three articles
Part 2: Academic summary of one article (5%)
( ) One extended summary (~400 words) of your choice of Graff, McCarthy, or Wilder and
Yagelski, including in-text citations
Part 3: Definitions (3%) and Reflection (2%)
( ) Three definitions, each 2-3 sentences long, including examples, with in-text citations where appropriate
( ) One-paragraph reflection, from your own perspectiv
Please see Rubric:
PART 1
RUBRIC Excellent (Alevel
work)
Good to very good
(B level work)
Satisfactory (C level
work)
Marginal to
unsatisfactory (D to F
level work)
2-sentence Summaries are Summaries are Sentences recognizably The work being
summary informative, concise, reasonably attempt to summarize summarized is difficult to
quality and accurate; they informative and the chapters; they may recognize; summary shows
smoothly link an generally accurate; be somewhat little awareness of the
account of the general they include the inaccurate; they may distinction between
topic to a more specific general topic and a not include a general general and specific layers
sub-argument; more specific sub- statement and a more of argument; may not
reporting expressions argument; reporting specific sub-argument; include reporting
are appropriate to expressions are reporting expressions expressions; they may be
academic writing and appropriate to are present but may unsuitable; paraphrase
precisely suited to the
piece being cited
academic writing not be very suitable may be too close to original
Correctness In-text citations and In-text citations and In-text citations and In-text citations and/or
of citation Bibliography or Bibliography or Bibliography or Bibliography or References
style References list are References list are References list are list are incomplete and/or
complete and entirely
correct
complete with one or
two minor errors
complete with three or
more errors
full of errors
5
PART 2
RUBRIC Excellent (Alevel
work)
Good to very
good (B level
work)
Satisfactory (C level
work)
Marginal to
unsatisfactory (D to F
level work)
Summary Summary flows Summary flows Summary includes many Summary may show little
technique smoothly from an
account ofthe general
reasonably well
from the general
valid points, but may not
flow from a general
awareness of the
distinction between
topic to more specific topic to more statement or include more general and specific layers
sub-arguments and specific sub- specific sub-arguments; of the argument; may not
details of the data; arguments and reporting expressions are include reporting
reporting expressions details; reporting present but may not all be expressions; they may be
are appropriate to expressions are very suitable unsuitable to academic
academic writing and appropriate to writing; paraphrase may
precisely suited to the
piece being cited
academic writing be too close to original
and/or quotation marks
may be missing
Quality of Writing demonstrates Writing Writing demonstrates Writing demonstrates
reading and a full, insightful demonstrates a some understanding of the little understanding of the
demonstrated understanding of the sound overall argument / central overall argument; may
understanding argument/ central understanding of idea; may seem to miss or distinctly misunderstand
idea, an accurate the overall misunderstand one or two or misrepresent the
sense of which sub- argument / central key ideas; written author’s points; may be
points/sub-topics are idea and an vocabulary is suited to mostly a close paraphrase
most important, and a awareness of some academic coursework but of what the author wrote,
complete sense of key points or sub- not especially reminiscent or omit quotation marks;
how the whole thing topics; written of the article you chose; may be written in a
fits together; written vocabulary is may quote or closely vocabulary unsuited to the
vocabulary is well
suited to discussing
reasonably well
suited to
paraphrase the chapter’s
own sentences too often
article you chose
the article you chose discussing the
article you chose
Correctness of In-text citations and In-text citations In-text citations and In-text citations and/or
citation style Bibliography or
References list are
and Bibliography
or References list
Bibliography or
References list are
Bibliography or
References list are
complete and entirely are complete with complete with three or incomplete and/or full of
correct only one or two
minor errors
more minor errors errors
Grammatical Sentences are Sentences are A few sentences may not Sentences may frequently
correctness grammatically
complete and correct;
generally
grammatically
be complete or may be
awkward to read; errors of
be awkward or difficult to
read; grammar errors may
sentences flow well; complete and easy grammar may be be distractingly frequent;
word choice is precise to read; one or two noticeable but do not word choices may
and meaningful errors of grammar distract badly from the frequently be awkward or
may recur; word meaning; word choice is imprecise
choice is sensible sensible but may be rather
basic
PART 3
RUBRIC Excellent (A level
work)
Good to very
good (B level
work)
Satisfactory (C
level work)
Marginalto unsatisfactory
(D to F level work)
Definition
quality
All three definitions
demonstrate complete
understanding of the
concepts; they are
accurate, relevant to
our course, and clearly
expressed; examples
are well-chosen and
demonstrate thorough
understanding; in-text
citations are correctly
used as appropriate
All three
definitions are
reasonably
accurate, relevant
to our course, and
quite clearly
expressed;
examples are
appropriate and
demonstrate
understanding; in-
text citations are
correctly used as
appropriate
At least two
definitions are fairly
accurate; all three are
readable; at least two
of them are defined in
a way relevant to our
course; at least two
examples are
appropriate and
demonstrate
understanding; in-text
citations are present
when appropriate
Two or more definitions may be
substantially inaccurate, or
defined in a way that is not
relevant to our course; two or
more examples may be missing or
demonstrate misunderstanding of
the texts; two or more definitions
may be difficult to read; in-text
citations may be missing;
definitions may be copied from an
unacknowledged source or too-
closely paraphrased from a
source, or may duplicate a
classmate’s definitions
Reflection
quality
Written reflection
demonstrates
thoughtful, sincere
engagement with the
question, and original
insight into academic
summary-writing
Written reflection
demonstrates
thoughtful, sincere
engagement with
the question
Written reflection
demonstrates some
thoughtfulness and
focus, and attempts to
respond to the
question
Written reflection may seem to
have been hastily written; may
not demonstrate much
thoughtfulness, focus, or effort;
may be off-topic or
misunderstand the question; may
substantially resemble or
duplicate someone else’s work