I had a rough time with writing the persuasive paper. I knew the thoughts I wanted to put down, but I didn’t know how to support it with evidence. I questioned myself on every sentence I wrote – “Does that need to be cited?” What constitutes an “uncontested understanding?” And if I have an original thought (or what I perceive to be original), do I have to research that topic to prove myself as being original? For example, I wrote the sentence, “It is our job, as educators, to know how each of these sectors defines our jobs and follow a clear moral path inside and outside of school.” Is this my own original thought? Or do I need to cite it? I questioned myself on every sentence and had ten resources on my resource page.
After reviewing my paper, I do feel better about which sentences and sections I chose to site, especially since my professor didn’t make any comments on that one particular sentence example I shared (no news is good news?) However, the question of “cite or not cite?” still looms over me for my next paper.
