Week Four Journal – Summarizing

This week, you continue writing your journal entries. This journal is designed to give you practice in academic writing, which is very different from the personal essay writing that you have been practicing. Academic writing entails making a point and supporting that point with information from a reputable source. There are three ways to support a point with information from a source: quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing. This week, you will practice summarizing a source and citing that source in your journal entry. Please be sure to read and review the “Example Journal Entry – Summarizing” document, which shows how quotations can be integrated.

Note: The journal assignment should not be confused with a personal journal. This activity requires organization, effective stylistics and grammar, and proper source incorporation. It is not a free-writing or reflective writing exercise.

The personal essay we have read this week, “Consider the Lobster” uses narrative and/or descriptive elements (sections 6.3 and 6.4 in Essentials of College Writing), and each has a clear purpose.

Write about one of the essays assigned in this week’s readings. In 250 to 500 words

• State the purpose of the essay.
• Describe one descriptive writing pattern being used in the essay (refer to section 6.4 in Essentials of College Writing).
• Explain why you think that descriptive writing pattern is used well by the writer. Incorporate a summary from the essay and properly cite the essay.
• Explain how you plan to use the same descriptive writing pattern in your personal essay.

As you are writing this journal entry, please pay attention to the areas that you struggled with in your “Grammar Assessment” quiz and “Practice Essay” assignment.

The following resource will assist you as you write this week’s journal:

• Guidelines for Summarizing Sources

 It is advised that you check your document for originality (avoiding unintentional plagiarism) by using the Turnitin program. Please view the video Using TurnItIn Through Waypoint for guidance on using the Turnitin program.

When submitting your journal entry, make sure to

• Proofread your work for errors in grammar, mechanics, and style.
• Format the journal according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Refer to the “APA Template” handout for guidelines on formatting a title page in APA style.
• Provide an in-text citation for the section of the essay you quote. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center’s Comprehensive APA Reference List Modelsfor guidelines on in-text citations in APA style.
• Provide a reference for the essay you quote. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center’s In-Text Citation Guide for guidelines on citing sources in APA style.
• Perform a word count check to make sure the journal is 250 to 500 words in length.
• Save the document as a Microsoft Word or compatible .doc or .docx file.
• Use a naming convention that includes your last name, week number, and the assignment number (e.g., smith_w2_a1.doc).