All of this time has been spent researching the topic to understand
and develop it. However, sometimes you need to read non-scholarly sources, such
as biased web articles, or watch videos on the topic. Now that you have a solid
background of your topic after reading many scholarly sources without bias, you
will not be easily swayed by biased and powerful advertising or websites.
But why read through these sources? Can they even be used for
your research paper?
Many will probably not be useful for your paper. So why
bother? Well, while researching scholarly sources is important, looking at
biased videos by Novartis advertising animal research or skimming through PETA’s
website helps me to get an idea of how my topic applies in the real world, and
what I want to write about or include in my paper. It helps to see what people
think and what I should keep in mind for my readers. This is important in
understanding the readers’ various viewpoints. (To view the mentioned examples, click here for the Novartis video and here for PETA's website.)
(For the original source, click here.)
In the video above, for example, many people are
interviewed and asked about their opinions on animal research. While many have
very different opinions as to whether or not animal experimentation should
continue, many of them also agree that it is still very important in medical research.
For example, one French woman says that she doesn’t much like the idea of
animal experimentation, but agrees that it will slow down research if banned, unless they can find an
alternative. Watching this video helps me to understand part of my audience and
what points will be important to get across.
So try watching a video on your topic, or skim through a
biased source; it is just as important to understand your readers’ views and
the modern aspect of your topic as it is to research it thoroughly through case
studies and scientific journal articles.
I really like how you incorporated this video to learn more about your audience. It gives a much better understanding of who you are targeting this blog to.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the idea of not just using scholarly sources. Most of my scholarly sources are articles on which transgenic mice are being used in neurodegenerative diseases. However, I would not have known what transgenic animals are, what they do, and that they even existed without looking at several non-scholarly sources.
I could not agree more! While doing my research I have found that there is a certain limit to how much scholarly sources could bring to the table. I am researching the possibility of using dogs to diagnosis cancer, and all my scholarly sources have to offer are statistics. I find that the real debate is found in non- scholarly sources. Most of the time, I find that they are easier to understand and can also lead me in different directions to expand on my topic.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like most about non-scholarly sources is that they also help strengthen my argument, because they are so biased. When I come across articles I completely disagree with I am able to look back at other articles that refute it and make stronger claims.
Nice observation, and very interesting video !