WRTG 391 7970 Advanced Research Writing
Week 3 Discussion
DQ1 Library Exercise #3 — Adding Databases
This discussion thread is designed to help you become familiar with some additional features of OneSearch.  OneSearch is a service that is available through UMUC’s Library and Information Services website.  It allows a user to locate scholarly articles and other resources through a single search engine.
Please watch library tutorial #3.
Then respond to this discussion thread by completing the following tasks and answering the following questions:
1. Select two different additional databases on the right-hand side of the OneSearch interface, as the video tutorial describes.  What additional databases did you choose?  Why did you choose these particular databases?
2. Did you find any additional potential articles for your research?  If so, please post the name of the article and why you feel it is useful to you.  If not, please describe the types of articles you found through this new method and why you did not feel they had the potential to add to your research.
DQ2 WRTG 391 students,
This week , you are reading four movie  reviews of the movie Steve Jobs.  The reviews are from Ann Hornaday, Rex Reed, Benjamin Lee, and Anthony Lane.
After perusing the four movie reviews, please complete the following tasks:
You will notice that the four reviewers do not agree on their evaluation of the acting in the film.
1. First, analyze all four reviewers and, for each reviewer, write at least one summary sentence describing what the review says about the acting in the film.  In addition, for each reviewer, quote the reviewer at least one time to demonstrate the sentiment he or she expresses about the acting.
Ann Hornaday-
Summary statement:
Quote from this reviewer to support the summary statement:
Rex Reed-
Summary statement:
Quote from this reviewer to support the summary statement:
Benjamin Lee-
Summary statement:
Quote from this reviewer to support the summary statement:
Anthony Lane –
Summary statement:
Quote from this reviewer to support the summary statement:
2. Then, construct a synthesis matrix on the four authors and their views on the acting in the film.  The first item in Content for week in our class is a link to a document from North Carolina State University on using a synthesis matrix.   Use that handout as a guide.
For example, you might make “acting by Kate Winslet” a category in your matrix.  Then you would write notes about what each movie reviewer said about Kate Winslet’s acting.  You might make “acting by Michael Fassbender” a category in your table.  Then you would write notes about what each movie reviewer said about Michael Fassbender’s acting.   Continue with this theme by creating three or four categories.
3. Finally, write three or four short paragraphs that synthesize all four reviewers and the points they make on the acting in the film.  Remember, when synthesizing, you don’t simply list what each author says about the topic.  You write about the issue of acting in the film and integrate the points of all four reviewers into that analysis.
In writing your paragraphs, you would use your synthesis matrix.  You would group authors into categories, if possible.  For example, consider the reviewers that tend to praise the acting and write about them in a paragraph or two.  Then consider the reviewers that did not like the acting and write about them in a paragraph or two.  Following this analysis, you might write a concluding paragraph that summarizes all four reviewers’ views on the acting.