From the Known into the Unknown:

A Reflection of the “Searching for Secondary Literature” Process

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I was the go-to person. I knew the nuances of the pricing system and the approach needed to communicate action steps to more than 1000 employees. I could state acronyms, understanding their meanings, without hesitation and had studied major companies within the field.

Now that I am no longer in the workplace and am in an academic setting, I feel as if I have gone from the known into the unknown. The constant research of terms and words; knowledge of new publications and methods; and self-doubt remind me that I don’t know very much about the world of technical and professional communication, much less searching for secondary literature!

As I began to explore and read the information posted for this class, I concluded that I was never taught how to properly research. For example, I knew from a young age that the library was a source of information. Over time, the Internet evolved into a place for facts as well. However, my impression was that anything could be used as a resource, as long as one documented and cited the information.

During the first week of class, I thought it was best if I knew the purpose of the course. Therefore, I investigated the definition for “secondary research”. Wikipedia supplied my answer. A short time later, I learned Wikipedia was not considered a sound academic source of information.

It was harmless to use Wikipedia for the purpose I described above, but using the site may have detrimental and embarrassing implications if I were to write a paper for a scholarly journal and use it as a resource. Thankfully, I now know the difference between text that is reputable, such as those that are peer-reviewed, and others that are not, like a newspaper or Wikipedia.

Also since beginning this class, the dictionary has become my new best friend. It is near my side at all times as I complete assigned readings and search for secondary literature. I highlight not only what has an impact on me, but also words for which I don’t know the meaning. I was familiar with many of the terms, such as “rhetoric” (Porter and Sullivan 391), “pedagogy”(Soliday 511) and“tropes” (Eldred and Mortensen 524), but wanted to ensure I knew the exact definition.

On the other hand, “epigenetic” (Emig 127), “syllogistic”(Eldred and Mortensen523) and “charette” (Mara) were foreign. To strengthen my ego (“hardly anyone knows those words”), I approached my husband and a friend regarding the meaning of “charette”. To my surprise, both knew the definition! I was looking for redemption but didn’t find any.

These past few weeks have also helped me realize how little I knew about the publications devoted to my passion, such as Business Communication Quarterly, Journal of Business and Technical Communication and Journal of Management Communication. Training, thinking outside of the box and benchmarking were encouraged in the place where I once worked, but I never seemed to have enough time to read and reap the benefits from such pieces.

It saddens me that I spent many years in a professional environment and considered myself a “communicator”, yet I was oblivious that people, just like me, were writing articles regarding the issues I faced daily: paper weights, black and white versus color publications and how to receive “buy-in” from upper-level management. These works would have been extremely helpful, especially during my time in the company’s Internal Communication department.

Another journal I discovered was The National Council of Teachers of English’s (NCTE) Teaching English in the Two-Year College. When I enrolled at East Carolina University (ECU), my goal was to earn a degree so I would have the knowledge to obtain a teaching position at a community college or the marketing tool necessary to return to a competitive business workforce. Given my interest in the field, I was pleasantly surprised to learn there was a journal devoted to those teaching at a two-year college.

Perusing the website for this publication opened my eyes to topics I never considered, such as evaluating the writings of deaf students and connecting with pupils through hip hop. In my readings of other websites/publications for this course, I also learned that in order to progress within the academic setting and gain respect within their field, professors often must work to publish papers regarding their discipline.

All of this new knowledge regarding teaching English prompted me to examine my resume: I do not possess a degree in education or have prior teaching experience, my name does not appear in the credits of a printed article in any scholarly journal, and I really do not have the desire to spend time researching a topic in order to become published.

I am beginning to wonder: Would I be considered “college teacher” material? My head is now spinning with thoughts regarding the road ahead and where I could effect the most impact, be happy and utilize my skills.

As I have stated in a past assignment, I was not excited about taking this course. Research has always been something I viewed as a task before I could “become involved in the good stuff”. It does not cause my “blood to run hot” or create any twinges of excitement. However, I know now that it was best to take this course first.

Progressing through the required classes needed for my degree without the knowledge I have learned would have been extremely painful. I liken these future research projects to searching for an item of knowledge in a wealth of resources,attempting to discover valid information from reputable sources. Helpful hints given in Alexis Davis’ document (title unknown), such as the Boolean operators, along with the list of organizations, their intent and publications provided by the course instructor, have been and will be extremely useful.

Also, this class has encouraged me to think beyond the obvious question and take a “deeper dive”. For example, I was surprised at the narrowed topics explored in the publications I reviewed. In one such article “Light Writing: Technology Transfer and Photography to 1845”,Gregory Wickliffinvestigates photographic history prior to 1845 in America, France and England. It particularly examines how those in the field worked together as they created specific equipment for the process.

Prior to this course, I would not have thoughtto narrow a topic to this degree, looking, perhaps, at “the early development of photography” instead. I know now that in order to research and write a concise paper with sound theories, it is imperative one clearly defines a question.

Overall, the course has been much more than just a secondary research class, and my experiences learning helpful hints and searching for secondary literature have yielded more than knowledge of a process. I know now about the publications devoted to the technical and professional communication arena, am familiar with graduate-level vocabulary and have discovered new information about myself, a result which was not expected. I look forward to graduation day when my“do know” column will outweigh the “don’t know” column!

[Note: a page break was used to be sure that the works cited page appears on a separate page. For this reflection project, you do not have to reference existing, secondary literature. However, if such references (along with references to your literacy narrative, those of class members, and/or to class discussion) strengthen your paper, include them. Dr. S>]

Works Cited[s2]

Eldred Jane[s3]t Carey,and Peter Mortensen. “Reading Literacy Narratives.”College English54.5 (1992): 512-539.

Emig, Janet. “Writing as a Mode of Learning.” College Composition and Communication28.2 (1977): 122-128.

Mara, Andrew. “Using Charettes to Perform Civic Engagement in Technical Communication Classrooms and Workplaces.” Technical Communication Quarterly15.2: 215-236.

Porter, James,and Patricia Sullivan. “Remapping Curricular Geography: Professional Writing in/and English.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication7.4: 389-422.

Soliday, Mary. “Translating Self and Difference Through Literacy Narratives.”College English56.5 (Sep., 1994): 511-526.

Wickliff, Gregory. “Light Writing: Technology Transfer and Photography to 1845.”Technical Communication Quarterly15.3: 293-213.

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Hope Smith – ENGL 7730F07 – Project 2a

[e1]1,344 words

[s2]Do NOT underline. Use bold instead as a method of highlighting. Underlining should be avoided because it works against quick comprehension by blurring the descenders (g,y,and such), is a more dated method of highlighting, and in some text indicates an active link.

[s3]Be consistent. Use last name, first name, and then name of second author is standard order.