by Aisha Almaazmi
Presented by Konstantina Spyropoulou and Aisha Almaazmi
Date: April 19, 2021
In the final workshop of the semester presented by the AUS Writing Center, graduating tutors Konstantina Spyropoulou and Aisha Almaazmi covered the selection, integration and annotation of academic sources. As university students, we are all aware of the constant struggle of using sources for information. Every class with either research papers, projects, presentations, and even speeches includes academic sources, so it is no surprise that "Selecting, Annotating, and Integrating Sources" was the most requested workshop of this semester's workshop series.
The workshop was attended by an overwhelming majority of Writing 101 and 001 students, all Freshmen. The presenters began by giving a brief background on sources, such as the definition and their different types: academic vs. non academic, and primary vs. secondary. The presentation was divided into three sections for each of the three main steps of tackling sources.
The first section, "Selecting Sources", was presented by Aisha and four steps included: keyword searching, brainstorming, understanding your topic, and using AUS databases. The second section, "Annotating Sources", was presented by Konstantina and discussed methods of annotation and tips for active reading. The presenters explained that active reading is the act of asking the text the right questions.
The final section, "Integrating Sources", was presented by both tutors and discussed ways to avoid plagiarism when incorporating outside research or information. It also covered the different types of integration, and methods of in-text citation.
Each of the three main sections discussed had their own sets of individual activities to engage participants, such as coming up with keywords for a research question, brainstorming questions for active reading when given a text, and finally, matching the quotations with the correct in-text citations. At first, the students were hesitant to participate, fearing a wrong answer. After a few activities, however, they felt more comfortable and even described them as "fun", "engaging", and "challenging."
The workshop concluded with a Kahoot quiz, which proved to be engaging for the participants. The students were glad to end the workshop on a competitive yet highly interactive note and thanked the participants for their ability to "clear their many confusions about citing sources." One of the attendees, a Writing 001 student, also said that she was now "excited to use the AUS databases because they look so helpful."
The workshop was also the final presentation for graduating tutors Konstantina and Aisha, as they had always presented for the Writing Center together whenever they could. Aisha says that she will 'miss working with Konstantina and creating an impact for students, even in the smallest way." Similarly, Konstantina described the workshop as a great experience and opportunity: "It was lovely to present such a fun and interactive workshop, and I am glad the students enjoyed it. I will always cherish this workshop because of its usefulness towards our students and due to a great collaboration with Aisha."
All in all, the workshop was a very interesting, knowledge-filled, and interactive experience to conclude the Writing Center student-led workshop series for Spring 2021.