Reading Reflections
Overview
Over the course of this semester, you will complete three reading reflection papers designed to help you get the most out of the courses readings. You will be given a template designed to help you summarize and read academic articles in an efficient and informative manner. You will succinctly state the paper’s main research question, discuss the theoretical issues it addresses, comment on the papers research design, and summarize the main findings and potential critiques of the studies’ findings. Some readings are less amenable to this approach such as certain ``review’’ type articles, which follow a slightly different format.
Your reflections should be no longer than two-pages, single spaced. The default grade for these reflections is a B (85 percent). To receive an A (100 percent), you must identify a second article related to the reading from the syllabus, complete a similar summary and offer a paragraph or two discussing how these two articles relate to one another. Does your second reading refute the findings of the first, or offer some nuanced elaboration?
You must complete at least one reflection paper by the end of September and at least two before October 18. You may complete reflection papers in advance, but must submit a reflection paper before the class in which that reading is assigned.
Below you will find a template for your reflections.
And here’s a link to a google document you can use for your own work.
And here’s a link to an some example reflection papers
Baseline Reflection on 1 paper (Grade 85 points)
Article Citation:
Please provide the citation of the paper you’re discussing here
Research Question
- A 1-3 sentence summary of what this paper is about. Refer to paper with Parenthetical citations: “Author (Date) ask …”
Theoretical Framework
- Describe theoretical debate to which the paper contributes
- Summarize core concepts and theories identified by the paper
- List specific hypotheses or expectations laid out by the paper
Data and Methods
- How do the authors go about testing their expectations? Is the study observational or experimental?
- What kind of data do they use?
- What are the primary outcomes of interest (dependent variables)
- What are the primary explanations or predictors (indepent variables)
- How do the authors propose to test and analyze these data?
Results
- What do the authors find?
- What are the key tables and figures that support their arguments?
Contributions
- What’s the 1-2 sentence takeaway you would tell your parents or roommates?
Questions, comments and extensions
- What’s your overall assessment of the study?
- What was done well? What could have been done better?
- What lingering questions do you have?
- Are there things about the paper’s method or theory you would like to discuss in class?
Reflection with Extension and Comparison (Grade: 100 points)
Repeat the process above for a another academic paper (from the syllabus or not)
Focus on drawing connections to the first paper
- How are they similar, how are they different
- Do they employ different theories, data, methods?
- Do they reach different conclusions
This can be done throughout your summary of the second paper, or in a separate paragraph at the end.