Reading response week 1
From reviewing the text, it appears that we are going to be challenged to really think and analyze our writing. I think that this will allow us to fundamentally understand what it is that we are trying to communicate through our writing and will help us to notice the flaws and weak points that we have. By analyzing these weak points we can grow as writers and learn how to become more proficient with our writing skills. Which will ultimately allow us to effectively communicate through memos, emails, letters, and other professional documents that we will be required to compose in the future. I am really excited at what this course has to offer, I have always struggled within my English courses and with my writing, and I look forward to a promising opportunity to better my written skills. Furthermore, it appears this course will teach us the proper form for various types of documents that we will compose and offer us a guide in which to follow that will outline the steps necessary to construct a well written piece of work, as well as the proper method to cite our sources. I have always found difficulty when trying to construct a works cited page. I always get confused on whether or not to use MLA or APA, and have never understood what format is suited for what type of works. Hopefully this course will help me to finally understand the difference and how to use each one appropriately. One of the documents that I look forward to learning more about is resumes. Although it seems like I have had to write a resume for every Management course that I have taken so far, I welcome the opportunity to learn more about them because there are some additional things I would like to learn how to include on my resume, for example where to put my study abroad experiences and what information to include about them. Overall I am excited about this course and I believe that I can learn a lot.
Comments
MLA or APA styles
I also hope to learn the best to use for different types of documents concerning MLA and APA. Throughout high school, I always used MLA but in my ENGL 108 class, I always had to use APA. I never knew which one I should use if specific instructions weren't given. I also hope to learn more about resumes. I would like to know if providing references or stating references are available upon request (page 227) at the bottom of your resume is necessary or an item that is extremely important. I have never done this although I do have references. I am going to be a junior and I've only had to prepare a resume for MGMT 100 so I would also like more experience and expertise on creating a great resume.
MLA or APA
Like most things in writing, the choice of citation format is dictated purely by context. These aren't systems of grammar; they are guidelines about how a certain document should be formatted and how it should cite its sources. Often we use MLA in our English classes, because that it the citation system that most publications in language arts use (MLA stands for Modern Language Arts). APA, or American Psychological Association, is another popular choice, but it is just another set of guidelines about how a document should look and cite material.
So the answer to the question of which one a person should use depends entirely on where the document will appear, or, more commonly, whatever the person who is telling you to produce the document wants it in. In fact, when Ryan and I want to publish stuff, we often have to change styles into whatever the publication wants. Many publications even invent their own style sheets that authors are expected to adopt. It doesn't really matter. Consistency in the application of a style is more important than which particular one gets used.
The lesson is that no citation style is any more magical than another. They are just standards that different fields or publications use. You don't have to memorize any of them, really. I am most familiar with MLA, but when I have to use APA, or CBE, or Chicago, I just dig out that particular style guide and revise my document.
Formats