The fourth chapter in The Bedford Researcher covers critical reading tips, source evaluation techniques, and general information on how to gather and approach potential sources. The transition thus far has been to start with a topic and create a research question. In this chapter, we move on to framing or re-framing a research question using sources so that eventually we can create a position statement. This is an important step and one that lays the foundation for the reader; if there isn’t enough information on the topic or the perspective is skewed and doesn't introduce differing views that can be argued against, the reader will be less inclined to agree with the position statement.
This chapter was very helpful for me because the content was a little more tangible compared to chapter two. I was given concrete examples of ways to gather sources, review them, summarize and note-take, and process that information in a way that will strengthen my paper. I have experience with active reading and how to mine a good source for other potential useful sources so that section was review for me. I did, however, like the part of the chapter where Palmquist reviews the connections that are drawn between sources. In the past, most of my sources have come from peer reviewed journals, which are great and extremely informative. There may be value in other types of sources, though, and this chapter helped me broaden my search criteria for my paper.
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