Significant Writing (Big Data) Project

During my peer reviews and edits between first and final drafts, local revisions were always the main areas I would focus on. I often found myself altering or commenting on the wording of the main argument or analysis to make it perfect instead of the content itself. However, English 110 has enabled me to push back local revisions as the final stage of essay writing. I was never excellent at citing sources but always made sure I had something close. In my Big Data Project, the final draft clearly depicts how my citations, specifically MLA, have improved throughout the semester. My sources are fully introduced and given credibility, along with in-text citations and a works cited page at the end of the essay.For example, where I have my first naysayer argument, I introduce the source by saying, “In their article, Vayena et al. highlight the importance of misjudgment and how these algorithms may not always be validated, stating, ‘In 2013, when Google Flu trends overestimated flu prevalence levels in the US, further concerns were raised about the sensitivity of this methodology to the digital environments created by users’ behavior…'(Vayena et al. ).” I have gotten much better at introducing my sources and providing their credibility before I jump into the quote itself. I have also provided the quote with quotation marks and a proper in-text citation for the source to prevent plagiarism. For my local revisions, I pay attention to what my peer reviewers say and then read my essay out loud as well to identify any awkward moments in the essay. For example, in my first draft, part of my essay read, “Essentially, Frank is arguing these new technological advances permit epidemiologists to accurately conclude facts about the flu and thus allow the Center for Disease Control to produce and distribute vaccines to the public before the disease begins to impact large portions of the population.” One of my peer reviewers, Kiara, commented on my essay, saying, “I think this sentence should be split into two for smoother reading”. I reread the area and agreed with her, splitting up the sentences to make it flow better. I also tried to minimize unnecessary words and extra fluff as that was also an area I felt needed improvement. Overall, I think the Significant Writing Project definitely shows improvement in my ability to cite sources using MLA guidelines as well as how I address local revisions from the first to final draft.