This site is will show case my writing and projects for ENGL 210: Writing for the Sciences.

Here you will find my Research Op-Ed response, IMRaD assignment, and other related work.

INTRODUCTION: Reflection On My Writing Process

By: Maheen Aamer

A shift in my Writing Experience.

During this semester, writing for this course has been challenging and influential in its own way. My approach to academic writing has evolved. I always viewed assignments as an academic task; however, after this course, I realized the importance of understanding the purpose behind each research and writing that we often ignore when we go through dense academic material. Through analyzing different topics, whether it was for my research, an IMRaD paper examining the impact of stress on academic performance and mental health, or for understanding corporate greenwashing techniques for my research Op-Ed. I learned something new from each assignment. It taught me a lot about the details that go into developing a research paper. I learned how to effectively structure sentences to support an argument and use writing as a tool for advocacy. 

Importance of Organizing thoughts

The biggest lesson I learned from writing this semester was that writing is not just about words. It is a much deeper process that involves patience, attention, motivation, and requires planning and reflection. For instance, in my Op-Ed “Green Washed and Deceived: Recycling Isn’t Enough,” I had so many facts that would make my argument strong, but class activities such as reverse outlining helped me develop a logical flow and incorporate stronger and smoother transitions between each paragraph and argument. At first, I did not like reverse outlining because it sounded like a lot of work; however, once I got the hang of it, I realized how useful it is and how I can organize my arguments and information. It helped me get rid of any unnecessary information and gaps that were present in my writing, and that allowed me to create a better argument. It’s a very valuable technique that helps writers to organize their information.

Thoughts on Research Op-Ed and IMRaD paper

Another important factor that I learned came from the IMRaD paper, “The Impact of Stress and Academic Performance Among CCNY Students.” This was the most research-intensive dance assignment I completed this semester. What made this assignment difficult was collecting my data and analyzing it and using that to support my argument. Not only were we supposed to find peer-reviewed sources to back up our argument. We also had to conduct our survey, and the minimum sample size required was 20 to 30 people. It was a challenge to find people to participate in the survey. Moreover, creating visuals to represent data was also a difficult task. We had to create either paragraphs or a pie chart to represent our results. This taught me how to format information in APA formatting, which required practice and patience. Formatting the entire paper according to APA guidelines was difficult, but I was able to figure it out once I started writing my paper. It wasn’t as difficult as it seemed at first, and once I got more practice, it felt easier. 

IMRaD reflection

The IMRaD paper was tough. It was time-consuming, and most days I had to work on it by staying up at night after a long day of work and school. I had to sometimes even work on my draft during my commute, which sometimes became very annoying and difficult due to connectivity issues. It put a lot of strain on my eyes because I could not carry a heavy laptop or iPad with me every day, so at times I would just be writing the paper on my phone. It was hard to concentrate and focus on writing my paper given the circumstances. Some days, I would be so tired after working all day that I did not have the energy to complete my work. Sometimes I would feel overwhelmed due to other heavy coursework and final exams that I had coming up. It was very stressful to manage everything at once. 

Final thoughts