The Breadcrumbs of Inquiry & Development of a Contribution

 

At this point, you have well established the tenor of the conversation as it relates to your inquiry questions and your group's inquiry work. Now, however, it is time to begin envisioning how you might, as an inquiry group and as individual inquirers, enter your voice in the conversation through a contribution. Contributions, like inquires, can challenge us; we are often taking risks in the process. That said, Swales notes well the importance for feedback within a community. When you contribute, you are providing a new source, one that all of your other sources could turn to and gain something new from.

But how might you figure out a "way in" to the conversation? As with many areas of inquiry, we listen and ask questions. Only now, you have more to work with and more to extend from and make possible connections with.

NOTE: We will do this Inquiry Log in class.

 

To get an idea of how you might contribute, I like the practice of "following the breadcrumbs."

 

• Open Google

 

• In the search box, type in: Call for submissions Journal ___________________

  • In the blank, put a key work or two that is related to your inquiry or the field to which it applies or, further still, to a larger body of work: sports, news, journalism, pop culture (Note that your key words will change as you see new terms and opportunities for narrowing your search)

 

• Then, just above the Google hits, select "Search Tools" and then the arrow beside of "Any Time" and select "Past Month" Check this with each search; it will go back to normal setting.

 

• Now listen, listen, listen and take notes of what is going on, what journals are calling for, and new terms that you think might apply to your inquiry.

  • Note if you see things like: There has been a lot of X, but we have yet to ....

  • Note if you see any theories being used or frameworks

  • Note if you see people referencing a dominant figure's work

  • Note if you see new terms being used that could be applicable

  • Note if you see things like: We invite papers, presentations, thoughts on...

 

• As you listen, you need to be keeping an eye out for a "way in". This means that you have to lay the breadcrumbs so that you can connect some lines of thinking.

  • As you move through the body of work out there, you need to take detailed, but yet shorthand notes, as to:

    • Where you were (the URL)

    • What you found to be helpful: A new term, a sense of the conversation that is new, a theory, an idea of what is over talked about...etc..

      • Include other mini-searches that developed, such as a search for terms or theories. (Skim, get a sense of it, and leave the crumb for later if you need it.)

    • What ways can you add?