This is my very first post. The aim is that I get use to writing and more importantly, that I find my own voice. After a very close encounter with Turnitin Electronic Detection Service (TEDS), I decided to ask my course tutor, friends and colleagues about their experiences on writing academic papers and essays as it seems clear that my problem is not about referencing but about paraphrasing very closely to the course material.
As much as I felt offended to begin with when I first read the letter, the more I practise and research about the rules of paraphrasing/notetaking, the more I realise that I need to do something about my writing. It seems to be so bad that the official letter from the senior staff tutor, suggested that I might have been copying and pasting from a Chinese website. The thing is that: a) all my notes are handwritten so I really took offence with the copy and paste suggestion, b) I work full time, have a young family and barely have time to study the whole coursework as it is to them look for material at obscure Chinese websites and c) yes, I am a foreigner, but is my accent that thick?
I am going to finish this first entry like they do at the Oscars: Thank you Sarah R for inspiring me and filling me with courage to start a blog. Another big thank you to ‘El Yayo’ for having a siesta allowing me to write this entry.
Tales as I see them in my head 