Page 95 - Computer Basics- Student Textbook

Study Section 13: The temptation of Giving your Research a
Twist from Reality

13.1 Connect

A Christian high school in the United States was in the news! A girl at the school had a birthday party
and had a rainbow cake and she wore a rainbow sweatshirt. A picture was placed on social media for
everyone to see. The Christian school shortly after the photo was displayed expelled her from the
school. You should have seen the NEW FLASH! Many news reporters and newspapers slammed the
school for such a rash display of bigotry. The girl was displaying her pride in being a homosexual and the news
media supported the girl and villainized the school.

As it turned out, after a more thorough investigation, the school had a LONG running problem with this student.
She had seriously broken numerous rules at the school. She was even writing gay pride slogans on other students’
assignments. She was warned about her behavior and was told one more incident would trigger her demise. She
was one “BAD EGG!” But the new media did not check into this information. They made her out as a sweet little
innocent girl who was born to desire women. It is what is called, “fake news.” It is presenting information that is
skewed to the point that the information is totally FALSE. The news media told the public a bunch of lies, as they
often do. It is a temptation for all writers. Let’s learn how to avoid it.

13.2 Objectives

1. The student will be able to describe the various ways writers falsify their writing by twisting reality.

2. The student should be able to present the six steps in creating a research paper.

13.3 The temptation of Giving your Research a Twist from reality.

In writing a research paper, the author can mislead its readers or make false conclusions about the
information presented. Here are some things to avoid when writing your paper:

1. Emotionally Loaded Terms— Words with positive connotations
(suggestive, associative, emotional meaning While “words with
negative connotations (e.g., “paying the price”) try to sway readers away from
an opposing point of view” (Behrens & Rosen, WRAC, 54-56).

2. Ad Hominem (literally, “to the man” which means “the writer rejects the opposing views by attacking the person
who holds them.” Here are some examples:
I could more easily accept my opponent’s plan to increase revenue . . . But the fact is, he’s a millionaire with
a millionaire’s tax shelters.

It’s no surprise that Carl Sagan argues for life on Mars—after all, he was a well-known atheist. I don’t
believe it for a minute (Weston, RA, 56, 73).

3. Faulty Cause and Effect— “The fact that one event precedes another in time does not mean that the first event
has caused the second.” Here are some examples:

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