Research Writer Interview With Cristina
Heavy-Duty Business and Accounting Research Papers
In high school, I discovered writing was the key to understanding schoolwork. It didn’t matter which class I was enrolled in: English, biology, psychology, or economics. I could effectively grasp the concept of any subject by taking good notes and writing detailed compositions. Whenever faced with an essay question on an exam, writing was my competitive advantage towards a higher grade. After high school, I went on to major in English at a local university, and enjoyed the many opportunities to share my insight and thoughts through essays and term papers. After graduating from college in 1993, I taught at a private school and shared my appreciation of writing with students.
More recently, I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting through National University’s online academic program. Although learning core business and accounting concepts was very rewarding, my favorite part in every class was the opportunity to write a research paper. The research paper was a time for exploration and reflection. With every topic given, I gained further insight and knowledge through the writings of the research paper. The research paper was my chance to help keep my grade point average high. The research paper would demand profound analysis of a particular matter or subject, which also helped during quizzes or exams. To me, grammar and good sentence structure was as natural as breathing, so most of my effort was focused on gathering sources and understanding how my topic applied in the real world.
My research papers were always submitted on time, and I never asked for an extension. Deadlines were absolutely critical (and still are), so proper planning was the key to success and an enjoyable learning experience, rather than a last minute struggle. Class by class, month by month, with each subsequent research paper, I made an art out of gathering my sources, writing about the information found in my documents, properly citing the different authors throughout the body of my paper, and then of course, creating a works cited page.
Because of my high marks on all my research papers, I was annoyed when my school counselor suddenly enrolled me in an information literacy research class midway through my schedule. I argued that not only did it interrupt the flow of my accounting program, I also didn’t want to waste my time and money. I knew enough about developing research papers. He explained it was a prerequisite that was overlooked when my transcripts had first arrived. I didn’t have a choice; the class was a requirement. My counselor, however, allowed me to continue with my accounting courses, and I would take the class at the very end of the program.
When I began information literacy research, I was astonished. Researching would have been much easier if I had taken the class earlier. In this class, I learned how to use software tools more effectively. I was taught how to navigate electronic and Internet system tools. I discovered how to retrieve scholarly and peer-reviewed journals, which gave more credibility to my research paper. I discovered better ways to create graphics and incorporate them into my paper. And, of course, I gained a better understanding of plagiarism and how to prevent it. I couldn’t help but remind my fellow classmates what a great benefit the class will be to them, as they proceed with their own classes and write more research papers.
And as for me, after two years of heavy-duty business and accounting classes, I selected a topic that had nothing to do with corporations, auditing, or cash flows. Instead, I chose a subject that would perk the interest of any reader: Google’s driverless vehicle. Research was fun, and the techniques I learned while compiling the paper provided information not covered in any other course. I am an excellent research writer, not only because of the great discoveries I learned in information literacy research, but also through the skills and practices gained in other courses as well. Overall, my experiences from high school to online school are what make me an excellent research writer today.