Week 3 Posts

A biased essay can diminish the writer's reliability in the reader's eye. Reliability is what makes a writer’s word reliable. If a writer fails to address the other side of an argument or concern, which they feel strongly, by paying no attention to it or by dismissing it, it is less likely that a reader will give their essay any credibility. “Acknowledging points of view different from your own also has the effect of fostering more credibility between you and the audience.” (McLean, S., 2011, p. 311). Furthermore, presenting a biased view in an essay can make the essay vulnerable to question on whether its views are effective or not. The idea is that if the writer's view is biased, the rest of the essay may also have issues. A way we can prevent bias is to use multiple sources of information and compare them with each other. In addition, we must be unbiased and not noticeably favor one specific point of view.
Reference:
McLean, S.. (2011). Writing for Success. Retrieved from McLean, S., COM/155 - University Composition and Communication website.
How do you feel about using I in an academic essay? What issues arise with the use of I in an academic essay, and how can you prevent it?
In my opinion, I believe the use of the letter “I”, in an academic essay, should be allowed sparingly and dependent upon what the writer is attempting to address. If the writer has personal knowledge of a topic or a project they have conducted themselves, then my question would be, “Why not?” The purpose of an academic essay is for the writer/student to demonstrate their personal knowledge and growth is it not? Therefore, by addressing the writer as a source it would give them credibility in their essay. However, I do understanding how incorporating the letter “I” in an essay changes the subject of a sentence to that of the writer. This pulls the attention away from the subject and towards that of the writer essentially creating bias by directing attention to the writer’s personal