WA#4: Essay Reflection
Task: Choose one of your formal papers, either the Six-Source Essay or the Multi-
Source Essay/Literature Review, and write a reflection on the essay in terms of
both process and product.
Length: 500 words (2 double-spaced pages)
Format: APA 7
Point of view: The essay reflection will be written in the first person point of view.
The reflective essay is an opportunity for writers to critically assess the progress
they have made in thinking, researching, and writing about a chosen topic.
Writing a reflective essay allows a writer to tell the unique story of how a topic
idea, cultivated through research, grew into a paper. It is a chance to think in a
sustained way about the context, objectives, and process of a writing project.
Remember to talk specifically about choices you made regarding summarizing and
synthesizing sources in your paper. Use examples from your paper to help your readers
to understand your process.
Here are some questions that will help you to prepare for a reflective paper:
Context:
●
What was the purpose of the essay? Do I think I achieved that purpose?
● What do research sources say about my chosen topic? Did the research say
different things than I expected it to say?
●
How did the readers react to the paper? What was interesting, surprising,
or difficult about the reactions to the paper?
Objectives:
●
What are my learning goals for the course? How did researching and writing
the essay help me to further those goals? What obstacles presented
themselves that hindered my progress towards those goals?
●
What ideas did I have about my topic when I began? How did the research
sources affect those ideas? Did my ideas change as a result of the
thinking, researching, and writing process?
●
●
Did researchers from different fields report different findings on the topic?
What information did I want readers to have as a result of reading the
paper? What information do I want readers to have now?
Process:
●
●
●
●
●
●
What was my experience in researching the topic?
What was my experience in writing the paper?
How did I synthesize sources in the papers? What specific choices did I make?
What challenges did I face as I did the work? What successes did I
achieve? How did I respond to these challenges and successes?
How did responses from other readers and writers change my process?
To receive additional labor points, incorporate at least 3 quotes and APA
citations from your research into this reflection.
Helpful Resources:
How to write a reflection paper.” (2021). How to guide. Trent University.
ment/how-write-reflection-paper
As part of your reflection, consider how your thinking and writing evolved during this assignment. If you chose to use AI at any stage—such as brainstorming, organizing, revising, or clarifying your ideas—explain how you used it and why. You might describe how AI helped generate ideas or rephrase confusing parts of your draft, how it offered alternative ways to structure or approach the essay, or how its feedback compared with comments from your instructor or peers. If AI suggestions differed from human feedback, which did you find more helpful, and why? You are also encouraged to reflect on the experience of using AI itself: Did it support your learning or raise new questions for you? If you did not use AI, discuss that decision—what motivated it, and how did it affect your writing process? Regardless of your choice, focus on how your decisions shaped your growth as a writer and thinker.
As part of your reflection, consider how your thinking and writing evolved during this assignment. If you chose to use AI at any stage—such as brainstorming, organizing, revising, or clarifying your ideas—explain how you used it and why. You might describe how AI helped generate ideas or rephrase confusing parts of your draft, how it offered alternative ways to structure or approach the essay, or how its feedback compared with comments from your instructor or peers. If AI suggestions differed from human feedback, which did you find more helpful, and why? You are also encouraged to reflect on the experience of using AI itself: Did it support your learning or raise new questions for you? If you did not use AI, discuss that decision—what motivated it, and how did it affect your writing process? Regardless of your choice, focus on how your decisions shaped your growth as a writer and thinker.
Remember to acknowledge and describe any use of A.I. or LLMS in your Reflection.
A.I. and LLM Use
