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English 1102 - Summer 2014 Research Paper Presentation
- 1. Strategies and Skills for Your MLA-Style Research Paper English 1102 – Summer 2014 Maggie Murphy Reference & Instruction Librarian (Email address) (Phone number)
- 2. Learning Objectives • Find and use library resources – Know what you need! – Know where to look! • Understand the research process – Have a research strategy! • Develop effective search skills – Boolean searches – Limiting results
- 3. Important Links GHC Libraries Website: http://www.highlands.edu/library Assignment Guide: http://getlibraryhelp.highlands.edu/eng1102s um14
- 4. Choose from GHC GIL Catalog, GIL Universal Catalog, and WorldCat Search for a title, author name, keyword, or subject Looking for physical books or media (such as DVDs or videos?) Look for eBooks here
- 5. Looking for articles? Keyword search here. Find an individual journal by title Find individual databases by category/subject
- 8. 1. Choose topic 2. Do background research 3. Formulate thesis
- 9. 4. Identify types of information needed 5. Identify where to look 6. Make list of search terms 7. Locate sources
- 10. 8. Use limiters 9. Keep search log 10.Record citations 11.Evaluate your findings 12.Repeat if necessary
- 11. 1. Choose Your Topic
- 12. An analysis of fiction by a contemporary author: Sherman Alexie, Gish Jen, Jhumpa Lahiri, Alice Munro, David Sedaris
- 13. 2. Do Background Research Locate and read/watch primary works Find background information
- 14. Library Catalog GHC GIL Catalog vs. GIL Universal Catalog
- 15. Finding & Requesting Off-Site Materials GIL Express WorldCat Interlibrary Loan
- 16. More Background Research Research Starters Credo Reference Wikipedia*
- 17. 3. Start to formulate a thesis What do you want to say about the author’s writing? What will you be analyzing? Too specific? Too broad?
- 18. Need Thesis Help? Talk to your instructor! Check out Chapter 2 in Harbrace Essentials: “Planning and Drafting Essays”! Look for thesis development tips in your Assignment Guide! Stop by the GHC Tutorial Center! (http://www.highlands.edu/site/tutorial-center)
- 19. Basic Thesis Idea “My paper will analyze how Sherman Alexie uses humor to examine the effects of violence and poverty on American Indians in his fiction.”
- 20. 4. Identify what kind of information you need Subject? Types of Sources? Time Period?
- 21. Look Back at Your Assignment General subject: Contemporary literature Types of sources: Primary: Fiction (novels or short stories) by Sherman Alexie Secondary: Books, journal articles, newspaper articles, web sources about his fiction (at least 5!) Time Period: Recent publications
- 22. 5. Identify where to look for the information you need Where do you look for books? eBooks? Journal articles? Web sources?
- 23. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat eBooks: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”) Articles: GALILEO Literature & Literary Criticism databases Web sources: Google Scholar (academic) Google (general web resources)
- 24. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat eBooks: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”) Articles: GALILEO Literature & Literary Criticism databases Web sources: Google Scholar (academic) Google (general web resources)
- 25. Know the Difference! Books and journal articles found in library databases? Credible information!
- 26. Know the Difference! Regular Google web search? Not academic, needs to be evaluated and verified!
- 27. 6. Develop a list of possible search terms
- 28. Identify key terms from your thesis “My paper will analyze how Sherman Alexie uses humor to examine the effects of violence and poverty on American Indians in his fiction.”
- 29. Identify key terms from your thesis “My paper will analyze how Sherman Alexie uses humor to examine the effects of violence and poverty on American Indians in his fiction.”
- 30. Synonyms and related phrases humor: wit, “dark humor,” jokes violence/poverty: hardships, struggles, burdens Use specific works as search terms “Reservation Blues” “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Flight
- 31. Search Tip! Boolean Operators AND Dog AND Cat OR Dog OR Cat NOT Dog NOT Cat
- 32. Search Tip! Use Quotation Marks (“”) for Exact Phrases
- 33. Search Tip! Use Quotation Marks (“”) for Exact Phrases
- 34. Search Tip! Use Asterisk (*) for All Possible Endings (This can be called “truncation” or a “wildcard search”) human* humans humanity humankind
- 35. Write out search statements “Sherman Alexie” AND humor “Sherman Alexie” AND humor AND poverty “Sherman Alexie” AND (humor OR jokes) (“Sherman Alexie” AND humor) NOT poetry “Reservation Blues” AND “dark humor” The search in parentheses is done first!
- 36. 7. Access library resources to locate books, journal articles, and/or credible web sources
- 37. 8. Use search skills to limit your search to relevant results
- 38. What is a limiter? Places limit on a search so that it only returns certain kinds of results Search Tip!
- 39. What is a limiter? Search Tip!
- 41. Articles
- 42. GALILEO Journal articles, searches everything at once
- 43. Subject Databases Searches fewer journals or resources at a time Literature databases collect information by author or work
- 44. Web Sources Google Scholar searches for academic sources, such as journal articles Use a Google web search to find an author’s official web site Assignment Guide has information about web site evaluation
- 45. 9. Keep a search log Don’t waste time repeating searches, know what combinations of terms you haven’t tried yet!
- 47. 10. Record and Cite Findings As You Go
- 48. Search Tip! Don’t forget to use the citation tool!
- 49. Copy & Paste into Works Cited
- 50. 11. Read and Evaluate Your Materials Do my sources answer my research question? Can I support my thesis?
- 51. 12. If necessary, perform additional research
- 52. 1. Choose Your Topic
- 53. Important themes in a scripted (i.e., dramatic or comedic) TV series (e.g., Mad Men, True Blood, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, The Newsroom)
- 54. 2. Do Background Research
- 55. 3. Start to formulate a thesis
- 56. Basic Thesis Idea “My paper will examine how themes of capitalism and sexism shape the narrative of Mad Men.”
- 57. 4. Identify what kind of information you need Subject? Types of Sources? Time Period?
- 58. Look Back at Your Assignment General subject: Scripted television drama Types of sources: Primary: Mad Men television show (episodes or scripts) Secondary: Books, journal articles, newspaper articles, web sources about Mad Men (at least 5!) Time Period: Recent publications
- 59. 5. Identify where to look for the information you need Where do you look for books? eBooks? Journal articles? Web sources?
- 61. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan
- 62. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan eBooks:
- 63. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan eBooks: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”)
- 64. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan eBooks: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”) Articles:
- 65. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan eBooks: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”) Articles: GALILEO Subject Databases
- 66. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan eBooks: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”) Articles: GALILEO Subject Databases Web sources:
- 67. Know Your Resources! Books: GHC GIL Catalog GIL Universal Catalog WorldCat Interlibrary Loan E-Books: eBook tab (filter catalog results for “electronic”) Articles: GALILEO Subject Databases Web sources: Google Scholar (academic) Google (general web resources)
- 68. 6. Develop a list of possible search terms
- 69. Identify key terms from your thesis “My paper will examine how themes of capitalism and sexism shape the narrative of Mad Men.”
- 70. Identify key terms from your thesis “My paper will examine how themes of capitalism and sexism shape the narrative of Mad Men.”
- 71. Synonyms and related phrases themes:
- 72. Synonyms and related phrases themes: motifs, “notions of”
- 73. Synonyms and related phrases themes: motifs, “notions of” capitalism:
- 74. Synonyms and related phrases themes: motifs, “notions of” capitalism: consumerism, “working class” sexism:
- 75. Synonyms and related phrases themes: motifs, “notions of” capitalism: consumerism, “working class” sexism: inequality, feminism, “women’s rights,” “women in the workplace” Characters as search terms Don Draper Peggy Olson
- 76. Write out search statements AND AND AND AND OR AND NOT
- 77. Write out search statements “Mad Men” AND capitalism “Mad Men” AND themes AND capitalism “Mad Men” AND (capitalism OR consumerism) “Mad Men” NOT interview “Peggy Olsen” AND sexism
- 78. 7. Access library resources to locate books, journal articles, and/or credible web sources
- 79. 8. Use search skills to limit your search to relevant results
- 80. 9. Keep a search log Don’t waste time repeating searches, know what combinations of terms you haven’t tried yet!
- 81. 10. Record and Cite Findings As You Go
- 82. 11. Read and Evaluate Your Materials Do my sources answer my research question? Can I support my thesis?
- 83. 12. If necessary, perform additional research
- 84. Help with Formatting and Citations Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
- 86. Ask a Librarian! GHC Librarians are here to help! http://ask.highlands.edu
- 87. Any Questions?
Editor's Notes
- WHAT IS OUR END GOAL – to develop these skills
- KNOW WHAT SOURCES YOU NEED KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR THEM
- I’ve put together an assignment guide for your research paper. There you can find the full assignment, strategies for researching and writing your paper, and information and tutorials about locating books, e-books, articles, and other sources from the library catalog, databases, and on the web, as well information on citations, formatting, and avoiding plagiarism. The GHC Libraries website is where you can access the library catalog and subscription databases, find research and assignment guides, request books through interlibrary loan, and most importantly, get in touch with a librarian if you have any questions about your research.
- Researching and writing a long paper can be very overwhelming! This is a basic strategy to help you with your research. You might find similar, slightly different strategies elsewhere. The point of this list is to break down the research process into simple steps to keep you from getting lost. Some of the steps might seem obvious, and as you start to research, you may find that you want to do some of them in a different order. The more you research, the more you’ll find out what works for you.
- Researching and writing a long paper can be very overwhelming! This is a basic strategy to help you with your research. You might find similar, slightly different strategies elsewhere. The point of this list is to break down the research process into simple steps to keep you from getting lost. Some of the steps might seem obvious, and as you start to research, you may find that you want to do some of them in a different order. The more you research, the more you’ll find out what works for you.
- Hopefully, at this point, you’ve read through the possible topics for your assignment. I’m going to use this topic from your assignment as an example, and then after we go through all the steps, we’re going to use a different sample topic. If you choose this topic because it seems like all of the work has been done for you already, I just want to point out that all of the hard work is the actual analysis and writing and we’re not actually going to be doing any of that today, so make sure you pick a topic that interests you.
- Hopefully, at this point, you’ve read through the possible topics for your assignment. I’m going to use this topic from your assignment as an example, and then after we go through all the steps, we’re going to use a different sample topic. If you choose this topic because it seems like all of the work has been done for you already, I just want to point out that all of the hard work is the actual analysis and writing and we’re not actually going to be doing any of that today, so make sure you pick a topic that interests you.
- So in this case, background information means two things: you need to locate and read at least one primary work, either the novel or play or collection of short stories that you will be analyzing. For the topic that has to do with themes in a scripted television series, you will need to watch the show! You also want to find some basic background information about the author and their work so that you can develop a research question or basic thesis.
- To find the primary work, you can search a specific title if you know it, or to see what the library owns, do an author search Do search of “sherman alexie” author in GHC Gil, point out author entry, explain wikipedia Point out WorldCat (if you are looking for a specific title and want to see if you can get it from a nearby public library) Interlibrary loan (works for books and articles)
- To find the primary work, you can search a specific title if you know it, or to see what the library owns, do an author search Do search of “sherman alexie” author in GHC Gil, point out author entry, explain wikipedia Point out WorldCat (if you are looking for a specific title and want to see if you can get it from a nearby public library) Interlibrary loan (works for books and articles)
- Keyword search GALILEO to see “Research Starters,” point out Credo Reference, point out again that anything you read on Wikipedia needs to be independently verified, but it can be a great place to find bibliographies, cast lists, etc.
- “Martin Luther” not “Martin Luther King”
- Try the same searches in new locations, try different combinations of terms
- Not books by the author, but books about his work
- GALILEO SEARCH “sherman alexie” AND humor, navigate to ADVANCED SEARCH Show how Boolean works, search on same line to have () put around
- Show tab in GALILEO and on Library Website Show Academic Search Complete Show Bloom Literary Reference Center
- If you want to write about themes in a scripted drama, you might want to pick one that you’ve already watched, just to save yourself time.
- Need to watch Mad Men? If you don’t have a Netflix account, WorldCat for local libraries (public libraries are a great source for free DVDs your college’s library doesn’t own) 30161
- What do you want to say about the author’s writing? What will you be analyzing?
- We will talk about the subject databases in a moment: you might want to look at both “Theater and Performing Arts” and “Literature and Literary Criticism”
- Sometimes it can be hard to come up with a NOT statement, and that’s because you really only want to use it if you are seeing something over and over like you want to exclude.
- Do a search in GIL-Universal for “Mad Men” subject Do GALILEO search for “mad men” AND (capitalism or consumerism)
- How can we make this easy? (Prompt for citation tool)
- Citing, formatting
- Academic integrity, Turnitin.com