LS 102 Class 2

Think of your topic in general terms at first.

Try consulting these resources CQ Researcher 1,000 Ideas for English Term Papers, 4th

Floor Book Stacks, PR35 .F3

Write down two or three ideas you like instead of going with the first thing you think of.

What does your professor require you to do?

What possible thesis could you use?

What are some search terms that might apply?

What kinds of resources might have the information you are looking for?

Get an overview of your topic, an understanding of it.

Where? Online catalog and library shelves

(browsing) General reference works written by

experts Discussion with a knowledgeable person

NEVER cite a Wikipedia article in your Bibliography or Works Cited unless your professor says it’s OK.

Exploratory sources like encyclopedias give you a good overview to start your research but are not the only sources cited in your paper. Professors usually want to see more in depth research.

Be careful of unintentional plagiarism.

To sum up your exploratory research, it is a good idea to create a concept map or an outline.

This YouTube video provides a good example of concept mapping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhgxuNvbNrA

Choose an aspect that interests you.

Think of a question about your topic that your paper can answer.

Consult specialized reference works.

Evaluate, refocus topic, revise thesis

Make sure you know whether you are writing a report or a research paper. Report- Gather information and report it to

your instructor. Summary of facts.

Research Paper- Gather information to help you form an opinion or conclusion of your own. State a thesis and give an argument in support of that thesis.

Although the report is more common in high school, college level work usually requires a research paper.

Report Research Paper

Many soldiers died in the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War.

New treatments are being developed every day to cure Alzheimer's disease.

The government should invest more money in Alzheimer’s research.

A history of Montessori education Montessori education is a beneficial method for the development of social skills in early childhood.

If I pour one gallon of water into a bathtub and one gallon of water into a sink, which of the

two will be deeper?

Broader topics will result in shallow papers while narrow topics will result in deeper

papers

Broad Topics Narrowed Topics

The economy Government bailout of General Motors

The Civil War The significance of the Battle of Gettysburg

Nursing Caring for patients with cystic fibrosis

Where will you find information?

Library catalogs for books and other library owned items

Online indexes/databases for periodical articles

Web pages LibGuides from the Library website

OR NOW Facebook.

As you look for information, make sure what you are finding is appropriate to your task. Ask yourself:

Are adequate sources available? Are they:

Reliable?

Biased?

Timely?

Create an outline or a concept map

Match quotes or information to specific sections in your outline.

Write your paper

Organize and format your bibliography

Steps in the research process

The Research triangle

Report vs. Research Paper

Bathtub vs. Sink topics

Your homework assignment is to claim the topic you would like to use for your bibliography project on the discussion board (5pts).

Everyone needs to research something different since some assignments involve finding specific resources. The first to post the idea gets to use that idea.