Research Process Getting it right from the start

Picking a Topic Find something that really interests you….really. Find something that is relevant to the course Find something manageable (not too broad, not too specific) Find something that you are able to ask a pertinent question about – the answer to this question becomes your thesis

Creating a thesis A thesis is the answer to your thesis question – so ask a relevant question and the answer is your thesis. Make sure your thesis is reasonable and fits with the evidence/proof. The evidence drives the thesis; the thesis does NOT drive the evidence Make sure there is enough historical evidence (quotes, examples, statistics) to prove your point Make sure that you do not bite off more than you can chew – this is a 10 page paper, not a dissertation.

Different Types of Sources Secondary – Books (second hand accounts) written by historians and other experts about the topic at hand (monographs, general, reference) Primary – First hand accounts written by people at that time (newspapers, diaries, letters, government records) Journal articles – Scholarly articles written by historians about the topic and published in reputable historical journals

Where to find Secondary Sources DRAGON: SG online card catalog: Books in our library Ocean State Libraries: - Interlibrary loan Also, ask librarians about private libraries Bibliography of textbook and other books ProQuest Direct (Dragon) JStore

Where to find Primary Sources Bibliographies of Secondary sources Dragon and Online databases – (next slide) Newspapers Primary source collections (ask me about these)

Where to find Primary Sources Go to DRAGON and follow the history links until you get to our class. Also: Online databases – especially: Modern Internet Sourcebook (Fordham) tml tml siresreg.html siresreg.html (primary source link)

Where to find journal articles ProQuest (in Dragon) JStore (also linked to Dragon) Online searches (first check Dragon, Library, History section) Make sure to look at both peer reviewed journal entries and book reviews

Bibliography notecards are needed for all sources Murphy, Henry. The Reformation in England. New York: Columbia University Press, SG library: HM

Notecards for all relevant information Paraphrase/general info card – if the information is not a direct quote and is more just to get background and context, CLOSE the book before rephrasing in your OWN words! Direct quote card – if the information is a direct quote from an author, make sure to CLEARLY IDENTIFY that it is a direct quote on your card

General information card Murphy, 1 The English Reformation had many possible causes: History of calls for clerical reform (Wycliffe) Henry VIII and his desire to stabilize monarchy – needs an heir Desire to have independence from Rome Genuine interest in the ideas of Luther & Calvin pages 13-14

Direct quote card Murphy, 2 “ It would be foolish to suggest that the Reformation in England as simply the case of Henry VIII wanting a new bride. The causes were more complex than just a simple case of marital infidelity ” page 13

Bibliography and footnotes Chicago Style – Click on Student Sites Click on the picture of the book A Pocket Style Manual Click on Research and Documentation Online Click in History – Documenting Sources

Format for Bibliography Basic format for a book Murphy, Henry. The English Reformation. New York: Columbia University Press, Internet Source “The English Reformation Website.” In Eurodocs: Primary Historical Documents from Western Europe [database online]. New York, New York: Columbia University, [cited 20 September 1996]. Available from

Format for Footnotes Basic format for a book Henry Murphy, The Reformation in England (New York: Columbia University Press, 1988), 98. Internet Source 2. “The English Reformation Website,” In Eurodocs: Primary Historical Documents from Western Europe [database online]. (New York, New York: Columbia University, [cited 20 September 1996]); available from

Additional citations 1.Henry Murphy, The Reformation in England (New York: Columbia University Press, 1988), Murphy, 104.

When you should footnote… When you are directly quoting something When you are paraphrasing an other’s ideas, work or language Whenever there is background information that is not common knowledge (remember, for the purposes of this course, your textbook is considered common knowledge) When there are any statistics, data or detailed facts – did you wake up this morning knowing this information? If not, you should probably footnote it.

Detailed Outline – Using Notecards I. Background of English Reformation A. Reformation in Europe (Smith 3, 4; Murphy 5) i. Holy Roman Empire (Jones 1, 2) ii. Wycliffe & earlier reform (Dunlap 3) iii. Henry VIII a. need for an heir (Murphy 1) b. break from Rome (Jones 8) c. previous defender of faith (Murphy 3, 5)

Writing Tips remember to use the active and not the passive voice (“the United States dropped an atomic bomb,” not “ an atomic bomb was dropped by the United States”) remember to have parallel agreement between your subjects and verbs history writing should be in the PAST tense be specific in your language and define your terms—do not rely too heavily on pronouns to do your work for you. avoid run-on sentences work on strong, declarative sentences that are easy to follow. make your paper readable and easy to understand. Ask a friend to read your paper—can they understand it easily? Are you providing enough context that an outside reader can easily understand your paper?