English 10H Stumbaugh 2011 Character Analysis: a Literary Research Paper

ASK Start with a question What is compelling about this work of literature? What did you like or hate about this character? Use those ideas to develop your research question Is Macbeth a tragic hero? THINK - What do I already know? Macbeth is by William Shakespeare. I hate research papers.

INVESTIGATE What do I want to know? General only goes so far, then you need specifics How do I find out? I need to focus my question. Databases, databases, databases

What Is a Database? A collection of information organized in a standard format It is… Reference books, journals, newspapers, video, audio, images Organization by theme, major topic It includes… Many topics including biographies, health, science, history & literature Scholarly, academic, expert information It covers…

I Can Get the Same Stuff on the Web Yes…But No Databases are targeted, accurate, and appropriate for academic resources Databases are a private, subscription service that our school buys for academic resources Contains information that is not available on the web

When Should I Use a Web Site? Generally, web sites are not acceptable for academic resources except Unique topic Current news Government agencies, businesses, nonprofits Pre-Search, Pre-Search, Pre-Search Always check with your teacher first! Remember, information hasn’t been evaluated so check for inaccuracies, bias or if it is current.

Using a Database is Hard Databases & accounts – they all have the same functions they just look different Yahoo vs. Gmail vs. AIM Student Resource in Context vs. ABC-CLIO History Keywords not sentences Citations included

All Databases are on the library website. The most useful ones will be on the project wiki link Blackbird Library

A digital reference book or eBook that is cross-searchable Rating: Very useful, Easy to use Gale Virtual Reference Library

Enter Search Here

Look at the types of results you have – What do you need? Would a biography or plot summary be useful? Look at the title of your results – What would work best for your topic? Are you looking for literary criticism or would excerpts about the historical context be better?

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the tools section to save, or print! Look at the Related Subjects column for ideas on search terms!

eBooks look exactly like it would in print but searchable in a database!

Source Citation: You may use this for your List of Works Cited, however, please double check accuracy & include the static Document URL

Contains biographical information on your author, mostly reference books with some criticism & magazine or newspaper articles Rating: General information, Easy to use Biography in Context

Available through the Voorheesville Public Library. Just type in the person’s name.

Keep scrolling down for more! There are Reference books, Audio clips, & Academic Journals.

Keep going down farther! Here are the Academic, Peer-reviewed Journals. Also, check the websites listed!

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the tools section to save, or print!

Check the Source Citation & Document URL

Contains literary criticism with some biographical information Rating: Highly specific & useful, Challenging to use Twayne’s Author Series

Use the Bibliography in the articles. Look for other sources of information that may be helpful!

INVESTIGATE Create a search plan Keywords – Macbeth, hero, “literary criticism” Look for your author Look for your character Look for the title Look for the time period Where should I go for information? Revise your search plan Do I need historical stuff, too? Is this enough information on Macbeth and not enough on the criticism?

Directions 1. Go to: 2. Begin pre-search with today’s databases Gale Virtual Reference Library Biography in Context Twayne Author Series 3. Answer the questions Can I use the article I’ve found? Am I still interested in this topic? Will I be able to write a paper with on this topic? 4. Skim & Scan to find at least 1 article that will be good background information – , print, save

Literary Criticism

What is It? It is not a book review Someone with academic credentials – scholar, researcher, experts - interprets & evaluates the work of literature based on their research & knowledge It should contain: Challenging writing not intended for a general audience An abstract, a bibliography, endnotes, footnotes, little illustrations Narrow focus with in-depth, highly detailed analysis

Parts of a Scholarly Article Abstract – usually indented or italicized at the beginning of the article, provides a summary of the research, including its purpose, significant results, and implications. Read the abstract to quickly gauge if the article suits your paper’s topic. Introduction – introduces the topic, the thesis, and tells you why the research is important. Focus in on the thesis – usually found in the first and last paragraph of the intro. The introduction is sometimes combined with ‘Literature Review’ below. Literature Review – describes any previous research or discussion and adds credibility to the author and their research. This section can help get you up to speed on the topic. Conclusion, Implications or Summary – details the key issues resulting from the research and makes recommendations for future research, policy or practice in the relevant field. Bibliography – lists sources used in the article; usually quite extensive and helpful to identify other major practitioners in the field as well as additional sources to research.

Contains journals, criticism & reference books Rating: Highly useful, easy to use Student Resources in Context

Enter Search Here Some suggestions will pop up

Look at the listing of results! Do you need a Reference Book? Critical Essay? Read the Introduction under the Title. Look and think before you click!

Generally, stay in Reference Books, Academic Journals or Critical Essays.

Look at Limit Search by for ideas !

Pay attention to the results! This is a great sounding title BUT it is a book review & won’t provide anything substantial. NOTE: We CAN get the book for you if you ask early!

Don’t be scared off a great article by the freaky, long title! Try it! Ask for help understanding it!

REMEMBER!! ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the tools section to save, or print!

Use the Bibliography in the articles. Look for other sources of information that may be helpful!

Check the Source Citation & Document URL

Contains brief biographies, literary movements, analysis & criticism Rating: Moderately challenging to use but VERY, VERY useful content Bloom’s Literary Reference Online

Enter Search Here

Pay attention to the results – Do I need an Overview or Analyses & Criticism? Check the Topics & Themes, also!

The article is going to sound scary – Don’t let that stop you from skimming & scanning for information.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the tools section to save, or print! Don’t forget to check Related Information!

Don’t forget to look at the Works Cited for additional sources!

Here is your Citation Information – Don’t forget to check it for accuracy!

Reading Critically & Analytically Break down the article into parts Read with a purpose – asking a question that you keep in mind as you progress through the article (i.e. What is the author trying to prove?) Skim & scan the text beforehand – you will pick up the author’s argument(s) easier if you know what to look for Scan the full text: flip through the pages, grab a few paragraphs, pay attention to titles & subtitles, notice highlighted phrases or italics, tables & figures Read the first & last sentence or paragraph of every section to become familiar with the material – then read in depth Read with a pen or pencil & take notes/highlight in the text

What to Look For? Pay attention to passages that are confusing Have a dictionary nearby, don’t ignore difficult vocabulary Look for key terms & language Write up notes immediately after reading Summarize the main lines of the argument & key questions/answers posed by the authors Write up your thoughts & reflections on the article immediately Read & re-read the article – the writing is not going to be as accessible as fiction & may require more than 1,2 or 3 times reading to understand