1. The Research Paper and Sources
TONIGHT’S HOMEWORK
Read pp (or PDF on Canvas) and and complete the “Critical Approaches to Literature” handout.
Submit Grammar #1 (parts of speech) on Canvas.
Submit RP book title on Canvas.
Continue reading (or re-reading) your RP book and taking notes.

2. Steps in the writing process
The Research Paper and Sources
Steps in the writing process
1. Inventing & Collecting
(Prewriting & research, pp )
2. Organizing
(Outlining, p. 29)
3. Drafting
(First time in paragraph form, p. 29)
4. Revising
(Editing: adding, cutting, moving,
pp )
5. Proofreading
(Checking grammar, spelling, etc.,
pp )
Rationale: This slide previews the six steps of the writing process. Each element forms a part of a successful writing experience.
Key Concept: The facilitator may explain that the writing process is not necessarily sequential--a linear path from invention to proofreading. Writers may generate a topic, collect some information, organize their notes, go back and collect more information, invent subtopics for their work, go back to organization, etc. The writing process is recursive--it often requires going back and forth between steps to create the strongest work possible. Knowing these steps and strategies, however, can be a great help to writers who struggle with their work. 2

3. The College Research Paper
The Research Paper and Sources
The College Research Paper
Part I: Getting Things Started 3

4. The essential steps in writing a research paper (pp. 64-97)
Choosing a topic (formulating a research question)
Finding sources
Evaluating sources
Taking notes
Developing a thesis
Organizing an outline
Writing drafts
Revising
Documenting sources
Preparing the final draft and proofreading

5. YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Write a 1,900- to 2,100-word research paper providing a critical analysis of a classic literary work from the provided list. You might analyze the work in relation to its author’s life, to its historical con­text, to a myth, to its author’s or protagonist’s gender. The options are innumerable; consider the critical approaches we will discuss in our next class.
Submit your topic on MyHCC / Canvas before our next class begins.

6. 1. Choosing a topic (formulating a research question) (pp. 65 and 73)
Select a literary work(s) that genuinely interests you. Even if the work you choose is short, the assignment won’t be easy if you are not enjoying the topic.
Be sure that the topic you choose can be adequately covered in 1,900 to 2,100 words.
Choose a topic for which you will find plenty of scholarly resources.

7. 1. Choosing a topic (formulating a research question) (pp. 65 and 73)
As you read the novel or play, take notes, mark the text, and ask yourself questions:
What is the theme or point the book is making?
Why is it making this point?
How is it making this point?
Why does the author make certain choices (about setting, characters, word choices, plot)?
Are the results effective?

9. 2. Finding sources (pp. 65-66 and 73-75)
Use the databases that the librarian will discuss at our library orientation to find peer-reviewed (EXPERT) sources.
Google and sites like Wikipedia or Bookrags.com may seem like easy places to get a general overview of your topic, but they CANNOT be used as cited sources in your paper!
Start reading and thinking NOW!

10. 3. Evaluating sources (pp. 66-68 and 77-78)
A source is only worth using if it is reliable and provides quality, expert evidence.
Be sure your sources are up to date and well documented with primary and secondary materials.
This class requires sources from the library databases. If you want to use other online sources for other classes, be sure to determine their nature and authority! (Get your instructor’s OK.)

11. Let’s say I’m researching Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
Let’s say I’m researching Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. My first instinct is to go to Google. Is this a good idea?

13. Is this site usable?

14. Where do you find information?
Don’t I look trustworthy?
Taylor Hicks
“Wikipedia is amazing. It is the first place I go when I'm looking for knowledge — or when I want to create some.”
— Stephen Colbert, May 24, 2007
Consider this video...

15. How about this site?

16. More info from that site

17. How about this one?

18. How about this one?

19. ARE YOU AWAKE? THIS ONE IS REALLY IMPORTANT!
How about this one?
ARE YOU AWAKE? THIS ONE IS REALLY IMPORTANT!

20. And this one?

21. Any of these?

22. NONE of those eleven sites is usable!
You need information from experts who have really studied that work in depth. Think of your research paper as surgery. Do you want to get infor- mation from just anyone? No, you want the best experts with lots of experience.
How I see a results list

23. Why not this one?

24. How about this?

25. Identify the Type of Source:
Website
Website
Website
Websites
Website
How students see a results list
Website
Website

26. Identify the Type of Source:
Wikipedia (not expert)
Amazon (retailer)
SparkNotes (study guide, not expert)
Shmoop (study guide, not expert)
NYTimes (book review)
How students see a results list
imdb.com (movie info)
Barnes and Noble (retailer)
MentalFloss (trivia, fun facts)

27. 3. Evaluating sources (pp. 66-68 and 77-78)
So, where DO you find usable, reliable, expert secondary sources?
In the library’s databases!
To find out where to access the databases and how to use them efficiently, be sure that you attend our library orientation on January 26!

28. 4. Taking notes (pp. 69-70 and 78-81)
Record bibliographic infor-mation as you take notes so that it will be there when you’re ready to start citing.
Follow the MLA format in your textbook (pp ) or MLA handbook. (Double-check the databases’ formatting of citations!)
Use a dictionary as you read. (dictionary.com, bartleby.com, m-w.com)

29. 5. Developing a thesis (p. 81)
As you read the book, begin to develop a research question and working thesis state-ment (due on Canvas Jan. 26 and Feb. 9).
Use a tentative thesis to get started, but remember that it will likely change as your research progresses. The point of research is to help you learn and develop new ideas, not just to confirm ideas you already have.
Remember that a thesis must make an arguable claim that requires support (not just state a fact).

30. 5. Developing a thesis (p. 81)
If you are having trouble getting started, try this fill-in-the-blanks thesis statement:
By presenting/revealing/using/doing (what?) in (title of book), (author’s name) suggests/ indicates/reveals (what?) about humanity/human nature/ the big picture.

31. The Thesis Statement
To decide on a controlling idea (the “What?” from the previous slide), you might consider the reading strategies discussed in pages (read before Thursday):
Formalist (How does the language or style used affect the reader?)
Psychoanalytical (Is there anything Freudian/ subconscious in the work? Why?)
Historical/Cultural (How did or does the time period or culture affect the writer or reader?)
Gender (Does the work have a feminist or LGBT level of meaning?)
Mythological/Archetypal (Does the work echo a universal story? If so, why?)
Biographical (How does the work reflect aspects of the author’s life?)

32. We’ll cover the rest in future classes:
Organizing an outline (p. 81 and )
Writing drafts (pp )
Revising (pp )
Documenting sources (pp )
Preparing the final draft and proofreading

33. AGAIN, YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Write a 1,900- to 2,100-word research paper providing a critical analysis of a classic literary work from the provided list. You might analyze the work in relation to its author’s life, to its historical con­text, to a myth, to its author’s or protagonist’s gender. The options are innumerable; consider the critical approaches we will discuss on Thursday. Submit your book title on Canvas before our next class begins.

34. Where can you go for additional help?
The Research Paper and Sources
Where can you go for additional help?
Academic Success Center: YLRC 105, BACA 207, or DLRC 312
My Office: YADM 108
Phone:
Websites (links on MyHCC): SmarThinking (access through hccfl.edu) Library Guide for this course ( Re: Writing (
Key Concept: If your students are struggling with developing a writing process, they can find help at the Purdue University Writing Lab. By making a half-hour appointment with a tutor, students can receive help with any area of the writing process, from invention to proofreading.
Click mouse after the title question. 34