1. Invention AND PLANNING: RESEARCH AND SOURCES
Wsi NSE 11A – Week 9 Lee Slinger – Ryerson university

2. Outline Planning Invention to Planning Scholarly Sources
Executing your Plan
Help and Reminders
Taking notes

3. Planning Defining the problem you have been given.
Setting a goal for solving the problem.
Figuring out how to meet that goal
Accomplished through reading, thinking, and writing.

4. Writing
Thinking
Reading

5. Invention to Planning Invention
Discover what you would like to investigate in more depth.
Consider holes or gaps in your own knowledge you might want to fil.
In most cases, try narrowing your topic.
What is your purpose for writing about this subject?
Who is your audience?
What is the purpose? (Persuasive, explanatory, descriptive…)
Who are you? What is your image or persona?
Why should you write about this? Why should someone want to read it?

6. Invention WSI Essay - Invention Questions.pdf
Invention to Planning
Invention WSI Essay - Invention Questions.pdf

7. Invention to Planning Reference books Your textbooks Encyclopaedia
* Reference books give you a broad overview of a topic, based on other people’s work. They are not scholarly sources (see below) but research tools.

8. - Encyclopedias (like Wikipedia)
Invention to Planning
The Internet
- Google
- Encyclopedias (like Wikipedia)
- Google “Deeper Web” search-term cloud (an add-on for Mozilla Firefox)
* Internet searches give you a broad overview of a topic (some are just opinion pieces, some are based on the research of others). They are not scholarly sources (see below) but research tools.

9. Invention to Planning Planning How will you achieve that purpose?
Make your goals operational.
Identify the many smaller steps that will allow you to meet your goal.
Identify sub-questions and specific tasks.
Identify the kinds of resources that might help you meet your goals.
This could involve reading to identify important key terms or debates.

10. Invention to Planning Planning Reading should inform your thinking.
Do not read simply to confirm what you already know.

11. Executing your Plan
You now need to find information that will help you discover more about your topic or deepen your understanding of it.
You need scholarly sources.
What is a scholarly source?

12. Scholarly Sources A scholarly source: Has an argument.
Is based on original research.
Provides references.
Is from an academic publisher.
Is recent (from the last 7 years).

13. Scholarly Sources A scholarly source has an argument.
A scholarly source is based on original research.
- A thesis is an argument based on fact. Your source should have both an argument and original research to support that point of view.
- You will use your source to showing that other people who have researched the matter agree with you. The stronger that ‘authority’ is, the stronger your argument is.

14. Scholarly Sources A scholarly source provides references.
A scholarly source is from an academic publisher.
All scholarly sources provide references. If there are no references, it is not a scholarly source.
Look up the publisher on the internet if in doubt (or ask your professor).

15. A scholarly source is recent (generally from the last 7 years).
Scholarly Sources
A scholarly source is recent (generally from the last 7 years).

16. Scholarly Sources A scholarly source: Has an argument.
Is based on original research.
Provides references.
Is from an academic publisher.
Is recent (generally the last 5 to 7 years) unless specified or approved by your professor.

17. Executing your Plan
Find academic sources that help you reach the goals you defined for yourself in the early planning stage.
This is a trial and error process.
The purpose is not to find any source but to find the sources that will best help you meet your goals.

18. Executing your Plan Where to look for scholarly sources: Textbooks
See the works cited (Reference section)
Ryerson Library
Online Academic Databases (through the library)
Other online searches
Scholar.google.ca

19. Executing your Plan
If necessary, find the relevant source through the Ryerson Library website
Article: Use the journal name (not the article title) to search the library catalogue. This is usually a more reliable method.

20. Help Consult the library website or meet with a librarian.
Take a library workshop on electronic resources, register on the library website
Nov 12 Wednesday 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ROOM LIB 667A
Nov 25 Tuesday 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. ROOM LIB 667A
Talk with your professor.

21. Taking Notes Consider using a computer program:
- RefWorks (or Endnote)
- Zotero
They help keep track of your research, keep your notes in an accessible location and help you cite when you write your paper.
For a full list of available reference management programs: