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How to Research

Research: Where to Begin
You will find the following topics below:
Research: Where to Begin
Purdue Owl: Narrowing Your Topic to locate a Research Question
Writing a Literature Review  (See Table for Subsections)
Literature Reviews Evaluating Information
Research Overview Online Searches
Primary Research          Internet References
 

Research: Where to Begin

Purdue Owl : Narrowing your topic to locate a Research Question

 Conducting Research

These OWL resources will help you conduct research using primary source methods, such as interviews and observations, and secondary source methods, such as books, journals, and the Internet. This area also includes materials on evaluating research sources.

In this section

 

Subsections






LOG WHAT YOU SEARCH FOR & FIND

Seriously, it’ll save you time & a headache

What I Searched For…

Words?

Types of works?

What I found…

Title?

Link to article?

Etc. etc. etc.

Notes…

Did I like what I found?

Did I NOT like what I found?

What applies to my research and what parts? 

Etc. etc. etc.

Imagination 

Adulthood
  • Had my topic of youthfulness, imagination, & growing up.

Discrimination

Crooks

“Of Mice and Men”

Chapman, Thandeka K. “The Power of Contexts: Teaching and Learning in Recently Desegregated Schools.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 3, 2007, pp. 297–315, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25166627. Accessed 4 May 2022.

This relates to my thesis because……
     
     
     
     

HELPFUL LINKS:

  1. Google Docs creates the Works Cited Page & the in-text citations for you!!!!!

SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENT


In regard to my senior paper, I want to research the following theme/idea: 


The imagination of children, the reversal of the roles of adults and children, and “nonsense.”

After considering my text and topic, my proposed thesis is: 


In the days of Victorian England, the belief that children should be prim, proper, and adult-like was omnipresent. However, Lewis Carroll knew that this was not true. Through Carroll’s emphasis on the imagination of children, the reversal of the roles of adults and children, and the extensive display of nonsense in his children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, he asserts the fact that children should not be forced to grow up. Instead, imagination and curiosity should be allowed to thrive. 
.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY SCHEMATICS

3 Easy Steps


WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations (just like an ordinary bibliography). Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph--the annotation--to inform the reader of the accuracy, quality, and relevance of the sources cited. Each citation and annotation will require you to practice analytical, argumentative, and synthesis skills.

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC & FORMULATE A WORKING THESIS:
A good thesis is a concise, provocative sentence on which reasonable people can disagree, and that is supportable with research meant to persuade others to agree with you. Make sure that your thesis statement meets the following criteria:

  • It is written as a statement with which it is possible to agree or disagree.
  • It is tailored to a scope appropriate for a 750-1000-word essay

STEP 2: RESEARCH a TOPIC
Generally speaking, the following are good rules to follow. BUT...check with your teacher to learn what his/her specific requirements are for the paper/project in question, as these will vary.)

  • You should read, cite, and annotate at least 3 sources that pertain to your topic, such as:
    • Newspaper Article
    • Scholarly Journal article
    • Full-length book
    • Political Cartoon
    • Popular-Press Magazine Article
    • Website or Podcast
  • Other than the scholarly journal, you should NOT use the same media type more than once.

STEP 3: CITE SOURCES & RESPOND
Cite each source according to MLA guidelines, and write an annotation that includes:

  • A short summary of the source or an articulation of the stasis question that the argument answers (if it’s a visual)
  • A sentence disclosing what the writer is arguing for and/or against and, briefly, the argumentative strategies used by the writer.
  • Perhaps an evaluation of the quality of the source in terms of strength of argument, authority, and overall usefulness,
  • How you will use this source to enrich, support or challenge the thesis you assert.

Annotated Bibliography

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.  New York, Random  

House, 2010.

Hillenbrand’s book offers a riveting account of key events in the life of American WWII Lieutenant Louis Zamperini—including his upbringing in California, his participation as a distance runner in the 1936 Olympics, and his experiences in WWII as a bomber and POW in Japan. One of the central claims that Hillenbrand makes in sharing Zamperini’s story is that the human will and spirit have the capacity to endure seemingly insurmountable suffering. To convince us of this assertion, she makes strong appeals to pathos in cataloging horrific events in Zamperini’s struggles. By the end of book, the reader is convinced that, despite odds that may appear overwhelming, with the help of faith, friends, and family, human beings have the capacity to remain “Unbroken.” I plan to use Hillenbrand’s depiction of the B-29 bombing campaign against the Japanese as evidence that supports my argument that dropping the atomic bomb on Japan (which ended the B-29 bombing campaign for good thereby ending the killing of innocent Japanese civilians) was morally justified.

 

NOTE: In the sample annotation above, this would be using the Times New Roman 12 pt font (but this program does not have that font available).
 
In the sample annotation above, the student includes five sentences: 
  • a sentence summarizing text 
  • a sentence disclosing the writer’s central argument
  • a sentence analyzing the main strategy used by the writer
  • a sentence evaluating the argument’s effectiveness
  • a sentence disclosing how student might use source to strengthen his/her own argument.

 

MLA FORMAT