2. What is Research?
“The systematic investigation into and study
of materials and sources in order to
establish facts and reach new conclusions”
(Merriam-Webster).
“Research is a process of investigation. An
examination of a subject from different
points of view. It’s not just a trip to the
library to pick up a stack of materials, or
picking the first five hits from a computer
search. Research is a hunt for the truth. It is
getting to know a subject by reading up on
it, reflecting, playing with the ideas,
choosing the areas that interest you and
following up on them. Research is the way
you educate yourself” (www.usg.edu).
3. Who are the key
players?
Primary Source(s)
Secondary Source(s)
Tertiary Sources (used for finding
primary/secondary only)
Writing Process
Works Cited Page
MLA Documentation
4. What is a
Primary Source?
Original materials from
a specific time period,
presenting original
thinking, a new
discovery, or new
information
5. Which of the
following would
be considered a
Novel Yes
“primary source”?
Email Yes
Dictionary
No
Painting Yes
6. What is a
Secondary
Generally, a secondary
source would be written
Source?
after the account of a
primary source in order to
interpret or evaluate the
primary source
7. Which of the
following would
be considered a
Poem No
“secondary
Biography
Yes
source”?
Commentary
Yes
Short No
Story
8. What is a
Tertiary of
A collection
Source?
information based on
the primary and/or
secondary sources
available for a certain
subject
9. Which of the
following would
be considered a
Textbook Yes
“tertiary
Encycloped
Yes
ia
source”? Yes
Almanac
Yes
Guidebook
10. Example of
Primary Sources Tertiary
Secondary
Letters by MLK, Jr. Website on King’s Encyclopedia entry
writings on the Civil Rights
Movement
A scientist’s first- A journal article A science textbook
hand lab notes about the scientific
regarding his/her discovery
findings
11. Planning Your
Research Paper
The
You are officially a research
Writi
specialist, and you are ng
beginning a journey through the Proce
American Literature we have ss!
discovered. You are, in affect, a
scientist. That means that you
have to follow a very specific
protocol- just like a scientist-
and every step is very
important. So, the first thing I
want you to know is to work very
hard and pay very close
attention. DO NOT skip one
12. What is a Works
To Citedname, to
cite = to Page?
mention, to quote
When researching, it is
vitally important to keep
track of the sources you
find and use within your
paper.
The specific and proper way
to do this is on an MLA-
style formatted Works Cited
page
Essentially you are citing
(naming, mentioning,
quoting) the specific works
13. What is MLA
Documentation?
MLA = Modern Language
Association
This group develops a set of
standards by which all
writing in the humanities is
formatted for consistency
and ease of access
We will discuss this in more
detail as you get more into
your project!
14. Bonus time!!!!!
Write a short summary of the silly video I show you for extra points!
Submit to CC Youtube Video (10/11) Dropbox in the Romanticism Unit!
15. What is
Plagiarism?
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work, or borrowing
someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can
disguise the seriousness of the offense:
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing
source.
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing
someone else's work and lying about it afterward.
16. Reading with
Research in Mind
Your novel is more than just
a “read for pleasure”
experience
As part of your research
paper/honors project, you
will be ANALYZING aspects of
your novel to develop an
ARGUMENT
From there you will be
RESEARCHING to find other
sources that support your
assertions
This is called Literary
Analysis
17. How is my
Research
You will be discussing the
of “literary”?
text of your novel, a piece
written work!
Your discussion will
revolved around certain
concepts/terms that are
specifically associated with
literature
19. How is my
research paper
an “analysis”?
An analysis asks over-
arching questions like “How”
or “Why”, rather than basic
questions like “Who” or
“What”
How the various components
of a work of literature
relate to each other
How concepts and forms in a
work of literature relate to
larger contexts (political,
social, economic,
20. Literary + Analysis
= Argument …How?
When reading with research &
literary analysis in mind, you will
focus on specific aspects of the
text
When discussing these attributes,
you will want to make sure that you
are making a specific ARGUABLE point
about these aspects
(this is your thesis statement – to
be discussed more later!)
You will DEFEND your ARGUMENT with
support drawn from the text &
outside sources
Think if it as a court case – you’re
the lawyer. The defendant is your
21. Questions?
Thanks for being here!
COMING SOON:
Look for research project
information coming to an LMS Part B
near you!