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Honors English: Research, Resources, & MLA

Honors English: Research, Resources, & MLA. Megan Lowe, Coordinator of Public Services. Introduction . This presentation will walk you, step-by-step, through the research process. It will use the following thesis as its object: Issues of race and class in

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Honors English: Research, Resources, & MLA

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  1. Honors English: Research, Resources, & MLA Megan Lowe, Coordinator of Public Services

  2. Introduction This presentation will walk you, step-by-step, through the research process. It will use the following thesis as its object: Issues of race and class in Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Norris’ “Clybourne Park"

  3. First Step: Keywords One of the first questions students ask when doing research is “How do I find resources?” The best way to answer that is: start with your thesis. It contains the tools you need you find resources; it contains keywords. Keywords represent the most important parts of your thesis. They are the slices of the pizza that is your thesis: smaller and much easier to manage! KEYWORD THESIS

  4. Issues of race and class in Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Norris’ “Clybourne Park" • race • class • “Lorraine Hansberry” • “A Raisin in the Sun” • “Bruce Norris” • “Clybourne Park” • racism • Hansberry • Norris • play • criticism • status • society • wealth • “economic status” • “social status” • analysis • interpretation

  5. Making It Work: Keywords So a keyword search for our topic could look like any of these search strings: • Hansberry AND “A Raisin in the Sun” AND race • “A Raisin in the Sun” AND class ANDcriticism • Norris AND“Clybourne Park” AND race AND interpretation Order is not important; neither is capitalization. Spelling and number, however, ARE very important. BE CAREFUL!

  6. Evaluating Resources: VERY IMPORTANT Scholarly • Written by experts • Focuses on a particular field, topic, or discipline • Intended for others in that field or career • “Proper” language, technical vocabulary • No ads • RESEARCH ORIENTED Popular • Written by journalists • Usually covers broad topics, fields, issues, or disciplines • Usually appeals to a wide audience • Everyday language, slang, even profanity • LOTS of ads • NOT RESEARCH ORIENTED

  7. A Few Tips… • DO create a list of keywords • DO underline/highlight/bookmark • DO take notes/sticky notes • DO get organized • DON’T multitask • DON’T procrastinate • DON’T plagiarize

  8. A BIG TIP And most importantly, remember: if you need help… JUST ASK A LIBRARIAN FOR HELP! That’s what we’re here for – we want to help YOU! All you have to do is ASK.

  9. LET’S DO THIS We know we need scholarly resources on issues of raceand class in Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Norris’ “ClybournePark.” We know how to use keywords and search strings. We have the skills we need to get started. So we start with the Library’s website http://www.ulm.edu/library

  10. After the Searching’s Done… • You have the resources you need, either digitally or physically, if you’ve printed them out • This is when underlining/highlighting comes into play, as well as notes and sticky notes • Documentation is also important, in order to avoid plagiarism – several of our databases (like Ebscohost) will generate citations for you

  11. Need a Hand? • Remember, if you need help with the research process – at ANY point in the research process – you can ask the librarians for assistance – that’s what we do! • We also check documentation (quotations and citations) for accuracy. • If you’d like someone to check your writing (grammar, spelling, and syntax), you can go to the Write Place on the 1st floor of the Library.

  12. RECAP • When doing research, make sure you have a manageable (narrow) topic. • Create a list of keywords and search strings. • Bear in mind that you need scholarly resources, which can be found in the Library. • Search the Library’s resources using the keywords and search strings, bearing in mind the tips we discussed. • Make sure you document your resources!

  13. RECAP • Select databases based on your research needs – for a class like this, focus on literary databases, but also don’t forget to think outside the box! • Use parameters like “scholarly/peer-reviewed” and “full text” – and even publication date – to make the results lists more manageable • Some databases will create citations FOR you – take advantage of that for accurate citations! • Most of the Library’s resources are available OFF-CAMPUS (aka remotely); you will have to login in order to use those resources (CWID/MMYY)

  14. RECAP • The librarians can help you with research, from start to finish! • The librarians can also help you with citations and documentation. • The Write Place can help you with writing – they can check spelling, grammar, and syntax. • All of these services can be found on the 1st floor of the Library (that’s also where you check out books, study rooms, and make copies).

  15. Q & A Time!

  16. Thanks for your attention! Remember, if you need research help, all you have to do is ask the librarians. You can… Visit the Reference Desk, Library 1st floor Email us at reference@ulm.edu Call us at (318) 342-1071

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