1. Explore topic basics (casual web searching)
2. Background (library catalog: books)
3. Current research (library databases: journal articles)
4. Support your argument (source citation)
5. Drafts & revisions (research librarians & Writing Center)
~3 pages total; 4 sources; APA citation style; 5% of total course grade
After identifying a research topic, begin to explore the scholarly literature to see what conversation(s) exist among experts.
For this assignment, start by stating your initial research interest (for example, “I am studying ___ because I want to know ___,” or “I’m interested in learning whether/how ____”). Next, translate that interest into a specific question or questions you seek to investigate. Use boldface to indicate your main database search terms.
In addition to this overview paragraph of your topic and question(s), prepare an annotated bibliography of at least four scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. Each annotation should describe the source, summarize its main point(s), and explain how you’ll use it in the space of 100-200 words. On a separate page, include your working source list in the citation style you’ve chosen for your research paper. These are additional sources (not in your annotated bibliography) that you have discovered in your exploration and intend to use for your paper.
ProQuest RefWorks - Source citation tool
