Transcript HONORS ENGLISH: RESEARCH & RESOURCES Megan Lowe, Coordinator of Public Services Introduction This presentation will walk you, step-by-step, through the research process.

HONORS ENGLISH:
RESEARCH & RESOURCES
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
Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and
Norris’ “Clybourne Park"
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!
THESIS
KEYWORD
Issues of race and class in Hansberry’s
“A Raisin in the Sun” and Norris’ “Clybourne Park"
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race
class
“Lorraine Hansberry”
“A Raisin in the Sun”
“Bruce Norris”
“Clybourne Park”
racism
Hansberry
Norris
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play
criticism
status
society
wealth
“economic status”
“social status”
analysis
interpretation
Making It Work: Keywords
So a keyword search for our topic could look like any of
these search strings:
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Hansberry AND “A Raisin in the Sun” AND race
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“A Raisin in the Sun” AND class AND criticism
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Norris AND “Clybourne Park” AND race AND
interpretation
Order is not important; neither is capitalization. Spelling
and number, however, ARE very important. BE CAREFUL!
Evaluating Resources: VERY IMPORTANT
Scholarly
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Written by experts
Popular
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Focuses on a particular field, topic,
or discipline
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Intended for others in that field or
career
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“Proper” language, technical
vocabulary
No ads
RESEARCH ORIENTED
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Written by journalists
Usually covers broad topics, fields,
issues, or disciplines
Usually appeals to a wide audience
Everyday language, slang, even
profanity
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LOTS of ads
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NOT RESEARCH ORIENTED
A Few Tips…
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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
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.
LET’S DO THIS
We know we need scholarly resources on issues of race
and class in Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and
Norris’ “Clybourne Park.”
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
After the Searching’s Done…
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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
Need a Hand?
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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 3rd floor of Walker Hall, 3-87.
RECAP
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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!
RECAP
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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 OFFCAMPUS (aka remotely); you will have to login in
order to use those resources (CWID/MMYY)
RECAP
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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.
Most 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).
Q & A Time!
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 [email protected]
 Call us at (318) 342-1071
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