Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Let's Get Started....... Narrow your topic. Broad: William Shakespeare's literary style Narrow: Shakespeare's use of comic relief in his tragedies.* Find keywords that describe the information you need (names, people. events, etc) Use these keywords for locating information in the library catalog, electronic databases, and on the Internet. Keywords:  Use the author's name and/or the title of the work. *Lamm, Kathryn. 10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Reports and Speeches. 3rd. ed. New York: McMillan, 1991.

 

ASSIGNMENT

1. Your research paper will be at least 8 and no more than 10double-spaced pages (excluding the Cover page, acknowledgments page, Formal Outline and Works Cited pages). It will be on any LITERARY SUBJECT (author(s) or literary period) of interest to you from the period the course covers: old English to early 18th century).

2. Obviously, one of your tasks is to get a very narrow focus for whatever subject you decide to research.

3. Decide on a subject, narrow the focus right away, and submit the following to me by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21:

1. one paragraph naming and describing your topic and the research questions that will provide the focus of your research, that is, the questions that your research will answer.
2. a Working Bibliography (list of print, On-line, and electronic sources on your topic.)

4. Submit a Formal Outline with your paper, including a completely stated THESIS no later than FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28.

5. Use at least 8 sources (primary and secondary ): 4 PRINT and 4 ON-LINE (computer). Use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation.

6. Online database articles and journals may count towards either Print or Online sources.

7. The final product should consist of a Title page (check course homepage in Web CT for proper format) , acknowledgments page (see example below), a formal outline page, the body of the research, and a Works Cited page in that order.

8. The research paper itself should consist of an Introduction with clearly stated thesis ; body or developmental paragraphs; and Conclusion.

9. The complete, next-to-final draft of the paper (including everything from Cover Page to Works Cited Page) must be peer reviewed AND turned in to me by WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2. If this PEER-REVIEWED draft is not turned in by this date, you will forfeit the 100 points assigned to it.

NOTE: I will not read or grade this draft, only check to be sure that it's all there. The points you will receive for the draft are for completing it as required, with all parts included and the full length of at least 8 pages. You will forfeit the 100 points for this "next-to-final" draft if you do not turn it in with a Peer Review from a classmate before or on this date. For the peer review, arrange with another classmate the first week of class to exchange drafts via email, and use the handout, "Peer Review Questions for Research paper" in the Course Content/Course Handouts section. Also, use the Research paper Checklist handout to make sure that you have met the paper's format and style requirements.

The final draft of the paper is due FRIDAY, JANUARY 4.

If you have any questions, be sure to check in with me at each stage of the major steps in the process: Finding and limiting your topic; Making a Working bibliography; Developing a thesis statement; Creating a structure (Outline); Drafting the paper; Revising the paper; Preparing and Proofreading the final manuscript.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (Example)

I would like to thank Cheryl Mansfield-Egans, of the Montgomery College library, for helping me locate information on the Internet and John Jacobs and Jane Cleaver, for providing excellent feedback on my drafts. Their feedback allowed me to greatly improve the paper. I would also like to thank my family for being very supportive of me and for giving me the encouragement I needed at the times when I felt like giving up on the whole project. And, finally, I would like to thank my best friend, Sharon, for helping me decide on a topic for research and for getting me started. I most certainly could not have completed this project without the assistance of these wonderful people, and I sincerely thank them all.


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The research paper will present YOUR (backed by literary souces) ideas and insights into the topic based on your reading and interpretation of the writer, his works, and/or the literary period in which he wrote. Think of a topic, brainstorm it, and construct a thesis that makes an analytical and evaluative statement about the topic. Use the MLA format and style.

You must exchange your next-to-final draft with a classmate for a Peer Review BEFORE you complete and submit the Final draft . The peer reviewed draft must be turned in no later than 10 p.m., WEDNESDAY, January 2. The FINAL DRAFT of the paper is due no later than 10 p.m. on FRIDAY, January 4. Refer to the Course Handouts section for the Peer Review Guidelines and questions that must be answered by the Peer Reviewer.

RESEARCH PAPER PEER REVIEW PROCESS

1. Arrange with another member of the class to exchange drafts by email for peer review.
   
2. Use the Peer Review Handout in the Course Content section to complete the peer reviews. The Peer Reviews must be submitted with the final draft by the student whose essay it is (not the student who wrote the Peer Review). Use Web CT email or the Chat room, "Conferences" to discuss your peer review comments with the student whose paper you review, and any others in the group, if you wish.
   
   NOTE AGAIN: I will not read or grade this "next-to-final" draft, only check to be sure that it's all there. The points you will receive for the draft are for completing it as required, with all parts included and the full length of at least 8 pages. You will forfeit the 100 points for this "next-to-final" draft if you do not turn it in with a Peer Review from a classmate before or on this date. For the peer review, arrange with another classmate the first week of class to exchange drafts via email, and use the handout, "Peer Review Questions for Research paper" in the Course Content/Course Handouts section. Also, use the Research paper Checklist handout to make sure that you have met the paper's format and style requirements.

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BOOKS

Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Access the library Resouces....   Apply online for an NHMCCD library card.   Use your card number to: Borrow books at NHMCCD and Montgomery County libraries Request a book to be held for you at an NHMCCD library Access databases from home. The catalog is online at librarycatalog.nhmccd.edu/. Online books are available at www.netlibrary.com. An account must be created before accessing net library ebooks. Click on the "Create an Account" link on the web site.

Locate Books in Horizon, the Online Catalog
Do a Keyword Search in Horizon to find books about your author in the four college libraries (Montgomery, Kingwood, North Harris, and Tomball) as well as the Montgomery County Public Library System. 

 Reference Books are a good starting point because they give you an overview with more broad, general information.
       Ref PN41.D5  Dictionary of Literary Biography
       Ref PN50.L574 Literature and Its Times
       Ref PR85.B688 British Writers
       Ref PR1903.R67 Chaucer A to Z: the essential reference to his life and works
       Ref PR2892.S56 Shakespeare's World and Work

To find articles in books, search the library catalog using "Combination Search" button on the toolbar.
       On separate lines use:
            Keywords from your book or story title
            Your author's last name
       

MLA International Bibliography  indexes articles in books as well as journals.  It may be the only place to find information on some of these works.  Be sure you use the book title, not the article title when you check the library catalog or NetLibrary for the book.

NetLibrary is a good source for electronic books online.  These books may also appear with other search results in the NHMCCD Catalog.

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JOURNALS

Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Find Articles ...... To find articles in newspapers and journals, use your library card to login to the following databases. Articles not available in full text can be obtained thru interlibrary loan from another library. Plan ahead to use interlibrary loan because the turn around period can take weeks. Contact the Reference Librarians for more information.

Accessing Databases from Off-Campus

In order to access the databases from off-campus you must possess a current, valid library card. Apply online for an NHMCCD library card.  

The database links below will direct you to the Remote Patron Authentication page of the NHMCCD District Libraries:

1. Select the library that issued your card
2. Enter the barcode on the card, without spaces.

Literature Resource Center - A full text database, this includes:

• Scholarly journal articles.  Be sure the article is complete.
• Essays from literary criticism books
• Articles from Reference Books

• Check the NHMCCD catalog to see if we subscribe to the journal.
• Check Research Library (ProQuest) and Academic Search Complete to see if the journal is full text in these databases.
• If the article is not available by any other means, request it through Interlibrary Loan. Books or articles not available at any of the NHMCCD libraries may be requested via Interlibrary Loan. These requests are handled by the District office. You will be notified by phone when the material is received. Interlibrary Loan is a service for NHMCCD students, staff, and faculty. There is generally no charge for this service.

Academic Search Complete - A general database that includes literature, this often covers different journals than ProQuest.  Use Peer Reviewed.  Most recent articles are full text.

Biography Reference Bank - A full text database with articles about the author.  Contains literary criticism for some authors under the More Information link.

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Web Sites

Wonderful Words of Wisdom Library Wizard Find Internet Sites.... People can place information onto the Web whether or not they know what they are talking about.  Because of this, the information you find on the Web may not be correct.  You can determine if you have found accurate, reliable information if you evaluate it according to the criteria below. Authority / Credibility The information should be from a knowledgeable, trained, experienced expert you can believe and trust.  Examples Credible:  Health Insurance Market Reforms    http://www.urban.org/pubs/hinsure/insure.htm Not Credible:  Dihydrogen Monoxide    http://www.dhmo.org/ Not Credible:  Clones R Us    http://www.d-b.net/dti/ Accuracy / Content The information should be free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors.  It should be factual, logically arranged, and easy to read and follow.  Sources of information should be stated or properly cited. Examples Accurate:  The Titanic Casualty Figures    http://www.anesi.com/titanic.htm Not Accurate:  Feline Reactions to Bearded Men    http://www.improbable.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html Timeliness / Currency You should be able to easily find the dates on which the information was created, first placed on the Web, and most recently updated.  The information should not be obsolete. Examples Current:  The World Factbook    http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html Not Current:  Albania Information    gopher://gopher.umsl.edu:70/00/library/govdocs/wf93/wf1993/wf930007 Bias / Objectivity The information should be impartial and not attempt to promote an agenda.  Many advertisements are biased. Examples Biased:  RJReynolds Tobacco Holdings    http://www.rjrt.com/common/pages/IndexDefault2002.asp Not Biased:  Brain Tumor Facts and Figures    http://www.tbts.org/btfacts.htm Appropriateness The information should suit your needs and adequately cover the subject. You should be able to tell if the Web site is complete or still under construction. Examples Not Appropriate for College:  The Dr. King Timeline Page http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/pages/buckman/timeline/kingframe.html Appropriate:  Bioterrorism Information    http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bioterrorism.html

Great Writers on the Internet  - Montgomery College web page on individual authors
Internet Public Library - An index of online literary criticism
Project Gutenberg - Great books online
University of Virginia Library - e-Books online, including Palm downloads.

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Style Guides / Plagiarism

MLA Style Guide for Print Sources   Montgomery College Library guide . Print citation examples.

MLA Style Guide for ElectronicSources   Montgomery College Library guide . Electronic citation examples.

Plagiarism | How to avoid plagiarism from Purdue University.

REMEMBER, the expert on this paper is Professor Kusi-Mensah.

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