English research

Library & Database Topical Scavenger Hunt

Before going to use a library database, answer the following:

● What is your general topic for paper?
● What is the specific problem you plan to address in paper?
● Who are the people or organizations involved/affected?
● List search terms:
● List synonyms for search terms:
● What limiters can you use to limit search? Date? Location? Other specific details?

Use library databases to find TWO peer-reviewed/academic articles:

1st Peer Reviewed Journal Article
● Title:
● Author:
● Date Published:
● First published in:
● Important keywords (write down terms that the author uses more than once or twice):
● When and where did the events covered in this article take place?
● What is the basic thesis of this article?

2nd Peer Reviewed Journal Article
● Title:
● Author:
● Date Published:
● First published in:
● Important keywords (write down terms that the author uses more than once or twice):
● When and where did the events covered in this article take place?
● What is the basic thesis of this article?

After conducting research via peer-reviewed academic sources, use Proquest or other news database to find news articles published since 2010 that relate to your topic:

1st News Article Since 2010
● Title:
● Author:
● Date Published:
● First published in:
● Important keywords (write down terms that the speaker uses more than once or twice):
● When and where did the events covered in this article take place?
● What events are continuing to develop? What still must be determined?

2nd News Article Since 2010
● Title:
● Author:
● Date Published:
● First published in:
● Important keywords (write down terms that the speaker uses more than once or twice):
● When and where did the events covered in this article take place?
● What events are continuing to develop? What still must be determined?

Research Proposal

After finding and scanning at least two peer-reviewed academic journal articles
and two news articles, answer the following. Type these answers and
submit hard-copy as your Research Proposal.

● My topic for this research paper will be:
● Specifically, I want to learn about:
● This topic interests me because:
● Some words, terms, names, companies, etc. that I recognize are:
● Some words, terms, names, companies, etc. that I need to define or research further are:
● This issue that I am researching is a problem because:
● The groups/individuals involved in this problem are:
● 1st group:
● What does 1st group want?
● Why?
● Other groups:
● What do other groups want?
● Why?
● The main obstacle to resolving this issue is:
● My three biggest remaining questions are:
1.
2.
3.
● My preliminary thesis for this research paper is:

Your Name

Engl 101-W

Bambrick

April 6, 2016

Outline for Your Paper: A Preliminary Title Would Be Nice

1. Introduction: What is your PRELIMINARY THESIS?

1. What kind of opening statement do you expect to use?

2. What are some main ideas you expect to cover in the paper?

3. What other ideas will you use?

4. These may end up the topic sentences for your later paragraphs.

5. Your thesis should be the final sentence in your intro and should include some kind of forecast for the rest of the paper.

2. Big Idea 1: This idea might get one paragraph, or it might get several.

1. Write the PRELIMINARY TOPIC SENTENCE for your first idea here.

2. Perhaps define terms or offer background. This might take more than one paragraph.

1. Perhaps offer more detail

2. In a list or through further description

3. Just be clear about the relation of these details to the topic sentence of the paragraph... 

4. And to Big Idea 1.

3. And be sure that you can relate these ideas back to your thesis.

4. You might have lots of additional ideas, but they MUST relate to the topic sentence.

3. Big Idea 2: Might be as complex as the previous idea.

1. Be aware of how ideas compare to one another. 

2. If ideas seem less important/necessary to your paper in comparison to other ideas…

3. You may need to do additional research

4. Or cut topics out of your paper.

4. Next Big Idea: You should be starting to get the idea.

1. Before you can think about moving on to the next Big Idea

1. Be sure that you have 

1. Considered all the pieces

2. And necessary parts

2. Of your ideas.

2. Think of each idea

1. As a kind of pinata 

1. That is full of ideas

2. That must be hit with a stick in order for more ideas to come out

3. Your writing and research processes are the stick.

2. Or a house 

1. That has lots of rooms

2. That need to be arranged in a way that makes logical sense.

3. Try not to put the bathtub in the dining room.

3. Or a chest of drawers

1. With spaces for socks and shirts and so on

2. And you need to keep the clothes organized carefully

3. So that you can keep your ideas from wrinkling 

4. Or getting disorganized.

5. Feel free to use this model for the outline due for your research essay.

1. Be sure to use full sentences whenever possible.

1. Full sentences allow the reader to understand a whole idea.

2. Full sentences allow the writer to flesh out a whole idea

3. Full sentences make transitions and relationships between ideas clearer.

2. Plan to write an outline that is about a page to two pages long. 

1. Those pages should be single spaced.

2. Your font should be 12 point and Times New Roman.

3. Your margins should be standard, 1-inch margins.

6. Your paper may have 1 BIG IDEA that you cover in 7 or 8 paragraphs

7. Or maybe you have 3 BIG IDEAS that each require 2-4 paragraphs of explanation.

8. You may have I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, or X sections.

1. But each section should provide plenty of idea/candy out of the topic/pinata.

2. So if you include it as a topic, be careful to follow through with additional information.

9. Conclusion.

1. Sum up biggest points. 

2. Restate thesis in slightly different words.

3. Offer the reader a sense of the importance of the topic.