english overviews

· Read Appendix A in the textbook

· Research is one of the most rewarding phases of the academic writing process. It is also one of the most frustrating. Why? Because every student, every writer, wants writing and research to be a streamlined, linear process. It isn't. It’s a cycle of picking a topic, trying to find something worth asking about it, attempting to find someone else that had something to say about that topic that might be relevant to your questions, reading through piles of things you will end up discarding until you find something relevant, then reading the thing only to discover that your topic needs to be tweaked. Now you have more questions than when you started.

· If you aren't prepared, it can be quite frustrating, but while it is a cycle of exploration, it doesn't need to be a frustrating one. Creating a clear research question, learning how to evaluate sources, and knowing where to look can make your cycle of research a rewarding hunt.