Field Project Assignments - A+ Work Required. Zero Plagiarism

Step one: Determining Research Needs

Type of Research: Is the topic literary in nature? Are you doing an analysis of previous work? This list is endless. To determine the type of research you need to conduct, you can start by asking yourself these questions:

1. Am I creating original research? Or am I simply reviewing another’s work?

2. Do I need to perform an experiment to figure results?

3. Am I attempting to establish a connection between two or more things?

4. Does this topic require the use of rare or old resources?

Extent: Research varies in the extent that needs to be conducted. If you are simply reviewing a piece of research or book, you will need fewer resources and likely less time. However, if for archival research, the process will be much more elaborate and take more time. You can determine the extent by:

1. Determining audience/outlet

2. Looking for similar research conducted previously

Step two: Where to Look and What to Look For

Library: Your local or collegiate library is a great place to begin your search for sources. Books, of course, are found here, but there is a plethora of other sources available as well, such as: journals, various media (film, audiobook, photographs), newspapers, and magazines. Online Database: Online sources are abundant and can provide access to sources that likely would be out of reach otherwise. Some great online databases to consider for English related topics are:

1. Gale: go.galegroup.com

2. EEBO (Early English Books Online): eeebo.chadwyck.com

3. JSTOR: jstor.org

Non-Traditional Sources: Not all research requires the exclusive use of scholarly or peer-reviewed sources. You may decide to include some of the following into your research: Interviews, social media, surveys, and more.

Step three: Evaluating Resources

Credibility: Look for words like “scholarly” and “peer-reviewed”. “.org” and “.gov” websites tend to be safe to use, as well as sources located through online databases such as the ones listed above. Relevancy: Does it apply to your topic? Will it strengthen your argument or points? Is it current and up-to-date? (If that’s of importance) Appropriate: Is this source too elementary or advanced for my research? Would this source be accepted within the field of this research topic?

Step four: Common Citations in MLA Format

Books: Standard format: Last name, First name. Title of book. Publisher, Publication date. Example: Clare, Cassandra. City of Bones. McElderry, 2007. Articles: Standard format (for scholarly journal): Author(s). “Article Title”. Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Year, Pages. Example: Jarvis, Christine. “Becoming a Woman Through Wicca: Witches and Wiccans in Contemporary Teen Fiction.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 39, no. 1, 2008, pp. 43-52. Online Sources: Standard format (for online article): Author(s). “Article Title”. Journal Title. Vol., Issue, Publication Date, Pages. Database, Doi. Access Date. Example: Berger, Helen A., and Douglas Ezzy. “Mass Media and Religious Identity: A Case Study of Young Witches.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 48, no. 3, 2009, pp. 501–514. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40405642. Accessed 25 Sep. 2017.

Credits:

MLA Handbook. 8th Edition. Modern Language Association, 2016. The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2017, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 4 Oct. 2017.