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ENGL 1302 SO

This guide is designed to assist you in your research of literary topics for ENGL 1302.

Research Tips

Once you have chosen your topic, the next step is to begin collecting information you can use to support your writing. Your instructor will tell you how many sources you are required to use for your speech. Here are a few steps you can take that will make this research process easier.

  • Know something about your topic. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it will help in several ways - it can help you choose search terms (unique words for the topic) that can be used for searching, and it will also help you evaluate the reliability of the information you find with your search.
  • Narrow down your topic. A broad topic is always more difficult to research than a specific one. A search like  "global warming" will get you thousands of search results, so you will spend a lot of time wading through those results to find what you need. A search like "global warming" and solutions will find fewer results and they will be more specific to your topic.
  • Investigate different resources. You will miss out on lots of information if you limit yourself to using resources you can find online, whether databases or the internet. The older your topic is, the more useful you will find books for your research. Books are generally more thoroughly researched and provide more in-depth information than articles found in databases.
  • Check your sources with your instructor. If you are not sure if the sources you are using are acceptable, contact your instructor during their office hours and ask that they take a look at what you have found thus far. If you are heading down the wrong road, this can save you many hours of redoing your research!
  • Ask a Librarian! Each TCC Library has professional researchers (librarians) available in person and online to help students with the research process. They can help you focus your research, sometimes suggest keywords to use for your topic, and guide you to the best resources available. To ask for help online, send an email to: ask.librarian@tccd.edu.

Books or Articles?

female student looking off to the side as if to ask a question

What is the best source to use for my research? 

  • Books are good for a broad overview, when you want to add depth, when your topic is historical, or you want to see how it relates to other important issues.
  • Articles are good when your topic is somewhat narrow, fairly recent, or is in a subject where things change often. Articles are the best place to find original research on topics in science and medicine.
  • Websites and newspapers provide up-to-the minute news and information about current events, trends, and controversial topics but are often not allowed in academic research so be cautious.

Starting Your Research

Understanding the Assignment (2:59 min) Courtesy Clifton L. Fowler Library, CCU

In this video, you will learn how to develop a good research topic. (4:33 min) Courtesy  of Kansas State University Library

What are primary sources?

Primary sources:

  • provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation without evaluation or interpretation.  
  • contain the information from which a secondary or tertiary source is derived and are written by someone directly involved in the historical event or primary research. 
  • include original documents such as diaries, speeches, letters, audio transcripts, emails, autobiographies, and interviews
  • include creative works such as photographs, novels, poetry, music, and artworks 

Source: University of Maryland Libraries

How do I find primary sources? 

Finding primary sources in the catalog is easier when you know the words used to describe them.

Author Search:
If you know the name of an individual or an organization search it as the author in the library catalog.
Enter personal names as Last Name, First Name
"da Vinci, Leonard" is helpful to get books written by him instead of about him.

Advanced Keyword Search: 
These terms can be added to your search to help describe a type of primary source you want to find.

  • archives
  • abstract
  • abstract expressionism
  • baroque
  • documentary
  • images
  • interview
  • letters
  • papers
  • personal narrative
  • speeches
  • sources

Example Advanced Keyword Search:
(abstract OR canvas OR baroque) AND (diaries OR theme OR sources)
Results of this search include e-books containing the biography and interviews as well as artwork by the Artists.

Subject Search:
Usually, library catalogs have at least one Subject describing the general topic of the item. Subjects may be subdivided to indicate time period, or format. Some of the Subject subdivisions that may indicate an item is a primary source include interviews and sources.

Example Subject Search:
Painting Gothic -- Painting Medieval -- Painting Modern ---Painting Renaissance  -- Art History -- Sculpture -- Sources
The results of this search include essays and other primary sources written by activists throughout the art history.

What about Secondary Sources?

Secondary Sources:

  • provide analysis and interpretation of the primary source.
  • are one or more steps removed from the original event. 
  • may have pictures, quotations, or graphics from the original source.
  • include textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms, and commentaries.

Examples of Secondary Sources:

  • your history textbook
  • a biography of Benjamin Franklin or any other famous American
  • a book which explains the effects of the Revolutionary War
  • an article which includes analysis of a historical event

Source: Princeton University 

How do I know if a resource is scholarly (or academic)?

Scholarly sources are often written by professors, researchers, and experts in the field with advanced degrees. They are written for other scholars, professionals, and students. Scholarly resources also use technical language of the field, almost always have a list of references, and often provide research findings and statistics.

What about popular sources?

Popular Sources:

  • are for the general population
  • avoid technical terminology and use easy-to-understand language
  • usually do not have bibliographies or references
  • often written by staff writers with little specialized knowledge
  • are written for entertainment and general knowledge

Source: Cornell University 

Courstesy of John M. Pfau Library, California State University, San Bernardino