Writing the Research Paper

English 1302

How to Do It

Come up with a thesisGenerate an outlineConduct your researchDraft your essayInsert your researchWrite your works cited page

Coming up with a thesis

In this essay, as in your previous one, the thesis sentenceTells the subject of the essay Indicates the organization of your

thesis

For illustration, I tried to pick a character that nobody would want to write about: Roderigo.Thesis: Roderigo embodies the worst

qualities of all the major male characters in the play: Iago’s lack of moral center, Cassio’s naïve gullibility, and Othello’s blind passion.

Generate an Outline

Remember that a well-written thesis implies its own outline.

You need at leastthis much of anoutline beforeyou begin yourown research.

How to do the research

For this essay, I’m asking you to find two secondary sources that will enhance or augment the argument you’ve making in your essay. A secondary source is a book or article that

someone has written interpreting the piece of literature.

A primary source is the piece of literature that you’re writing about.

You will quote one time from each of your two secondary sources.

The two secondary sources

One online sourceOne bound source

Online Sources

For this essay, you must use a subscription-based online database to find a credible, academic source.

You CANNOT use the Internet;You CANNOT use a study aid, like

Cliff Notes or Spark Notes, etc.

More about Subscription-Based Databases

What is a subscription based database? It’s a database that you can only access

through a library; What does it do?

It lists credible, academic sources similar to those that you’d find housed in print in a library.

How can I tell what constitutes a credible academic source? Generally, it’s a book or article which contains

a work cited page

How Do I Do It?

Refer to notes I gave in class (until I can revise this part of the presentation)

The Bound Source—”Old School”

A bound source refers to a source that you actually handle in its print form in the library as opposed to reading it electronically online.

You can find bound sources in OC’s LRC by using an index, like The Essay and General Literature Index

You may also come across a citation, which will require you to find the bound source.

The Essay and General Literature Index

This is a print index that lists essays published in book form, as part of a collection of essays;

OC has bought books listed in this index for years, so you’re likely to find research material using this index.

Each volume covers a different set of years and contains different sources;

How to Use It

Look up the writer that you’re researching, alphabetically by last nameShakespeare, William

Normally. . .

If the author is important, there will be multiple sections under his/her nameGeneral essays about the authorEssays about specific works arranged

alphabetically by the work’s title

General essays about the author

Essays about a particular work

Let’s look at an entry more closely

This is the name of the person who wrote the essay

Look at this entry

This is the name of the essay itself

This is the name and author of the book where the particular essay exists. Look for the word in and the information that follows it

To find the essay, you have to find the book that it’s in—in this case, the book by J. Bayley, The Uses of Division, unity and Disharmony in Literature.