I, Claudius

From PhillipsWiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Research Process Overview 3 Get Organized 4 Gather Information 4.1 Gain an Overview 4.2 Comprehensive Information Sources 4.2.1 Books at Phillips Academy 4.2.2 Books outside Phillips Academy 4.2.3 Articles from Magazines, Journals, Etc... 4.2.4 Literary Criticism 4.3 Sites on the Free Web for Additional Information 5 Use the Information 5.1 Plagiarism 5.2 Citing Sources 5.2.1 In-Text Citations 5.2.2 Works Cited List 5.2.3 Additional Citation Tools 6 Take the Time to Reflect

Introduction

Considered by many as a masterpiece of historical fiction, I, Claudius tells the almost unbelieveable story of Claudius -- Emperor of Rome from 41 to 54 AD. Although some critics have derided Graves for his lack of historical accuracy, this novel still provides excellent insight into the trials, tribulations, intrigues, and dificulties that ruling the Roman Empire entailed.

Research Process Overview

Typically, there are four major steps in the research process. Below are links to more complete, yet general discussions on these four steps.

1. Get Organized - Find tips for choosing a topic, writing a thesis and preparing to research.
2. Gather Information - Discover how to choose, search and evaluate different sources for your project.
3. Using Information - How do you take notes on your sources, avoid plagiarism, and write a bibliography?
4. Take Time To Reflect- Before you hand anything in, always reflect on your work. Did you accomplish what you set out to accomplish?

The remainder of this wiki is devoted to applying these four steps more specifically to your project on I Claudius and Twelve Caesars.

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Get Organized

• Make sure you are familiar with your assignment!!
• Pick a topic that you find interesting or fascinating. Be careful not to choose a topic because you think it will be "easy."
• Having a topic in mind as you read the novel will help inform you of relevant sections of the novel for your paper.
• Review Chapter 14 of your textbook for guidance on the research process
• If possible, prepare a list of keywords or synonyms for the topic(s) that you are searching. For example, if you are focusing on "Roman fashion" -- there are many other terms for fashion including dress, clothing, costume, etc...

Gather Information

• Think about the purpose and use for the different types of sources. Click here for a chart outlining different source types and their purpose.

Gain an Overview

• Who are Suetonius and Robert Graves?
  • British Writers (Vol. 7) -- REF 820.9 B77
  • Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome -- REF 880.9 AN2
  • Greek and Latin Authors -- REF 880.9 G76

• Life in Ancient Rome
  • The Illustrated History of the World (Vol. 3) -- REF 909 R54L
  • Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome -- REF 937 AD54H
  • Oxford History of the Classical World -- REF 938 OX2
  • Dictionary of Roman Religion --- REF 292 AD54D
  • The Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations -- REF 939 EN19
  • Who Was Who in the Roman World -- REF 937.092 W62b

• Online Sources for Overviews
  • Biography Resource Center -- Find biographical information for both authors.
  • Literature Online -- This resource contains biographical information as well as critical essays and commentaries. There is no entry for Suetonius.
  • World Book Online Reference Center -- More than just an online encyclopedia. You will have access to maps, artwork, as well as as articles. We recommend that you start general in your searching (i.e. Ancient Rome not Roman eating habits)
  • Wikipedia -- The library recognizes that this can be a first step in the research process. But use it sparingly and only to gain an overview. Wikipedia should not be one of the major sources for your paper.

Comprehensive Information Sources

After you have gained an overview of your subject, you are ready to begin exploring more complete information sources such as books, journal (scholarly) articles, and magazine articles.

Books at Phillips Academy

• All of the books listed below can be found at the OWHL.
  • Click on the title of each book to view its location including the call number as well as its availability (checked out or not).
    • They Saw it Happen in Classical Times
    • Atlas of the Roman World
    • The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome
    • Cambridge Ancient History
    • A History of Rome to 565 A.D.
    • A Day in Old Rome: A Picture of Roman Life
    • History of the Roman Empire from its Foundation to the Death of Marcus Aurelius
    • From Tiberius to the Antonines: A History of the Roman Empire
    • History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
    • The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (abridged)
    • Ancient Rome: History of a Civilization that Ruled the World
    • The Horizon Book of Ancient Rome
    • Around the Roman Table
    • Food in the Ancient World
    • The Cults of the Roman Empire
    • Roman Mythology
    • Roman Religion and Roman Empire: Five Essays
    • The Religions of the Roman Empire

Books outside Phillips Academy

• If you are not finding sources for your topic or if all the books on your subject are checked out, you may need to search the entire NOBLE Catalog.
  • The drop down menu on the right hand side of the Search screen allows you to search all the libraries of the NOBLE system, not just the library at PA.
  • You will need a PIN in order to get books from other libraries. Please visit the circulation desk in the library to acquire a PIN.
• Click here for more information on NOBLE

Articles from Magazines, Journals, Etc...

• Most of your searching for articles will be done using subscription databases. Most of these databases contain the full text of the articles.
• Consult a librarian for help on using databases effectively and efficiently. *Click here for a complete list of the OWHL databases.
• The Databases for History web page on the OWHL site contains a listing of databases helpful for history
• The Databases for English web page will also contain some valuable tools.
• Some particular databases that you may find useful for this project include:
  • Academic Onefile
  • Academic Search Elite
  • JSTOR
  • Project Muse
  • Literature Online

Literary Criticism

Unfortunately, much of the literary criticism on Robert Graves is concerned with his poetry, not his prose works. However, you may find some critical studies in the above databases. You may also want to try:

• Contemporary Literary Criticism Select
• Biography Resource Center

Sites on the Free Web for Additional Information

Before you jump right to Google or Yahoo -- try some of these websites, chosen by the librarian, as a way to find some information online.

• Roman Emperors.org - An online encyclopedia offering timelines and biographies on most of the major rulers of Ancient Rome.
• LacusCurtius: A Gateway into the Roman World - Among other things, this site has the complete text of many ancient authors (i.e. Dio Cassius).
• Encyclopedia Romana - Edited and updated frequently, this site offers articles on various areas of life in Ancient Rome.
• Internet Ancient History Sourcebook - An excellent resource containing primary documents as well as articles on everyday life, economic life, the class system, etc...
• Anthony Kamm's The Romans Companion Site - This companion site to a well known text on Roman history and life contains articles and pictures on every aspect of Roman living from religion & food to slavery & war.
• The Roman Empire in the First Century This site was produced by PBS to support the series of the same name. It includes a timeline, primary source material, the "Empire of Rome Game" and the Augustan family tree.

Use the Information

Once you gather your sources, you need to locate the useful information, take notes on the sources, and document your sources to avoid plagiarism.

• Make sure you review Chapter 14 in your textbook for guidelines and help on completing the research process.
• Library Guide on locating information within a source
• Library Guide on taking notes from your sources

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a very Big Deal in academic circles. For tips and guidelines on avoiding plagiarism try these links:

• The OWHL guide to Plagiarism
• Lemoyne College's Student Seminar on avoiding plagiarism
• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab's guide to Plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Citing Sources

Citations can seem confusing. The process usually consist of two parts.

1. In-text Citations -- As you write, you will need to acknowledge the sources where ideas (not your own) originate.
2. Works Cited List -- You may know it as a Bibliography. The Works Cited list appears at the end of your paper and contains all the sources used in your in-text citations.

• Consult the librarians for help on citations.

In-Text Citations

• Diana Hacker's guide to Citing Sources - An easy to use, comprehensive resource from the author of the Writer's Reference.
• The OWL at Purdue's MLA Guide to In-Text citations -- Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom for more information on citing sources and preparing your Works Cited List.
• The University of Wisconsin at Madison's guide to In-text citations using MLA

Works Cited List

• Diana Hacker's guide to Citing Sources - Diana Hacker also includes an excellent section on preparing the works cited list.
• University of Wisconsin at Madison guide to the Works Cited List - In Addition to the examples, there is also a guide to formatting your works cited list.
• Long Island University's Guide to MLA Style - This color-coded guide has many examples for the different sources listed in a works cited list.

Additional Citation Tools

• The Landmark Project's Citation Machine This tool, although not perfect, will produce citations in the proper format when you enter the citation elements (author, title, etc...)
• RefWorks RefWorks is a bibliographic management tool that helps you organize and format your citations. It works with many of the [databases]. In order to use it, you will need to open an free account. See a librarian for additional help.

Take the Time to Reflect

Remember to reflect on what you are about to turn in or present. Ask yourself these questions:

• Did you eliminate spelling and grammatical errors?
• Did someone proofread your paper before you turned it in?
• Does the product actually answer the thesis or the question set forth by the assignment?
• Is this your best work?
• What Could you have done differently to make your research more effective and efficient?