Reading and Writing
From PhillipsWiki
The abilities to read actively and write articulately remain central to any student's education. This critical reading and writing course challenges students to confront a variety of written and visual texts and encourages them to see writing as a valuable tool. This intensive reading and writing workshop pushes students to discover the individual thinker in each of them and teaches them how to give voice to their thoughts through the written word.
Contents |
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.
- Get Organized - Find tips for choosing a topic, writing a thesis and preparing to research.
- Gather Information - Discover how to choose, search and evaluate different sources for your project.
- Using Information - How do you take notes on your sources, avoid plagiarism, and write a bibliography?
- 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.
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 your textbook and consult sources can help you focus your project.
- If possible, prepare a list of keywords or synonyms for the topic(s) that you are searching.
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.
Get Started with Reference Sources
Reference sources give you an overview of your topic. They help you identify key words that will aid you in searching the online catalog and various electronic databases. Also, reference sources often give suggestions for further reading, which can include books, articles or websites. All of the reference sources listed below can be found in the Garver Room (silent study room).
Read more about gaining an overview of your topic.
Search the library catalog for reference books.
Types of Information Sources
There are various types of information sources. For the most part, you will focus on four main types: Books, Magazines, Journals, Newspapers, and Websites.
Books
- Contain background /in-depth information on a subject.
- Currency of information can vary.
- Information is typically accurate and written by an authority (but can be biased).
- Usually have bibliographies for more information.
- Use the Library Catalogto find books.
Magazines
- Intended to inform or entertain readers.
- Information is typically current and up to date.
- Written by journalists or reporters (not necessarily experts in the subject)
- Can be easier to read and comprehend than Books or Journals.
- Good resource for getting started.
- Examples include Newsweek, Der Spiegel, New Republic
Journals
- Used to report new research, findings or ideas.
- Written by scholars or experts in the field of study.
- Contain in-depth information about a particular subject or area (or sub-area).
- Most of the articles must be "peer reviewed" before being published (lends authority to the article content)
- Usually contain bibliographies for continuing research.
Newspapers
- Short, concise articles documenting a current event or relevant news subject.
- Excellent for charting public opinion or changes in a subject.
Websites and Online Content
- Can provide very up-to-the-minute information.
- Always be aware of who is publishing the online content.
- Anyone can publish anything on the Internet!
- Use online content sparingly. Print materials are usually better received in Academic Circles.
Finding Articles from Magazines, Journals, Newspapers Etc...
Most of your searching for articles will be done using subscription databases. The library subscribes to over 75 different databases in various subjects. Most of these databases contain the full-text of the articles. Below is a partial list of some databases that you might find helpful for your project.
| Name of Database | Description |
|---|---|
| Academic Onefile | One of the largest Academic Databases available, it contains thousands of magazine and journal titles in a variety of subjects including medicine, biology, and the other sciences. |
| Academic Search Elite | A competitor to Academic OneFile, this product also contains thousands of titles and articles with a slight more bend to the hard sciences (i.e. Biology, Chemistry, physics, etc...). |
| Expanded Academic ASAP | From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images! Coverage dates back to 1980. |
| JSTOR | The JSTOR Archive holds the complete digitized back runs of core scholarly journals, starting with the very first issues, some dating as far back as the 1600s. New titles and disciplines are being added regularly. |
| New York Times Current | Search the New York Times from 2003 to the Present here. |
| New York Times Archive | Full text of ALL New York Times articles from 1851 to the present. |
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.
- 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.
- In-text Citations -- As you write, you will need to acknowledge the sources where ideas (not your own) originate.
- 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?
