A
research paper deals with a limited topic in a field, treating it in some depth.
If you have trouble narrowing the scope of your research, make an
appointment to see your instructor during office hours.
She will listen, bounce ideas back to you, and help you define a
manageable topic. Be sure to narrow
your topic early in the research process.
Once
you’ve decided what to explore, start your research. Learn to use Galileo (Georgia Library Learning Online)
http://www.clayton.edu/library.
Training in how to use Galileo is provided at the site.
The Library staff run workshops, both online and in the Library at
specified times during the semester; see http://adminservices.clayton.edu/library/InstructionPage.htm
One
of the links from the Library homepage goes to a web site that teaches the
processes of searching and researching the World Wide Web: http://www.webliminal.com/search/index.html.
Research
links for many subject areas are available at http://adminservices.clayton.edu/library/ResearchbySub.html.
These links as well as those provided at your instructor’s web site
should help you to focus your research process.
Follow
this link to an example of an annotated
bibliography.
As
you access references, even if you make copies of articles or book chapters, be
sure to write up a COMPLETE entry for your bibliography while you have the
source in hand or online. Follow
the MLA Works Cited models in the Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers,
6th ed., pp. 574-592. Doing a single bibliography page can take hours if you do
not have all the information needed.
©Flo Walsh, 2003