Conducting Research and Writing a Literary Research Paper

English 102

Writing a Research Paper• A Research Paper is NOT…– A rearrangement or summary of information

from different sources– A report that could be included in a

general encyclopedia– A matter of cutting and pasting together from

different resources– A result of one quick Database or Google

Scholar search

A Research Paper is…

• Your own analysis of information discovered from peer reviewed resources

• A chance to demonstrate to others what you have learned, and express your thoughts on literature and critical theory in an organized, scholarly manner

Review: What are the goals of a research paper about literature?

• Goal 1: Offer an interesting, defensible interpretation of the piece of literature.

• Goal 2: Successfully use a critical theory to inform and guide your approach.

• Goal 3: Successfully use quotations and evidence from the work of literature to support your interpretation.

• Goal 4: Thoughtfully integrate articles that use your chosen critical theory into your research paper.

Stages of Researched Writing

• Choosing and Narrowing a Topic• Gathering Material and Research• Keeping a Bibliography and Avoiding Plagiarism• Thesis Statement• Types of Argument• Outline• Integrating Sources: Direct Quotation,

Paraphrasing, Summarizing• Works Cited Page• Title

Narrowing a Topic

• A General Research Paper:• Vague Topic: Birds. • Focused Topic: The effect of deforestation on endangered bird

populations in Paraguay. • A Literature Research Paper

• Vague Topic: The character of Nick in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby.• Focused Topic: Symbolism associated with Nick concerning

themes of love and redemption. • A Literature Research Paper Using a Critical Theory

• Vague Topic: Neil Gaiman and Feminist Theory/Gender Studies• Focused Topic: How Gender Studies can help us understand the

deeper significance behind the “women as aliens” concept in How to Talk to Girls At Parties

A Research-Based Literature Paper

• A Research Literature Paper will utilize what other people have said about: – your chosen work of literature– Your chosen critical theory– expert opinions/information that support your thesis

– You may also want to incorporate the opposition to your topic into the essay and work on refuting their claims and dissenting views.• Refutation means pointing out the problems with the

opposing viewpoints, thereby highlighting your own position’s superiority.

Where do I find articles of literary criticism? • Mission College has many excellent databases. The most useful for your purposes will probably

be:

Also….– EBESCOhost– Academic OneFile

I would also suggest searching the library’s physical collection. We actually have an impressive amount of literary research materials.

Literary Databases (Gale)Full-text articles from scholarly journals, literary magazines, critical essays, & biographies. 

Literature  Resource Center (Gale)Full-text scholarly and literary magazine articles. Includes biographies and critical essays.

MagillOnLiterature Plus (Ebsco)Critical analyses, brief plot summaries, & biographical records.

Scribner Writers Series (Gale)Original, comprehensive, scholarly essays.

Twayne's Authors Series (Gale)Book entries on 600 authors about literary criticism & literary history.

Review: How do I read an article of literary criticism?

• Most works of literary criticism are published in journals, and can range from brief, four or five page articles to fifty or sixty page essays. Before you begin to read, identify: – Who is the author of the article? – Can you tell which critical theory the author is using? – Read the abstract (if there is one). This should give you a summary

of the article. • Identify the thesis (provoking or arguable claim) of the article. • How does the author support his or her thesis? • If the author quotes the work of literature, look at those

quotes in context. Do you agree with the author’s interpretation?

• How does the author incorporate the ideas from the critical theory into his or her analysis?

How do I incorporate articles of criticism in my essay?

• Agree with the author’s interpretation, and add something to it. • “They say [THIS] and also…” or • “[THIS] helps us realize that [your point]”

– Use the author’s ideas about your chosen critical theory as a springboard for your own.

– Analyze a passage the author didn’t discuss and show how it fits with his or her ideas.

• Disagree with the author’s interpretation. • “So-and-so has not taken THIS into account”– What has the author overlooked? – Where do you see evidence for a different, contradictory

interpretation?

Your Argument: The Thesis Statement

• Answers the question, “What is this paper trying to prove to its audience or convince the reader of?”

• Compresses your paper into one sentence. • Conveys your main argument in a nutshell.• Uses specific language and specific ideas. • Generates a multi faceted argument. ‐• Appears at the end of your paper’s

introduction

Their Arguments: The Opposition/Counterargument

• Predict counterarguments Example:

Your Argument: Organic produce from local Farmers’ Markets is better than store-bought produce.

The Opposition: Organic produce is too expensive.

Your Argument: Marxist critiques on the evils of Capitalism influenced Aldous Huxley as he wrote Brave New World, and his fears about the extremes of capitalist consumerism can clearly be seen in the characters and world of the novel.

The Opposition: Aldus Huxley hated Communism/Marxism and named many of the negative characters after Communist heroes.

Differences between descriptive and critical analytical writing

Descriptive writing Critical analytic writing

States what happened Identifies its significance

States what something is like Evaluates strengths and weaknesses

Lists details Evaluates relative significance of details

States the order in which things happened

Makes reasoned judgments

Says how to do something Argues a case according to the evidence

Differences between descriptive and critical analytical writing

Descriptive writing Critical analytic writing

Explains what a theory says Shows why something is relevant or suitable

Notes the method used Identifies whether it is appropriate or useful

Says when something occurred

Identifies why the timing is important

States the different components

Weighs up the importance of different component parts

States options Gives reasons for selecting options

Source: Cottrell, S. (2003).The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p232.

Keep Records as You Go!

• When gathering information from sources, be sure to cite your sources carefully (author, title, page numbers, publisher, publication date) and mention whether you are quoting the source verbatim (direct quotation) or summarizing a source’s ideas in your own words.

• Build your Works Cited page as you research, DON’T leave it until the last.

Source Evaluation Questions

Ask yourself the following questions to determine a source’s level of credibility:

• When was the source published? • What are author’s credentials? • Who’s the intended audience?• Is the argument balanced or does it show bias and make

unsupported claims, illogical conclusions, or inaccurate generalizations?

• Lastly, what sorts of references does your source cite? – Please only use sources you find through the LAMC Library—database

articles OR books.– If you have access to another library—like CSUN or the LA Public Library

System, you can use those too.– Avoid Google. DO NOT cite study guide sites like shmoop.com, sparknotes,

or cliffsnotes. It just looks lazy and will make your reader seriously doubt if the ideas/analysis are actually yours based on YOUR reading of the work.

Integrating Your Sources• Before each quote, you should introduce the information.• After each quote, you need to explain the material to the reader

and then provide a response.• By providing a response to the sourced material, you are integrating the

support into your argument.• After your explain and response, CONNECT your point to what you will

say next.

Mary Sherry, owner and founder of a research and publishing firm, finds that many writers who aim to publish their work are “inadequately suffering from grammar amnesia and are deluded by a desire to be famous” (515). It is true that many of the writers today have overlooked the importance of grammar and punctuation and simply want to be recognized. This supports my stance that many writing students today. . .

Quotation Mistakes to Avoid

• •NO dropped quotations or quoting without proper context presented by your own thoughtful phrasing.

• •NO “traffic jam quoting” where several ‐direct quotations are strung together, one after another, without discussion.

Review: Suggestion #1• Become very familiar with the theory that you

are using. Re-read the section on your chosen theory in your handout.

• Do additional research on your theory in the library and on the internet. Learn the terms and assumptions that are unique to that theory.

• Read several works of criticism that use that theory, even if they are not related to the work of literature that you are writing about.

Review: Suggestion #2• Become very familiar with the literary work(s)

you will be analyzing. • Reread them carefully, mark them, highlight

them, look over the reading journals you did for them.

• What new insights do you have on this second reading? What themes/patterns/literary techniques do you notice?

• Have your textbook open to the work as you read literary criticism so you can refer to the original story/poem/play.

Review: Suggestion #3• Keep good records of where you find ideas. • If you wish to use an idea that you found in

your research, that is perfectly acceptable, but you must tell me where that idea came from, which means that you need to keep records.

• That way, you can always find the information you need when it comes time to make your works cited page.

• YOU MUST USE MLA FORMAT. (see textbook for examples)

Review: Suggestion #4

• Don’t wait until the last week to begin this project.

• I have given you 4 weeks to work on this paper, and the amount of work that is required of you will take up all of that time. Don’t put it off.

• Set goals for yourself each week when it comes to this project.

This Week’s Research Paper Weekly Goals

• Week 2-3– Continue to research and find literary criticism that is

relevant to your question.– Find out what debates are going on about your work of

literature. Adjust your question if necessary. – Read the literary criticism you find carefully, highlighting,

annotating, and keeping track of interesting ideas from each source.

– Take notes on your reactions to these critical articles. Do you agree? Disagree? What can you add to the ideas that are presented in the articles?