You must locate at least five peer-reviewed sources from Temple College Library Databases. Sources found through Google will not count, particularly authorless study guides such as Sparknotes, Course Hero, etc. If you are unsure of source quality, please ask!
Database research can be tricky at first; I recommend that you watch the research walkthrough video carefully to guide you. Once you have located your sources, read them carefully. Annotate and highlight. Identify quotations that you find enlightening or interesting. What you are doing is gathering expert opinions on your research question. This material will make it into your paper in the Literature Review section.
How do I use my sources?
In the Literature Review section, you will be summarizing what you learned about your topic from your sources. This will involve some summary, paraphrase, and quotation of the sources. The key to using quotation successfully is to engage with the the quote. Think about a hamburger (or veggieburger if you like). The top bun is an introductory statement giving context to the quotation and connecting its relevance to your paper. It can be simple like, Author argues, or it can be longer. The meat is the quotation itself. Of course, choose tasty burger fillings by selecting quotations that are unique and informative and shed light on your topic. The bottom bun is your commentary. Break down the quotation so the reader understands the point. Connect it to your topic and spell out why the quotation is important.
Where does my opinion come in?
This paper will be full of your opinion and analysis! You should comment on the quotations and sources that you use (see hamburger method above). Then, after the literature review comes the Analysis section where you will provide your own answer to the research question. Make sure you support your points with evidence from the primary text (a primary text is a syllabus text, eg, Othello, Twelfth Night, Paradise Lost, Beowulf, etc), as well as from your research, when appropriate.
Think of this paper as a conversation among you and the scholars. This is the section where you give your take. Your analysis section should be governed by a personal thesis. Avoid writing excessive summary of the primary texts; assume an educated audience who is familiar with the work you are discussing. Any summary should be used in service of and in support of the viewpoint for which you are arguing. Aim for three points that support your thesis.
What else do I need to know?
- Length: the paper should be at least 1500 words. This is a departmentally-set number that I cannot change. This should equate to about 4-5 pages, depending on font and block quotations.
- Works Cited: the last page of your paper is a list of all works you actually cite (remember, you cite any work that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized). Remember, there should be five secondary sources. You will also cite your primary source, making the total at least six works. This is also a departmentally-set number that I cannot change. You should alphabetize your entries by the author’s last name and use hanging indents to format the list. Do not use numbers when listing sources. See the Purdue Online Writing Lab guides for more!
- MLA format:
- Use a standard 12-point font such as Garamond, Times New Roman, Palatino, or Baskerville. Set all document margins to one inch. These will often not be the default settings, so check carefully.
- Your paper needs a proper heading (on the first page only), your last name in the top right header, and page numbers in the top right corner. Do not write a separate heading for the works cited page; simply start a new page and title it “Works Cited.” The Purdue OWL guide is very helpful here!
- Parenthetical citations: use parenthetical citations when you quote, summarize, or make use of a source. If you use an idea from another author, it must be cited, even if you have paraphrased and not quoted the exact words. A parenthetical consists of the author’s last name and the page number (Author 55). Note: No commas or abbreviations such as “pg.”
- Grammar and punctuation: I expect this paper to be polished and professional. This means no comma splices, no sentence fragments, no failures of parallelism, no awkwardly incorporated quotes, and especially no spelling errors or typos. You are responsible for checking your own style, even if a peer reviewer does not catch the issues with your paper.
- Plagiarism: when you submit your paper to Dropbox, it will be automatically submitted to Turnitin.com; I will evaluate every Turnitin originality report to ensure that you have been treated fairly. Remember that plagiarizing any of your research paper will result in automatic failure of the paper, without exception. All you need to do to avoid plagiarism is to use parenthetical citations (Author’s Last Name + pg. number) any time you use or refer to a source in any way, and quotation marks (“”) whenever you use exact words. Be especially aware of the dangers of tracking(see these Guidelines for examples and explanations). The key here is to be transparent about what you consulted as you wrote.
Overview of Paper Components:
- Introduction (1 paragraph)
- Describe your topic and state your research question. “Zoom in” to your precise area of inquiry.
- Literature Review (2-5 paragraphs)
- Summarize the sources you have found and comment upon them.
- One paragraph per source usually works quite well. Alternatively, you could cover multiple sources in each paragraph if you see a connection between the (for example, if two sources agree upon Satan being Cromwell).
- Analysis (~3 paragraphs)
- Given all that you now know about the topic, what do you think? Use the primary text to support your view. Reference your research when appropriate.
- This section should be governed by a thesis statement that is supported by at least three lines of reasoning. Remember, you are adding to the scholarly conversation that you just summarized in your literature review.
- Conclusion (1 paragraph)
- Review the main steps of your argument.
- Reflect on your topic’s relevance to British Literature as a whole. “Zoom out” of your topic and look at the whole course with fresh eyes.