GEW 101--Horner--Fall 2009

The final research-based paper requires scholarly sources to help you form your ideas and produce work based on university-level research.

When you begin your research on your cultural problem, you will discover both scholarly and non-scholarly material has been published. You need to locate scholarly works in order to become part of the informed conversation surrounding your text. ' Scholarly' means it is not a popular press or emotion-based piece. For additional help on what is a scholarly source, click here.

When you are looking at a text, you need to exercise caution in separating fact from fiction. Attitudes, actions, and application of knowledge change over time and through cultural shifts. Knowing about the society and context surrounding your topic or author and their works at their time will help you discover the differences between what you 'know' and what it really means.

Essay Research

A smart research strategy when doing essay analysis is to analyze statements made by the author and look for proof. Here are examples:

• If numbers and statistics are used, where did they come from? How old are they? Can they be trusted?
• References to 'lots of people say' or 'the experts'...who are these experts? Are they considered reputable by the scholalry community they claim?

You may also want to research the author's views and beliefs to help inform you as to any bias contained in the essay you are analyzing or resources you find. Ask yourself:

• What is this person's race or ethnicity?
• Can I find a biography about this author to explore their life experiences and culture?
• What are their political/religious/social views that might affect their arguments?