Monday, August 17, 2020

Argument Essay Writing

Argument Essay Writing This is one of the most important things you can do. Many hours have been misspent searching Historical Abstracts for a Medieval topic, or searching the catalogue for an article. All of the library research databases are arranged by subject, and have brief descriptions of the content covered. Be sure to read these descriptions before entering a given database to ensure you're starting in the right place. Popular histories general do not have the level of citation necessary to make this effective. This is also one of the most effective ways to identify relevant primary sources. This is the phase where you'll really get to know your subject-specific research databases. You'll search them, along with consulting other resources such as the library catalogue for books and subject experts, to pull together the information required to support your thesis. The purpose of this phase is to investigate information with the intent of finding a focus, choosing not only your topic but how you want to approach it or what you will say about it. This will mean using the library, whether it is print resources in the library itself or electronic ones that the library provides access to. At this stage in your research you will be primarily looking for tertiary sources and some secondary sources. Students tend to underestimate how long a project will take. The sooner you start your research the more likely the books you need will be in the library. If a book you need is signed out it can take up to two weeks before you can get it. If the book you need has to come from another library it can take even longer. Not getting the resources you need is no excuse for turning in a paper late . Use a variety of secondary sources for your paper. Books tend to have a broader scope, while articles and chapters are more specific. This might the single most important technique you will use in your research, and you have already started using it in your initial searches. Citation mining means going into the citations, the bibliographies and footnotes or endnotes of every relevant source you find to identify further research materials. It is not too difficult to do, but it is often forgotten. Citation mining only really works well when you are using a scholarly or academic source. After all the muddling about of the exploration phase, the Focus Formulation phase requires a decision. This will set you off in a particular direction and is the stage at which students feel they can really start to make progress. Some students report that they experience a sudden understanding or a moment of insight where the focus of their research becomes obvious. Keep a record of those sources of information you use that you may want to return to, and make sure to keep bibliographic information with your notes. Consider using a reference manager software program like Zotero, DEVONthink or Reference Manager to keep notes and bibliographic information linked and organized. It's very frustrating when you want to use a particularly interesting idea or great quote and can't remember where you found it! Bibliographic software will also help you create your footnotes when you are ready to write. The history databases are listed under Social Sciences as History AND History - Primary .Sources. History Primary Sources pulls out those databases are you are most likely to use when looking for primary sources. Many primary sources are also kept on microfiche. For these you will have to search the library catalogue. Measuring possible foci for your research against the criteria of task, time, interest and information available, you will see which ones might be suitable to choose. From the lists you composed during your exploratory reading, certain themes, issues or elements of the topic will begin to stand out. Your understanding increases and you can start to focus on those ideas that will inform your further research. Write things down that stand out, look for aspects of the topic that interest you or for elements of the topic that seem controversial or open to various interpretations. Intentionally seek these aspects as a possible focus for your research. Don't forget to keep notes on both your search itself and on your topic. At this stage you are doing more reading than writing, but try to be aware of what you are doing. If the bibliography is a little bit older that is not necessarily a problem as research in history does not become irrelevant simply because it is old.

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