ENGL 101 – Mrs. Salazar

Judy Sevilla-Marzona

Librarian

Oct. 22, 2008

Step 1: Understand the Assignment

• Read the assignment sheet carefully.• What are you expected to write about

in Essay #3?• What should your thesis statement

include?• What should your essay have?• How long should your paper be?• How many sources do you need to

use?• When is it due? And so on….

Step 2: Select Your Topic

• See suggested “hot topics” in assignment sheet.

• Consult the Rio Hondo College Library’s web site http://library.riohondo.edu – “Research Paper Topics” or – “Controversial Topics” or – “Subject Guides

• Select a current event by watching the news, reading a newspaper or magazine, or listening to talk radio.

• Topic should be

– Current– Controversial or

debatable– Not too broad, not

too narrow, but just right!

You can always ask a librarian for help!

• Sample thesis statement:

• The U.S. space exploration program has been attacked for its costliness and irrelevance, but its supporters say we need to continue the program in order to advance our scientific knowledge and to help support life on Earth.

Step 3: Identify keywords and concepts

• Jot down the most significant words and ideas in your topic.– Example

• Look up synonyms for these keywords and concepts.– Example

• Now you’re ready to start!

Step 4: What Sources Will You Need?

• Books?

• Articles?

• Quotations?

• Personal Interviews?

Step 5: Locating Books

• To find books, use the Library’s online catalog, http://library.riohondo.edu/ and choose WebCat.

• Search by:– Subject– Author– Title– Search Everything

Step 6: Finding Articles

• Why articles?– Usually more recent →

may discuss the status of the controversy

– Shorter than books → summarize one of more major arguments, usually citing a specific example or several cases

• Use Online Databases– Searchable because

the databases contain an index

– Contain full-text articles from thousands of magazines, journals and newspapers

– Note: RHCL has more than 40 databases, many of which are subscription-only.

ARTICLES & MORE◊ ProQuest

◊ SIRS◊ PsycARTICLES

◊ Issues & Controversies ◊ ArtStor

◊ Gale Virtual Reference     Library  

◊  Trials   More... 

ONLINE DATABASES◊ A-Z List

◊ Subject List◊ Off-campus access

For controversial topics, look for articles in these online databases:

<Start at the Library homepage for each>

• Issues and Controversies @Facts.com – debatable issues

• SIRS – controversial social issues• CQ Researcher – current events &

issues• Pro & Con Online – government &

politics, foreign policy, civil rights, environmental policy

Other useful databases:

• Gale Virtual Reference Library ≈ 200 reference e-books

• Health Reference Center

• ProQuest

Step 7 (or the beginnings of):Finding Web Sites

• As a general rule, consult the section “Subject Guides” in the Library’s home page.

• Web sites in each of the Subject Guides have been evaluated by librarians for content and reliability.

To be continued…