Before you begin writing, organize your thoughts by outlining your paper. These websites can help you create an outline:
Example (Microsoft Word template):
Save time by looking for information on your topic at the point where it begins to fit into the flow of information.
Think about the occurrence of an event, era, social movement or discovery. Think about how this event might be documented and information about the event disseminated. Then choose the appropriate tool to find documentation. Keep in mind the point of view or slant of each source.
|
Report of an Event |
Time Frame |
Where to Look |
|---|---|---|
|
Radio/TV/Internet News Services |
Seconds/Minutes |
TV News Indexes; Web Search Tools |
|
Newspapers (print) |
Day/Days+ |
Newspaper Indexes (ProQuest) |
|
Magazines (print) |
Week/Weeks |
Periodical Indexes (ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and others) |
|
Journals (print and electronic) |
6 Months + |
Periodical Indexes (ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and others) |
|
Books |
2+ Years |
Library |
|
Reference Sources
|
1+ Years (some weekly) Average 10 years |
CQ Researcher |
|
Web Pages |
Seconds/Minutes to Years |
Search Engines (Google, Bing, etc.) and Web Directories (Yahoo) |
Adapted from Sharon Hogan’s “Flow of Information” conceptual approach to library instruction and UCLA College Library.
For citing in-text quotations, the basic format is the author's last name and page number within parentheses, for example: Beethoven was considered "unnaturally gifted" in this matter (Sipe 65).
If you reference the author's name within your sentence, you only need to put the page number within parentheses, for example: Sipe argues that theoretical arguments must be "balanced by a historical perspective" (24).
Aside from citing parenthetically, you should also include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. (From: Oglethorpe University)
