What makes a good research topic in a literature class? What does your professor mean by "peer-reviewed" sources? What should you do if you can't find enough material? This approachable guide walks students through the process of research in literary studies, providing them with tools for responding successfully to course assignments. Written by two experienced librarians, the guide introduces the resources available through college and university libraries and explains how to access the ones a student needs. It focuses on research in literature, identifying relevant databases and research guides and explaining different types of sources and the role each plays in researching and writing about a literary text. But it contains helpful information for any student researcher, describing strategies for searching the Web to find the most useful material and offering guidance on organizing research and documenting sources with MLA style.
Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements--facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date--that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts--middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields--the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook offers New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group projects Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism A sample essay in MLA format Annotated bibliography examples Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars
Since its publication in 1985, the "MLA Style Manual" has been the standard guide for graduate students, teachers, and scholars in the humanities and for professional writers in many fields. Extensively reorganized and revised, the new edition contains several added sections and updated guidelines on citing electronic works--including materials found on the World Wide Web.
The second edition of this best-selling classroom guide helps students understand why digital literacy is a crucial skill for their education, future careers, and participation in democracy. Offering practical guidance for assessing information online, this guide provides students with the tools to locate reliable sources among the clickbait and viral videos that pervade the web. The guide's hands-on activities, germane readings, and lesson plans give students strategies for reading and analyzing data visualizations; finding and evaluating credible sources; learning how to spot fake news; fact-checking; crafting a research question; effectively conducting searches on Google and on library catalogs and databases; finding peer-reviewed publications; evaluating primary sources; and understanding disinformation and misinformation, filter bubbles, propaganda, and satire in a variety of sources--including websites, social media posts, infographics, videos, and more (on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube). New to the second edition: attention to the ethical dimensions of digital technology, including privacy issues and bias in search algorithms--with an accompanying lesson plan an emphasis on how digital literacy can help stem racism, sexism, ableism, and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes instruction on inclusive research and citation practices to avoid perpetuating systemic bias a new chapter, "Composing in Digital Spaces," that offers instruction in multimodal composition and foregrounds accessibility a new and up-to-date reading, "The Real History of Fake News" a section on avoiding plagiarism updated references and examples resource lists of digital tools, platforms, and software that can support the practices described in the guide
Undergraduate Research in Film: A Guide for Students supplies tools for building research skills, with examples of undergraduate research activities and case studies on projects in the various areas in the study of film, film theory, film production, history of film, and interdisciplinary projects. Professors and students can use it as a text and/or a reference book. Essentially, what makes this volume unique is that it brings together examples of film projects and film studies courses within the framework of research skills. Following an overview chapter, the next seven chapters cover research skills including writing literature reviews, choosing topics and formulating questions,working with human subjects, collecting and analyzing data, citing sources and disseminating results. A wide variety of sub-disciplines follow in chapters 9-16 with sample project ideas from each, as well as undergraduate research conference abstracts. The final chapter is an annotated guide to online resources. All chapters begin with inspiring quotations and end with relevant discussion questions.
From stories about Los Angeles freeways to slave narratives to science fiction, environmental literature encompasses more than nature writing. The study of environmental narrative has flourished since the MLA published Teaching Environmental Literature in 1985. Today, writers evince a self-consciousness about writing in the genre, teachers have incorporated field study into courses, technology has opened up classroom possibilities, and institutions have developed to support study of this vital body of writing. The challenge for instructors is to identify core texts while maintaining the field's dynamic, open qualities. The essays in this volume focus on North American environmental writing, presenting teachers with background on environmental justice issues, ecocriticism, and ecofeminism. Contributors consider the various disciplines that have shaped the field, including African American, American Indian, Canadian, and Chicana/o literature. The interdisciplinary approaches recommended treat the theme of predators in literature, ecology and ethics, conservation, and film. A focus on place-based literature explores how students can physically engage with the environment as they study literature. The volume closes with an annotated resource guide organized by subject matter.
Thanks to the success of franchises such as The Hunger Games and Twilight, young adult literature has reached a new level of prominence and popularity. Teens and adults alike are drawn to the genre's coming-of-age themes, fast pacing, and vivid emotional portrayals. The essays in this volume suggest ways high school and college instructors can incorporate YA texts into courses in literature, education, library science, and general education. The first group of essays explores key issues in YA literature, situates works in cultural contexts, and addresses questions of text selection and censorship. The second section discusses a range of genres within YA literature, including both realistic and speculative fiction as well as verse narratives, comics, and film. The final section offers ideas for assignments, including interdisciplinary and digital projects, in a variety of courses.
Provides information on stylistic aspects of research papers, theses, and dissertations, including sections on writing fundamentals, MLA documentation style, and copyright law.
