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ENGL 300: Literary Research & Analysis

Let the library be your guide as you research and write.

Search Library Resources: OneSearch

OneSearch is a great place to start your research, as it combines most of the library's books, journal articles, and digital resources into a single search. Search OneSearch from the library website.

Go to OneSearch

Tutorial: One Search BasicsOneSearch Basics    
Tutorial: One Search AdvancedOneSearch Advanced

Research Tips

Peer-reviewed articles are:

  • written by subject experts in the field
  • reviewed by other subject experts 
  • published in peer-reviewed (or "academic") journals
  • trusted and valued in academic communities

Peer-Review Basics:

 

Peer-Review Advanced: 

Your research will uncover several types of sources: books, and two different types of articles broken down below. There are always exceptions, but this list will give you a sense of what to expect before you start looking!

Books

  • Target Audience: Mostly written for people interested in a subject but not necessarily experts.
  • Content: Long exploration of a topic with CONTEXT and THEORY. They might explain a topic top to bottom, or cover several perspectives.
  • Use: Context, theory, background, and sometimes an opportunity to find other sources using their footnotes/endnotes. 

 

Scholarly/Academic Journal Articles

  • Target Audience: Written by active researchers in a field for other active researchers in that field.
  • Content: Usually NARROW and SPECIFIC but thorough. May contain the results of a study or experiment. May contain ideas for future research.
  • Use: Up to date information on the topic. Focus on the conclusions and what the authors learned while doing their study. 
     

"Popular" Articles from Websites and Magazines

  • Target Audience: Usually everyone: People interested in the topic for any reason.
  • Content: EXPLANATORY INFORMATION about some aspect of a topic. Watch out for oversimplification and especially slant/bias, depending on the source.
  • Use: Getting up to speed on a topic. Getting the current "coverage" on a topic. Discovering angles you didn't know about.

 

What is Background Research?

Research that:

  • gives you a broad idea about what your research topic is about
  • provides information about specific terms used in the topic
  • provides information about key people, places, and dates relevant to your topic

This information can help you effectively search for information on your topic.

This is a link to the Background Research tutorial video available at https://library.campbell.edu/tutorials/background-research/

 

There are many different sources for Background Research:

Encyclopedias

General Encyclopedias

  • These are designed for general readers and contain information on a variety of topics (e.g. Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book)

Subject Encyclopedias

  • These focus on one field or topic, such as religion, psychology, or African American history (e.g. Encyclopedia of Psychology)
Books on the topic
  • books can provide a good overview of the topic, and their lists of sources can point you to resources that you can use
Podcasts

  • There are many good podcasts that can give overviews on a variety of topics (e.g. Stuff You Should Know)

Wikipedia
  • This online encyclopedia can be a good way of getting on overview of your topic.  Very useful for information on popular culture.  Looking at the history of the entries is also a good way of seeing the conflicts that are related to the issue

Useful Resources to Find Background Information