Library

Writing Literary Analysis Research Papers

1. What aspects you are using:
   1. One or more literary (fiction) works (novel/book/short story/play/poem) = Primary Source(s).
   2. Your perceptions of the main feature(s) of the primary source(s).
   3. Selections from acknowledged experts (critics) that support the points in your thesis.
      NOTE: biographical information (how the author's geography, experiences, culture, influenced his/her writing) MAY NOT be acceptable for this paper. Make sure to check with your instructor!!!
      
      
2. How to proceed:
   1. Choose topic early AND get it approved by your instructor.
   2. Go ahead and organize your paper early then fill in the blanks:
      1. thesis statement: your own hypothesis about the subject
      2. supporting paragraphs: use quotes/paraphrasing from the critics together with information YOU take from the work itself to support your hypothesis
      3. conclusion
      4. works cited
   3. Do your research as early as possible because you may need to InterLibrary Loan material which we don't have in the library or online. (Check at the front desk to get InterLibrary Loan (ILL) forms or go to the following link: http://online.darton.edu/library/ILLfirst.htm)
      
      
3. Sources:
   1. Books suggested by your teacher on a handout list or which your teacher put on reserve at the front desk.
   2. Literary Criticism Reference books (CLC, Short Stories for Students, Masterplots, ...)
   3. Books from the GIL library catalog searching on subjects such as "criticism and angelou", etc. Remember that using part or all of the title OR author's name (last, first order) AND the word "criticism" should find criticism of the author's work(s).
   4. Articles from GALILEO databases such as EbscoHost (Academic Search Elite) (some full-text), Literature Online Reference Edition (some full-text), Lexis Nexis (full-text), MLA (no full-text but VERY good), etc.

NOTE: Keep in mind that your audience in this case is primarily your instructor who will give you a grade which includes your ability to create a strong thesis and support your thesis with valid evidence from the work itself and from supporting criticism. In this effort you will want to check your grammar and spelling and ensure that all works are correctly cited according to MLA guidelines. If you use any support from books, articles, or any other sources then you must give those sources credit by citing them within the paper and in a list of works cited. Using sources without giving credit is called plagiarism and makes you subject to severe penalties! For information on plagiarism see the following (outside) link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html. Links to MLA help can be found under the bookmarks for Writing and Research at http://www.darton.edu/~dclib/writingresearch.php

Please note that the link at http://www.darton.edu/~dclib/Online_Research.php gives information on using GALILEO, GIL, and other resources. This information may be printed as a Word document at http://www.darton.edu/~dclib/OnlineResearch.docor HTML document at http://www.darton.edu/~dclib/online_research_print.php. Section VIII of the document has a list of titles and call numbers for Reference Books for Literary Criticism.