Chapter 7: Writing a Literary Research Paper

This chapter lays out "how to write a paper" in a very straightfoward way.
Find sources, evaluate them, write the paper and don't plagiarize.
Easy enough...except for all the other stuff you have to think about when writing a research paper. This chapter bullets everything I'll need to remember about sources and how to use them.

When finding sources I need to remember:
a) Books are best. Start with them--they're more general,
b) Periodicals. Journal articles are peer-reviewed, written by researchers and experts of the field they are writing about. They are more specific on whatever topic.
c) Online. Easy to find. Tough to cite.

When evaluating I must think about:
a) What are the credentials of the author? The author is everything--either they know what they are talking about or making it up--and I don't want made up junk as evidence for my thesis.
b) Publication variety--I want more variety--not just books.
c) Is the publisher respectable? It's important. Highly regarded publications weigh more in terms of expertise, making my thesis stronger.
d) host of an online site. We all know that online hosts can be trashy--making sure that the host of a site I am citing is not trashy is important.
e) How current is the source? Relevance can be an issue, yes.
d) Appropriation to my topic. This is probably THE most important thing to remember when finding sources. I tend to get enthralled by something that interests me that kind-of relates to my topic rather than something that will push my argument to the next level.

Working with the sources.
Quote, paraphrase, and comment. Easy enough. Sources are there to help make an argument, not stand alone.

Writing the Paper.
The hardest part by far. The book gives steps on how to start. Of course, start with a thesis and then organize your evidence to support it-that is half the battle. I often tend to get overwhelmed by so much evidence and ideas that I don't know where to begin. Writing, editing and proofreading come last, which to me, is the easiest part.

The next section talks about plagiarism.
We all know plagiarism is bad. Don't be stupid and cite your sources.

Next: MLA Format.
This part gets me EVERY TIME. I look it up for every paper I write. This guide will help me in citing the various sources and what to cite and what not to cite. (Don't cite common knowledge.)