English 1B (Online), Spears: Welcome

One activity to do once you have selected a topic is to brainstorm about the topic you have chosen. Figuring out what words to use to find the most relevant information on your topic is going to be one of the biggest obstacles you face when researching. For instance, since the topics for first and second essays for this course requiring outside research revolve around food, what sort of topics might be good choices for these essays? Maybe food insecurity or  factory farming? Can you think of others?

Once you've selected a food-related topic, ask yourself: what words or phrases might be used to search for information on it, including synonyms and related terms. For instance, for factory farming, what other terms or keywords might also describe or be related to this topic? What other words or phrases occur to you? Brainstorm and write down some of the potential words and phrases. Tip: Keep a running list of potential search terms as you research. As you search for information on your topic, you may discover other terms that describe your topic that you may not have thought of at first. You may want to re-search resources using the new terms you have found to find additional, relevant sources.

Welcome! This guide covers resources that will be helpful for finding resources that will help you with the research component of your essays (both food related and Fun Home) for this class. We'll also discuss some strategies for finding and evaluating research effectively. And please, if you have any questions or need more assistance contact us or post on the "Ask a Librarian" forum on the discussion board for your class!