ENGL 1301 & 1302:Composition Research Guide

The first step is to choose a topic. We recommend you consider the following:

1. What topic are you interested in?
2. If your topic was set by the instructor, what does your instructor want you to learn by doing the research?

Once the topic is selected, you should:

1. Do a preliminary search for background information on the topic using a reference source, such as Credo Reference (Credo).
2. Take note of significant people, places, events, etc. Consider why your topic is important to learn about today.
3. Narrow your topic. Focus on the aspects that the paper will discuss.
4. Create initial thesis statement.

5. Search for scholarly articles (recently published academic research) that support your thesis. You can find them using library databases like Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) or JSTOR Arts & Sciences I-XV (JSTOR). For additional databases, please see the "Find Articles" tab or our A-Z List.