English 102: Getting Started

• Find answers to common questions (FAQs)
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• Perfect for quick help with things like: 
  • Is the library open?
  • Where can I find the full text of this article?
  • Help - the link to the article doesn't work!
  • I need this book, but I'd prefer not to come into the library, what do I do?

• Topic Development
• Finding Resources

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Welcome to the English 102 LibGuide! This Guide contains resources to support the ENG 102 Annotated Bibliography and Researched Argument Essay assignments. 

Explore the Guide by navigating through the red tabs at the top of the page.

• "Topic Development" has information to get you started with choosing a research topic
• "Finding and Using Articles" will help you find resources for your paper
• "Annotated Bibliographies & Paper" contains some tips for evaluating sources and creating your bibliography 
• "Help" contains links to FAQ, online chat, research consultations, and the Writing Center

If you have any questions, please contact Chelsea Heinbach, Teaching & Learning Librarian, Educational Initiatives.

The English 102 Libraries team have developed an interactive online tutorial just for Composition students! It takes about 30 minutes to complete it and can help students do research for their Annotated Bibliography, Draft, or Final Paper. 

• Brainstorming Keywords
• Learning and Applying Search Strategies
• Using QuickSearch to Find Scholarly Articles

The self-paced tutorial is located here: bit.ly/ENG102QuickSearchTutorial

These short video tutorials can help you with different parts of the research process for these assignments.

• Research is a Conversation: "Research is a conversation, and you are part of that conversation as a student. But it's important to know this [conversation] has been going on for quite a while - long before you got here."
• Asking Academic Questions: "If you're feeling overwhelmed, that's okay! Getting started can often feel like the hardest part. Figuring out what your research question is is a process." 
• Research Process Tips: "You skimmed the article and it seems like a good match. That's great, but now it's time to get serious and look closely for the information that will lay out the foundation for your paper or project." 
• Thinking Critically About Information: "It involves asking questions and being intentional about what information we accept or reject." 
• Using Other People's Ideas: "There are only four ways to use other people's ideas. Three of them are ethical: summary, paraphrase, and quotation. The fourth one, plagiarism (which we also call stealing), is always unethical."
• Synthesizing Information: "Synthesis works by bringing together several ideas to create something new - a bit like building blocks. You may synthesize by bringing multiple pieces of seemingly unrelated information together to inspire a new solution to a problem."
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography: "The annotation helps you remember what the heck the source was about and whether it was useful. It helps you to weed out some of the sources that appeared promising at first, but are irrelevant to your research."