Identify and research a focused topic; create a document; write a draft outline of the essay. In a short paragraph (about 50 words), explain the topic and how you expect to answer your research question. Provide the authors, titles, and publication information*, of at least 2 sources (=articles) you will use to answer the question. The sources must be from the Berkeley College Online Databases. You can list your sources below the paragraph. Set up the page in MLA format.
Goal: Inform, don’t persuade.
HOW TO RESEARCH: Key-word search: Click on the Library link in Canvas or Engage. Try the “Lib Search” on the Library home page. Choose two or three words from your research question and use these to begin your database search. For example: If my research question is “How does the moon affect tides?” I would start a search using the words moon tides (not in quotation marks). At first, you may not get the results you’re looking for; if so, use the titles of the search results to help you fine-tune your search terms. For example, if I add the word influence to my search terms, I get more targeted results. Limit your results to articles that offer the “Full Text.”
Use these databases: Britannica Academic and ProQuest Central.
Only use articles that are “full-text”; all your sources must be in English.
Do not use commercial websites for your research.
*What is “publication information”? Most of the articles retrieved from the databases in the Berkeley College Library will have a link for “citation” (or something similar) on the page containing your researched article or source. Click on this link, and choose the option for the most recent MLA version. This is the “publication information.”
This assignment should look something like this:
Page set up in MLA format
Outline:
Title: Why does the moon seem to follow me when I walk?
I. Introduction
(Here provide basic background information on your topic question–don’t “announce”.)
II. Body (1)
(Here provide information from first source.)
III. Body (2)
(Here provide information from second source.)
IV. Conclusion
Paragraph explaining topic, focused research question, and how you expect to answer the question.
Sources I expect to use:
“Celestial mechanics.” Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 9 May. 2012. academic-eb-com.ezproxy.library.berkeley.org/levels/collegiate/article/celestial-mechanics/110308#77439.tocLinks to an external site.. Accessed 9 Jun. 2022.
Comins, Neil. “The Earth without the Moon.” Astronomy 02 1991: 48. ProQuest. Web. 9 June 2022.
Ghanizada, Sabriyya. Demystifying the Moon. Arcata: Northcoast Environmental Center, 2022. ProQuest. Web. 9 June 2022.
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