Literary Criticism for Students (and anyone else)
A guide to researching literary criticism online and at the library
Writing Your Paper
All your planning has paid off. You've done your research, completed your note-taking, you're on schedule, and ready to write your paper. It should be easy but writing a literary research paper can be a challenging experience. Things to consider as you go through the process:
- Review your teacher's instructions for the paper in terms of length, formatting, documentation style, etc. and make sure to adhere to them. There is no point in submitting a 20-page paper if your teacher only requires 5.
- As you write your paper, make sure that when you use the words or ideas of another person that the use is properly documented.
- Save each draft on your computer. Later on, you might decide you would like to use some of that earlier material.
- As you continue through the writing process, print out an occasional hard copy of your paper as a back up in case of computer problems.
- Leave plenty of time for revision and proofreading. Last-minute papers, produced in all-night sessions, just before the paper is due, preclude careful reviewing.
- Proofread your paper personally in addition to using a spell checker. The spell checker will only pick up misspelled words, not incorrect words.
- Deliver your paper on time, and according to your teacher's specifications. After all the effort you put in, you do not want to be penalized for being tardy.
Internet Resources
- A+ Research & Writing for High School and College StudentsThis Internet Public Library guide covers all aspects of writing a research paper including choosing your topic; developing a thesis statement; and researching, writing, and revising your paper. Links to additional online research and writing resources are also provided.
- Citing & WritingA comprehensive guide to every aspect of writing a research paper, and properly citing your sources, produced by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Elements of StyleAn online version of a classic title on how to write effectively.
- Goshen College: Analyzing a Passage of TextExplains how to analyze a text and provides examples.
- Purdue OWL (Online Writing Center): Conducting ResearchDiscusses how to conduct research using primary and secondary resources including the internet. Includes a section on evaluating sources.
- Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) General Writing ResourcesA useful guide to the process and mechanics of writing including pre-writing, developing an outline, revision, grammar, punctuation, and more.
- Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) Writing in LiteratureA guide to writing about literature and poetry that covers literary terms and themes, reading and note taking, choosing and researching a topic, writing a thesis statement, formatting, and more.
- Writer's HandbookA guide developed by The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison to help with a variety of writing assignments, including research papers.
- Writers Workshop: Writer ResourcesThis guide from the Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides grammar and writing tips, help with different citation styles, and links to resources useful to ESL students.
Read About Writing
10 Steps in Writing the Research Paper by
Updated to conform to today's academic standards and the most recent Internet research sources, this succinct, easy-to-follow guide gives students clear directions for writing papers in virtually all academic subjects. The authors describe how to determine a subject, formulate and outline a provisional thesis, prepare a bibliography, take notes from sources, write a draft, then revise and edit the paper, bringing it to its final form. Added advice includes avoiding plagiarism and making the most of library and Internet resources.
Call Number: PE1478 .M3 2011
The Elements of Style by
You know the authors names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book's unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing.
Call Number: PE1408 .S772 2000
A Short Guide to Writing about Literature by
Part of Longman's successful Short Guide Series, A Short Guide to Writing about Literature emphasizes writing as a process and incorporates new critical approaches to writing about literature; The twelfth edition continues to offer students sound advice on how to become critical thinkers and enrich their reading response through accessible, step-by-step instruction.
Call Number: PE1479.C7 B3 2012 (Delivery Desk)
Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers by
The Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers, from trusted authors Lynn Troyka and Doug Hesse, provides both composition students and instructors with the support they need to be successful. The handbook has exercises and student samples throughout and provides the most balanced coverage of the writing process, grammar, research, and topics important to today's students.
Call Number: REF PE1408 .T696 2013x
Student's Guide to Writing College Papers by
High school students, two-year college students, and university students all need to know how to write a well-reasoned, coherent research paper and for decades Kate Turabian's Student's Guide to Writing College Papers has helped them to develop this critical skill. In the new fourth edition of Turabian's popular guide, the team behind Chicago's widely respected The Craft of Research has reconceived and renewed this classic for today's generation.
Call Number: LB2369 .T8 2010 (Delivery Desk)
