1. Five Sources from library databases
2. MLA citation
Shorter Assignment One: Summaries of Two Sources
This is the first of three shorter assignments that will help you write your research paper which is due Wednesday, December 9. This paper is on a TV show, movie, or book of your choice that continues the themes of monstrosity, gender, sexuality, and race that we have been discussing this semester. This paper must be at least eight pages long, written in proper MLA format, including a works cited sheet. This research paper must include five outside sources that you found in the library databases. As always, any sources that do not come from the databases will not be accepted. You must use at least two scholarly articles for this paper, but the other three can be from newspapers or newsmagazines. Please do not use a master’s thesis or a doctoral dissertation. You will be able to tell that is what it is because it will say so somewhere on the document. If you are not sure, you can send it to me and I can check for you. Please also note that the final grade for this paper will be lowered one letter for every source that is missing. More information about the research paper will be coming during the rest of the semester.
This assignment requires that you submit two summaries, one on each of two articles of the required five that you will be using for your research paper. Your summary must also include a works cited sheet. And please remember: you must submit a copy of each article that you used to write your summary. Please send it as an attachment in a Word document or a PDF, or you can copy-and-paste it at the end of your paper. Please do not send me a link. If you do, I will not open it, and therefore, I will not read your paper. This assignment of both summaries is due Wednesday, November 18.
Here are the rules for writing a successful summary:
Here is a list of suggestions of shows, movies, or books that you can use as the primary source (the main subject) of your paper. Please note that if you choose a TV show, you must include at least three episodes in your paper, though they do not all have to be from the same season. And also please note: you cannot use any episode of The Walking Dead, nor can you use the novel Frankenstein (though you may use one of the filmed versions), Candyman, The Silence of the Lambs, Night of the Living Dead, or any other movie, book or show we have discussed in class. You may, if you like, choose a videogame, but if you do, you will need to pay special attention to the graphics and the soundtrack as well as the dialogue: you cannot simply retell what happens. Whatever you choose, make sure that you will have something to say about it, an argument to make. It isn’t enough simply to choose something because you like it, or because it’s really scary. It might be difficult for you to write eight pages about a movie or show if all you can come up with is how scary the plot is. If none of the following appeal to you, let me know and I will try to suggest some alternatives.
There are many more excellent films, shows and books from which to choose. Please let me know if you are having trouble finding one you feel that you can write about.
If you are searching for scholarly articles (literary criticism) of a book, put the author as the SUBJECT in addition to the title of the book.
The following searches are examples of how to think about the ways monsters and monstrosity are represented in our stories.
Here are some sample searches based on your assignment's prompts.
BOOKS
BOOKS that are collections of essays contain pages, either at the beginning or the end, that list credentials, affiliations, and/or provide a brief bio. Books written by one person may contain information in the beginning or end of a book, or on the book jacket. You may also find information in the "acknowledgements" section or the preface.
ARTICLES
ARTICLES in academic journals and magazines might list the credentials and affiliations of or give a brief bio about the author either at the beginning or end of the article.
Sometimes, contributor information is given in a separate section of the journal, either in the beginning or end pages. This preforatory or concluding material may or may not be available through the library subscription databases. To find out whether it is available, click on the "source" link in the full citation to open up the journal record. Click on the year, volume, and issue for your citation. All the contents of the journal should be listed there.
You might also be able to get this information by visiting the publisher's web site and by looking in that volume and issue. While articles may not be available for free through publishers on the regular Web, contributor information is often available.
To use our example for Hypatia (below), we find that contributor biographical information is not available in the article itself (by viewing the PDF). It is available if we browse through the volumes and issues of Hypatia in Academic Search Premier. Also, if we go to the publisher's web site , we find that there is a separate section called "Notes on Contributors," which comes at the end of the journal.
If you want more information on the author, Google him or her to see what you can find! It may be helpful to put their name in quotes and include any institutional affiliations.
Is your item an article, a book, or a book chapter? Is it in a magazine, newspaper, or an academic journal? What kinds of articles does the journal publish?
The citation information in the library databases will tell you. (The example below uses Academic Search Premier as an example; other databases vary.)
You can search the journal title under Journals and click the title of the journal to learn more about it.
1. Icons in the result list next to the citation should tell you what you are looking at, but you can click on the article title to go the full citation, where you can learn more information.
2. This brings you the full record view, where you can see your "document type" (article), subject terms, an abstract (summary), and the ISSN (international standard serial number) of the journal, a unique number used to identify it worldwide.
To learn more about the "source" itself, click on the title (or in some cases [journal detail] at the end of the "Source" line.) From the intial results screen, we already know it is an academic journal. But is it peer-reviewed? What topics does it publish? Click on the title of the "source" to find out.
3. This is the record for the source "Hypatia," the journal in which the article above was published. We learn that this is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes on feminist philosophy.
4. If we click on the publisher link, we are taken to the journal's home page, where we can learn even more about it, if we like, such as its aims and scope.
Ulrichsweb can answer your question!
The Rider University Libraries subscribes to a database called Ulrichsweb that gives "detailed information on more than 300,000 periodicals (also called serials) of all types: academic and scholarly journals, e-journals, peer-reviewed titles, popular magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and more."
You can search by journal title, keyword, ISSN number, and subject area.
Below is the record for a journal called Marvels & Tales. This record tells you that Marvels & Tales is an academic or scholarly journal that is peer-reviewed.
Also, click on the website link to go to the journal or magazine's home page, where you can learn more information about it!