Welcome to the American Experience Winter Research Paper guide!
Linked throughout are resources that will help you as you move through the research process from topic to question to thesis.
Consider the three corners of the topic triangle to help you develop a specific topic:
Subject - Time Period - Theme.
You can start in any one corner of the triangle, but in order to have a good topic (and then begin to develop a CASA research question), you need information for all three corners. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to find sources!
The reference sources below will help you begin your research. Remember, these will not give you all the information you need. Instead, they will give you background knowledge. This background knowledge is necessary in order to use secondary sources more effectively!
Don't know your library number? Send an email to Ms. Oldham!
Need help finding OR figuring out a source? Send an email to Ms. Oldham!
Confused about citations? Send an email to Ms. Oldham!
Research is a process that takes time. Start early, do a little bit each day.
Historical research is a process that requires curiosity. You're not proving a hypothesis right or wrong – let what you learn guide you to your next steps.
You need to learn about your topic before you can develop a compelling, arguable, specific, answerable (CASA) inquiry question.
You will end up reading and taking notes on topics or ideas that don't ultimately make it into your paper. That is a normal part of the research process.
You will not have a thesis statement after one or two days of research and note-taking.
