John D. Vairo Library
25 Yearsley Mill Road
Media, PA 19063
610 892 1386
Mary Fran McLaughlin
Title: Reference Librarian
Course Name:
Honor 301H
Semester:
Fall
Campus:
Penn State Brandywine
Instructor:
Blockett
Central Question: What will you investigate? Note: this will evolve into a thesis statement (i.e. how does your research answer this question?).
Research Plan: How will you conduct this investigation? What research methods will you use? Why have you determined that these are the most effective means of conducting your research? What will be the best final product for disseminating your ideas?
Dissemination Plan: Identify at least two different venues through which you will make your work public. Submit a brief summary including 1. why you’ve chosen them (why is this a good fit?), and 2. how and when you plan to contribute your work to these venues.
Literature Review: This is a review of previous research. You will make some claims about what the research shows, how it can be understood, and why and how it is relevant to your own research.
Complete the final product: Make sure it is a polished, professional product of which you will be proud when others view it.
Present your research: Present a five-minute (no longer) organized and interesting overview of your work. You may focus on whatever aspect you think is best for the audience and time limitation. The goal is to leave your audience wanting to see/read your larger project.
If you need additional sources or have questions, ask the Vairo Library librarians (Susan, Mary Fran, and Sara) for help -- in-person or by email.
You may also chat online with a Penn State librarian about your research needs. Don't be surprised if you are helped by Susan, Mary Fran, or Sara through chat reference, as well as in Vairo Library and by email!
The literature review is a critical look at the existing research that is significant to the work that you are carrying out. This overview identifies prominent research trends in addition to assessing the overall strengths and weaknesses of the existing research (Strategies for Writing Literature Reviews).
University of North Carolina Writing Center on Literature Reviews - Excellent Introduction to the purpose, structure and method of writing a literature review
Strategies for Writing Literature Reviews - Detailed break down of the process of writing a literature review, including examples and pitfalls.
Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis: a brief review of the literature - sample literature review
LionSearch is a search engine that provides fast, simple access to relevant, scholarly material at the Penn State University Libraries. LionSearch provides an integrated search of the CAT, our databases and e-journals, our e-books, and our local collections.
Google Scholar provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts and articles.
Are you working from home?
For best results: Before searching Google Scholar, click on the link to SETTINGS in the upper right of the Google Scholar search page. Click on LIBRARY LINKS in the left margin. Enter Pennsylvania State University and click on the search icon. When "Pennsylvania State University (Get it! @ Penn State)" appears, place a check in the box preceding it and click on SAVE. Now, if the Google Scholar search includes results that are available in Penn State full text databases, a link for "GET IT! @ Penn State" will appear. Click on it and log in with your Penn State ID and Password when prompted in order to display the full text from Penn State subscriptions. This brief screencast demonstrates the steps.
If you need additional sources or have questions, ask the Vairo Library librarians (Susan, Mary Fran, and Sara) for help -- in-person or by email.
You may also chat online with a Penn State librarian about your research needs. Don't be surprised if you are helped by Susan, Mary Fran, or Sara through chat reference, as well as in Vairo Library and by email!
Penn State librarians have worked together to create guides to help students, faculty, and other researchers navigate the vast number of databases, books, websites, and government resources. Select your area of interest from the research guide for recommendations on appropriate databases for your subject.
If you need additional sources or have questions, ask the Vairo Library librarians (Susan, Mary Fran, and Sara) for help -- in-person or by email.
You may also chat online with a Penn State librarian about your research needs. Don't be surprised if you are helped by Susan, Mary Fran, or Sara through chat reference, as well as in Vairo Library and by email!
I found an interesting article citation in my bibliography. How do I find the full text article? Enter the article title into LionSearch or Google Scholar, then follow the GET IT links to access the full text article.
What should I do if the Full text article is not available online through Penn State. Request electronic desktop delivery of a pdf copy through the interlibrary loan service called ILLiad. Log in, register, if prompted, and complete the article request form. You will receive an email when the copy is available to download from the ILLiad web site.
What is the benefit of using quotation marks around a search phrase?
Using the quotation marks when searching ensures that the results will show only pages that exactly match your keyword phrase. When you search without using the quotation marks, the results are given to you in any combination of the words.
Use these guides for examples of how to cite your sources in APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Quick Citation Style Guides
Comprehensive Citation Style Guides
These guides provide detailed information on formatting papers and citing sources.
