MLA-5b: Highlights of one student’s research process
The following pages describe key steps in student writer Anna Orlov’s research process, from selecting a research question to documenting sources. At each step, cross-references in the margins point to more discussion and examples elsewhere in the handbook. Samples from Orlov’s process illustrate strategies and skills she used to create an accurate and effective essay. See Orlov's final paper.
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Making the most of your handbook
Highlights of one student’s research process (MLA style)
Anna Orlov, a student in a composition class, was assigned a research essay related to technology and the American workplace. The assignment called for her to use a variety of print and electronic sources and to follow MLA style. She developed some questions and strategies to guide her research and writing.
“How do I begin a research paper?”
Before getting started, Orlov worked with a writing tutor to break her research plan into several stages. (Section numbers in blue refer to relevant discussions throughout the book.)
| • Ask worthwhile questions about my topic. | C1-b, R1-a |
| • Talk with a reference librarian about useful types of sources and where to find them. | R1-b |
| • Consider how each source can contribute to my paper. | R2-a |
| • Decide which search results are worth a closer look. | R2-b |
| • Evaluate the sources. | R2-c, R2-d |
| • Take notes and keep track of the sources. | R3 |
| • Write a working thesis. | C1-c, MLA-1a |
| • Write a draft and integrate sources. | C2, MLA-3, MLA-4a |
| • Document sources. | MLA-4 |
R1-a: Posing questions for a research paper
Orlov began by jotting down her research question: Is Internet surveillance in the workplace fair or unfair to employees? She thought the practice might be unfair but wanted to consider all sides of the issue. Orlov knew she would have to be open-minded and flexible and revisit her main ideas as she examined the information and arguments in her sources.
“What sources do I need, and where should I look for them?”
R2-a: Roles sources can play in a paper
Orlov worked with a reference librarian to develop a search strategy. She looked for sources that would provide that background, evidence, and counterevidence.
R1-b: Working with reference librarians
Library databases Because her topic was current, Orlov turned to her library’s subscription databases for trustworthy, scholarly, up-to-date articles with concrete examples of workplace Internet surveillance.
R1-c to R1-e: Searching databases, library catalogs, and the Web
Library catalogs Orlov looked for recently published books that could offer in-depth context, including the history of online monitoring and the laws governing workplace surveillance. One book on the topic had the subject heading “electronic monitoring in the workplace.” Using that heading as a search term, Orlov found a more focused list of books.
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The Web Using a general search engine, Orlov found Web sites, articles, and government publications that would explain the software used by employers and various opinions held by those who use the Internet and e-mail in the workplace.
“What search terms should I use?”
Orlov asked a librarian to help her conduct a narrower search with her library’s general periodical database. She could count on the database for fewer, more reliable results than an Internet search could provide.
R1-c and Sample search: Refining keyword searches, selecting search terms
| Orlov’s search terms |
Date restrictions |
|---|---|
| employee | Past five years |
| internet use | Number of results |
| surveillance | 20 |
“How do I select sources from my search results?”
Orlov used several criteria to decide which results from her general periodical database search were worth a closer look. Would a source
R2: Evaluating sources
be relevant to her topic?
provide authoritative support?
provide background information?
offer a range of views or evidence that Orlov could address when forming her argument?
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“How do I evaluate my sources?”
R2-b to R2-d: Assessing print and online sources
After Orlov had conducted several searches and narrowed her list of results, she downloaded her sources and began evaluating them. She wanted to see what evidence and claims she would need to address to strengthen her argument.
R3: Managing your information
She looked carefully at an article in eWeek, an online business computing magazine. To keep track of her thoughts about the author’s text, she made notes in the margins as she read. Taking good notes would help her to begin forming her own lines of argument and avoid plagiarism.
orlov’s notes on an article
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“How do I integrate sources into my paper?”
C1-c and MLA-1a: Writing a working thesis
C1-C2: Planning and drafting
After reading and evaluating a number of sources, Orlov wrote her working thesis: Though companies may have legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ Internet usage, electronic surveillance is more unfair than beneficial to employees since it threatens their privacy. She then sketched an informal plan to organize her ideas and began writing a rough draft. As she wrote and revised, she integrated sources from her research.
R3-c and MLA-2: Quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing
For example, Orlov had selected a book on electronic surveillance in the workplace, written by Frederick Lane III. She looked through the table of contents and selected a few chapters that seemed relevant to her working thesis. She read the chapters for ideas and information that she could paraphrase, summarize, or quote to provide background, support her argument, and help her counter the kind of pro-surveillance position that Chris Gonsalves takes in his eWeek article.
“How do I keep track of and document my sources?”
R3-b: Keeping track of source materials
Because Orlov took careful notes about publication information and page numbers for source material throughout her research process, she didn’t need to hunt down information as she cited her sources.
MLA-4: Documenting sources
She followed the MLA (Modern Language Association) system to document her sources.
entry in works cited list
