Unit 2: Secondary Research & Source Use
In this second unit, having selected research topics for the semester, we begin finding, evaluating, and reading secondary research. In academic writing, secondary research generally consists of peer-reviewed/scholarly articles. Reading what previous researchers have studied and said about a topic helps us begin to understand the scholarly conversation surrounding a topic.
We also learn principles of effective source use—specifically, attribution, citation, and quotation—and how these principles apply to writing meaningful summary and paraphrase of sources. We also explore citation styles, particularly APA.
Readings
- NCSU Libraries Guides
- NCSU Libraries “Anatomy of a Scholarly Article“
- NCSU Libraries, “Comparative Guide to Popular and Scholarly Sources“
- Harvard University Guides
- Harvard University, “Guidelines for Conducting Research Responsibly” | Reading Questions
- Harvard University, “Avoiding Plagiarism” | Reading Questions
- Harvard University, “The Nuts and Bolts of Integrating“
- Emily Jo Schwaller, “Introduction to the Annotated Bibliography“
Videos
- NCSU Libraries Videos | Video Response Questions
- “Finding Articles with Summon“
- “Understanding Scholarly Sources” (2 videos)
PowerPoints
- Strategies for Reading Scholarly Articles
- Using Sources Effectively
- Connecting Sources & Finding Themes in Scholarly Articles
- APA Style