ENGL 398C (Findlay) - Writing Case Studies and Narrative

This page outlines a strategy for research and links to a variety of research resources that will be useful for your ENGL398 assignments. Questions? Contact Jenny Hatleberg (jmhatle [at] umd.edu).

Research Strategy
Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles | Government Documents | Legal Cases
Citing Your Sources

Research Strategy

1. Consider the concepts within your topic (or research question) as separate components:
   How can a nonprofit organization ship medical supplies to Africa?

2. Identify keywords, synonyms, and related concepts for each component.

3. Who (people or organizations) would produce information about these concepts?

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Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journal articles

To find scholarly articles, you will need to search a variety of databases through Research Port. You can access databases from on or or off-campus. If you are off-campus, log in to Research Port using the 14-digit identification number from the back of your UM ID card and your last name.

• If you know the name of a specific database (e.g., Sociological Abstracts), search by Database Name

• If you do not, search by Subject Category. What academic disciplines would address different aspects of your research question?

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Government Documents

• Many publications from the federal government are available online, but the UM Libraries have a vast collection of Government Documents in McKeldin Library. Search the Libraries' catalog:

  Do an advanced search. Search with your keywords, and change the location to Government Documents (all)

• Federal Statistics

  • Guide to Federal Statistics: Lists or links to print and online resources.
  • Search government databases for statistics on demographics, crime, etc. (via Research Port).

• Maryland Statistics Finding Aid
  Lists or links to statistical resources for the state of Maryland, including census/demographic information, crime, and education statistics.

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Legal Cases

Legal Writing: Tutorial
An introduction to beginning legal research, which discusses strategies for finding background information as well as finding specific cases. Includes information on citing legal resources. If you need additional help with legal research, contact Law librarians Gerri Foudy (gfoudy [at] umd.edu) or Travis Johnson (travismj [at] umd.edu).

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Citing Your Sources

CITE WORK NOT ORIGINAL TO YOU:

• Researchers must cite the work of others, regardless of the format (print or online) and type of material (books, articles, interview, Web pages, etc.)

• Style manuals give the rules for how books, articles, Web pages and other materials should be documented:

  • Guides to Citation Systems and Style Manuals (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian)

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

According to UM's Student Honor Council, plagiarism is:
Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or areas of another as one's own in academic exercise.

AVOID PLAGIARIZING BY:

• Taking clear and accurate note about where you found ideas, paragraphs, etc.
• Separating your own ideas, your summaries of others'work and others'exact wording.
• Recording the complete citation for each source you use.
• Using quotation marks when using an author's exact words.
• If you are unsure whether to cite ask a librarian or instructor for help.
• All members of the University share in the responsibility to uphold the Code of Academic Integrity, and the Code of Student Conduct.

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