Embedded Resources: SNC

On campus? Visit the JWU Writing Lab at either the Center for Academic Support at Downcity or Harborside for fast and easy help with assignments. Whether you're just getting started or need final editing advice, peer-to-peer or professional writing coaches are super kind and trained to help you at any stage of the writing process. For in-person tutoring, help with accommodations for students living with disabilities, and study-skills workshops, contact the Center for Academic Support, via USucceed in jwulink, Academics tab.

Top Tips for Working with the Writing Lab:

1.    Open 9 am - 9 pm.
2.    Walk-ins welcome; appointments strongly recommended.
3.    Book an appointment by phone: 401-598-1309  or online 
4.    Book an appointment online via USucceed: in jwulink, click Academic tab.

Off campus or just relaxing in your room? You can also submit your paper online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Smarthinking for seriously awesome feedback within 24 -48 hours!  It's FREE!  Look for the link in jwulink, under the Academic tab, under Tutoring.

Wondering how to get started on your Domestic Violence research & profile paper?  No worries!  Your first challenge is to choose an interesting topic, and then focus in on the most fascinating angle.  Researching multiple perspectives creates the strongest argument.

Example:  If you were to choose the impact of domestic violence on children as the topic, you might recognize mental health impacts but research the ways in maternal exposure to domestic violence increases the risk of PTSD in their children as the angle. In this article from Academic Search Complete, PTSD Symptoms in Young Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Four Ethno-Racial groups,  the author argues that research demonstrates a clear link between exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and the likelihood of experiencing mental health issues, including PTSD.  In addition, the impact of witnessing IPV increases as the severity and incidence. This article focuses on the specific differences in degree of trauma experienced by children in four ethno-racial groups.

Pro-Tip: Start with Academic Search Complete by simply clicking the Articles tab on the library's home page.

Use Academic Search Complete to search for articles on specific angles for your research paper. For example, if you're focusing on "impact of domestic violence on children" use the search box to find scholarly articles on "Domestic Violence" or "Intimate partner violence", along with your angle, such as "Children" and "PTSD".

• Enter in your basic search terms, such as "Intimate Partner Violence" and "Children" and "PTSD"
• Limit to Full Text, so you can read articles online
• Check Scholarly/Peer Reviewed
• Scroll down the first page of articles, and click on the most interesting one
• Scholarly articles often include Statistics - look for a range of statistics in the beginning of the article, as well as in the conclusion.
• Click on one of the Subject Terms (they're hyperlinked) and see where it takes you!

Use Opposing Viewpoints to search for controversial articles on specific angles for your research paper. For example, if your topic is "Texting while driving", use the search box to find different points of view on a Texting Ban.  Looking at both sides of a topic makes whatever side you take even stronger, because you can argue a more balanced point of view.

Pro-Tip: Choose Browse Issues to choose from legit hundreds of topics.

Statista

Looking for statistics to quote, FAST?  Check out this awesome database!  Just toss in your search term, and you're good to go. 

Did you know you can copy and paste citations if you use the library's databases?

1. Save time -  look for the "Cite" Button or " " icon.

2. Scroll to the style you need (MLA, APA)

3. Copy and paste the full citation into your paper

Ta Da!  You're done!  Well, almost.  Sometimes weird formatting issues happen, so always double check your work.

Need help with in-text citations or more complicated citations?  Use the OWL!  It's super easy, and totally simple. This is also a really good time to make an appointment with a writing tutor to make sure your paper is totally perfect and all your citations are good to go.

Working on your Annotated Bibliography?  We can help!

An annotation is super simple - basically, it's a few sentences about the kind of source you're using.  Our friends at the OWL have some awesome, detailed tips!

An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following.

1. Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.

   For more help, see our handout on paraphrasing sources.

2. Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

   For more help, see our handouts on evaluating resources.

3. Reflect: Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

Your annotated bibliography may include some of these, all of these, or even others. If you're doing this for a class, you should get specific guidelines from your instructor.

Step-by Step:

1. Visit CQ Researcher, enter in your key terms and see what you find!
2. Head over to Opposing Viewpoints - Browse the Issues, enter your Keywords and see what you find!
   1. Notice the variety of DIFFERENT kinds of resources: Media, Newspapers, Academic
   2. Don't forget to copy and paste the citation from the Cite button
3. Head over to Article tab on the library's home page or Academic Search Complete - Enter your Keywords, click Full Text, Email your article to yourself, and copy the citation from the Cite button
4. Make an appointment with a super awesome Writing Tutor in the Center for Academic Support OR submit to Smarthinking (Academic tab in JWUlink, right hand side, under Tutoring)
5. Relax and watch the A++ roll in!