Based on your assignment guidelines, as you start thinking about your topic and how to start digging into your research, consider the following:
This stage of your research is very informal: Google or maybe even (gasp) Wikipedia are sufficient to feel out ideas, because both are very user-friendly and don't require you to have a specific grasp of your search terms yet.
Remember to jot down KEYWORDS! They are extremely useful when searching the library databases!
Although the state of the American Dream actually is an explicit topic of research, that's not the only search term to try! What are aspects of the American Dream (or obstacles to it) that you could search for? See examples below:
The LSC Libraries offer dozens of databases covering all of the major disciplines.
Full text not available? If we don't have the full-text article available through our databases, do not despair! You can request articles through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Often a PDF of the article you need can be emailed to you within days.
Thesis statements...
Specific
Contestable
Narrow
Provable
When conducting research, it is important to be able to distinguish between a primary source and a secondary source.
Scholarly articles are also called peer-reviewed or refereed articles. They are written and reviewed by experts in a field prior to publication. They often to present new, original research.
Pros:
Cons: