English 10 / Unit 9: Literary Analysis and Research Writing
9.3 Research Questions and Sources
Notes
Research starts with a focused question.
- A good research question is open-ended and narrow: "How did Greek audiences view the role of fate in tragedy?" is better than "What is Greek theater?"
- Primary sources are original materials: a novel, a speech, a letter, a diary, an interview.
- Secondary sources analyze or interpret primary sources: a critic's essay, a biography, a textbook.
- Search using keywords and library databases, not just general web searches.
- Keep notes on every source's author, title, publisher and date for citing later.
Practice
Which is the best research question?
It is focused, open-ended and requires research.
A student studying the Gettysburg Address reads the text of the speech itself. This is a:
The original speech is a primary source.
A literary critic's article interpreting Antigone is a:
It analyzes the original work.
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