At the top of your document, identify:
Your country – China
Your current research topic (for final paper)
The key words or themes that are central to what you are hoping to research and argue about (i.e. labor rights, water pollution, colonialism, gender, etc.)
Gather 8-10 academic, peer-reviewed sources with content relevant to your research topic and China. Peer-reviewed literature appears in academic journals. News articles are not peer-reviewed literature, and do not count for this assignment.
You can use the peer-reviewed academic sources that you referenced in your Letter to the Editor, but you must demonstrate that they are relevant to your final paper research topic as well.
At least 6 of your sources must be directly related to China. If you are not sure what counts as an academic source:
Please review these resources from the The Sweetland Writing Centers Beyond Plagiarism Program: How to Find and Use Academic Sources in Your Writing
You can use Ulrichsweb to determine whether the journal that your article comes from is peer-reviewed. Search the journal in Ulrichsweb. If the following symbol is next to the journal title, it is a peer-reviewed journal.
Properly cite them using your chosen citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago).
Beneath each citation, include a brief description (~100 words) that explains:
Summary (~1 sentence): A one-sentence summary offering the main argument of the article
For example: What does it focus on? Who is its audience?
Analysis (~2 sentences): Consider what the author is saying, and whether it is effective.
For example: What is interesting about the source? How strong is the argument? What gaps exist in the argument?
Reflection (~1-2 sentences): How it is relevant to/supports your research topic
For example: How does this article fit into your argument? How has this article shaped your thinking around this issue?
To build towards your final paper
To help you practice researching, and to organize your reading and research around your country and specific research topic
Should support you in developing research questions and a thesis statement!
