EN 12: Academic Research Essay
”Imagine Literary Theory as a pair of lenses through
which you view the text you are reading.”
Your Task: Apply a lens of literary criticism to one novel you have studied in Senior English, and write a 7-8 page
research-based synthesis essay.
Research Process:
1. Start by reviewing the list of literary criticism lenses to familiarize yourself with the topic.
2. Go to the list of databases and select one of the following recommended resources: Literary Reference Center, Academic Search Premier, EBSCO Secondary Suite.
3. Using search terms related to your criticism lens, locate 2-3 academic (peer-reviewed) articles about your novel of study.
Example: If you would like to study The Handmaid’s Tale through the feminism lens, you may type in the search terms “The Handmaid’s Tale and feminism” or “The Handmaid’s Tale and patriarchal”
4. Read the abstract (microscope icon) to determine the level of relevance and reading level. Ensure that the articles you select are peer-reviewed or under “Literary Criticism”, and follow the instructions to print in annotation format.
5. Use the “Guide to Annotating the Scholarly Article”, as an example of how to annotate your 2-3 articles.
6. At this point, you can conduct a more in-depth search using: 1) keywords obtained from the articles you have read, and 2) bibliography included in the articles.
7. Along with your essay, you will submit 5 annotated academic articles that are cited in your research paper for the final assessment.
1. Start by reviewing the list of literary criticism lenses to familiarize yourself with the topic.
2. Go to the list of databases and select one of the following recommended resources: Literary Reference Center, Academic Search Premier, EBSCO Secondary Suite.
3. Using search terms related to your criticism lens, locate 2-3 academic (peer-reviewed) articles about your novel of study.
Example: If you would like to study The Handmaid’s Tale through the feminism lens, you may type in the search terms “The Handmaid’s Tale and feminism” or “The Handmaid’s Tale and patriarchal”
4. Read the abstract (microscope icon) to determine the level of relevance and reading level. Ensure that the articles you select are peer-reviewed or under “Literary Criticism”, and follow the instructions to print in annotation format.
5. Use the “Guide to Annotating the Scholarly Article”, as an example of how to annotate your 2-3 articles.
6. At this point, you can conduct a more in-depth search using: 1) keywords obtained from the articles you have read, and 2) bibliography included in the articles.
7. Along with your essay, you will submit 5 annotated academic articles that are cited in your research paper for the final assessment.