Helpful hints for Writing a Research Paper:
See Topics 
See page discussing MLA Format (i.e. using proper header, etc. )
See page listing more general hints for a Critical Response Paper 
 

• Again, remember that this is a critical response paper, not a personal response paper.

It is also an argument paper, not a report paper.  Do not provide a history of the War of the Roses or a biography of William Shakespeare .  You may, however, analyze specific works by Shakespeare and explain the ways in which they demonstrate characteristics associated with period.
• Please!! Avoid making comparisons to Present Day Society !!! Such comparisons almost never have a basis in actual textual analysis !!

• Avoid plot summary!  Use quotes from only those sections of the text immediately relevant to your discussion!
• Use past tense to discuss historical or biographical events, but present tense when discussing literature.

• Be very careful when making references to the class textbook.  For example, Christopher Marlowe is the author of Faustus.  Stephen Greenblatt is the general editor of the text in which Faustus appears.
• Sample Entry:
• Marlowe, Christopher.  The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.  The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Major Authors, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 10th ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton, 2019, pp. 514-49.
  
• (Note: Obviously, the various bullet points would not be included in the Works Cited page.)
• Do Not Number the Entries in a Works Cited.
• When citing verse, use slashes to show line breaks and cite by line (or act.scene.line for plays).
• Avoid plagiarism !!  See Policy 
• On a related note, please be very selective about the sources you utilize from the internet. The ideal sources are those found on jstor.org or the Literature Resource Center or MLA Bibliography--essays that have been previously published in journals or books and are now available online.
• Avoid the Following Sites!! These are not acceptable sources (and this is not a complete list, but you should get the idea) !!!
• www.wikipedia.org
  
• www.bookrags.com
• www.bookwolf.com
• www.courseworkbank.co.uk
• www.directessays.com
• www.english-literature.org
• www.enotes.com
• www.exampleessays.com
• www.free-cliffnotes.com
• www.gradesaver.com
• www.literatureclassics.com
• www.needfreeessays.com
• www.netessays.net
• www.novelguide.com
• www.pinkmonkey.com
• www.planetpapers.com
• www.sparknotes.com

• Use Spell Check!
  

Other Mechanical Issues:

• Do not use a cover page!
  
• Use only one edition of your primary source.  If you wish to refer to an editor's introduction to another edition, cite by the editor's name.
• Be sure to use quotation marks for titles of shorter works, such as poems and short stories, and italics for titles of longer works, such as plays, epic poems and novels.
• Do not rely too heavily on secondary sources.  The number of citations to your primary source should be roughly equivalent to the total number of references to all of your secondary sources combined.
• Do not use secondary source material to summarize plot or quote from the primary source.
• Make sure it is clear whose ideas you are presenting. If Critic A is quoting Critic B, and you use the quote, your citation should say (qtd. in Critic A #). The #, of course, refers to the page number in Critic A's text.
• Avoid unnecessary changes to quotes.  Instead of saying, "Wollstonecraft describes, '[She] felt hopeless' (24)," say, "Wollstonecraft describes that she 'felt hopeless' (24)."
• Avoid using direct quotes in either your introduction or conclusion.  Discussion in these two paragraphs should be more general.


• Do not use quotes as the subjects of sentences:  The quote "---------" (29) shows that. . .   or  "-----------" (87) means that . . .
• Don't use "in which" when you mean "that."
• Don't use "that" when you mean "who" (i.e. when referring to people)
• Do not use "how" if you mean "that."
  
• Do not refer to the reader or the audience or discuss what the author "is trying to do."
• Maintain a formal, academic tone.
  
• Avoid using first or second person point of view. In other words, do not suggest that "We can see what Shakespeare means" or "You can tell how he feels about Othello."
• Use present tense to discuss literature!

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Possible Research Paper Topics:

English 201: Character Analyses of Main Characters in one of the works Portrayal of the Heroic Code in Beowulf and/or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Allegory in The Faerie Queene Religion in The Faerie Queene Dialogue between Marlowe and Ralegh Knowledge in Faustus Temptation in Faustus The Character of Satan in Paradise Lost Conventions of Epic Poetry in Paradise Lost Portrayal of God in Paradise Lost Satire in "Mac Flecknoe" Satire in Gulliver's Travels Race and Colonialism in Oroonoko Gender in Oroonoko Religion and Morality in Oroonoko Portrayal of Women in The Rape of the Lock The Rape of the Lock as Mock-Epic Characteristics of the Graveyard School in Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" and "On the Death of a Favorite Cat" The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauduh Equiano and the Slave Narrative Genre Identity in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauduh Equiano

English 202: Contrasting Portrayals of Similar Subjects in Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience Biblical Imagery in "The Rime of Ancient Mariner" Characteristics of the Lyrical Ballads (as per Preface) in Coleridge's Ancient Mariner or Wordsworth's poems from the collection Representations of the Gothic in Coleridge Justice: Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner", Stevenson, Conrad Isolated Figures: Ancient Mariner, Byronic Heroes, Jekyll/Hyde, Marlowe/ Kurtz Relationship between Human and Nature:  Blake, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Conrad, Yeats, Thomas Theories of Poetry/Literature: Wordsworth, P. Shelley, Arnold, Eliot, Orwell Use of Folklore/Mythology: P. Shelley, Keats, Tennyson, C. Rossetti Position of Women: C. Rossetti, E. B. Browning, R. Browning Figure of the Victorian Englishman: Wilde, Stevenson, R. Browning, Tennyson Figure of the Poet: Coleridge, Shelley, Keats Views of Childhood: Blake, Wordsworth, Thomas Abolitionist portrayal of Africans: E. B. Browning Race and Imperialism: Kipling, Conrad, Walcott Interpersonal Relationships/Alienation: Eliot, Lawrence, Joyce, Thomas