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ENG 1002-Robinson-English Composition II

Children's Literature: Organize

Organize & Strategize

  • Write down your topic
  • Brainstorm terms with the same meaning
  • Search for keywords, not sentences
    • Do: addiction alcoholism
    • Don't: What are the effects of alcoholism and addiction?
  • Group phrases
    • Do: "substance abuse"
  • Review descriptions/records of useful items for more search terms
  • Keep track of where you have searched and what keywords were helpful
  • Ask the experts for some help

Genre Studies & CHAT Key Terms

Genre Studies & CHAT Key Terms

CHAT

CHAT Map

CHAT (as genre research tool)

CHAT (cultural-historical activity theory) can be used as a genre research tool to investigate how genres are connected to the people, tools, and situations that influence texts produced in specific genres. When we use CHAT as a genre research tool, we are usually using CHAT terms to break down, name, and unpack otherwise invisible genre writing practices so that we can then more accurately describe the complex relationships between them.

Attribution: Genre Research Terms, ISU Writing Program

What are you searching for?

Library databases can be picky about the search terms you choose. Don't search by simply typing in a sentence!

In the following example, the highlighted words would be your search terms. 

  • What is the evolution of film adaptions of Shakespeare's Hamlet?
    • Evolution AND Film Adaption AND Shakespeare AND Hamlet
  • How Hayao Miyazaki influenced American animation?
    • Hayao Miyazaki AND "American animation"
  • Exploring how special effects were used in silent films.
    • "Special effects" AND "Silent Films"

Using Phrases to Search

For search terms that include multiple words, use quotes " " to keep the database from splitting up the phrase. "horror films" will search for the exact phrase "horror films."

Boolean Operators

Use the Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT to create search statements to enter in databases, SOAR, Google, et cetera. 

Examples:

  • College AND Technology AND Learning
  • (College OR Higher Learning OR University) AND (Technology OR Computers) AND (Learning OR Instruction)
  • (Technology AND Learning AND Elementary) NOT College
Truncation

Truncation allows you to search for multiple terms with the same root at once by using an asterisk:

  • Educat* = Educate, Education, Educational, Educator
  • Child* = Child, Children, Childish