Research Topic Proposal

Writing a research topic proposal gives you the opportunity to map out your project and get feedback from your instructor to ensure you're on the right track from the beginning. 

Before you begin writing:

• Read your instructor's guidelines carefully.  Don't assume that you know the details of an assignment based on a brief overview in class or hearsay from your classmates.  If there are written guidelines for your assignment, read them completely--and ask your instructor about anything you do not understand--before you begin.
• Don't let emotion or personal bias overshadow your logic and evidence.  Be sure to support your claims with evidence from your research or from the original text rather than with your opinions.
• Remember your audience.  Keep in mind that your essay should be written using college-level research for a professional audience (your instructor).  Be careful not to condescend to your reader by making assumptions about his/her stance on your topic.
• Cite your sources.  If you make a statement that is not your own original thought or common knowledge (ex. "The sky is blue"), or reference other works directly, be sure to cite your source both in-text and at the end of your paper.

Library Databases

Videos

Websites

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Argumentative Essays

Know the ground rules before you begin your argumentative essay (or any assignment, for that matter).  Check out the information and resources below for help with topic selection, writing technique, and more.

Key points to remember:

• Read your instructor's guidelines carefully.  Don't assume that you know the details of an assignment based on a brief overview in class or hearsay from your classmates.  If there are written guidelines for your assignment, read them completely--and ask your instructor about anything you do not understand--before you begin.
• Organize your strategy according to the Toulmin Method, which includes:
  • Claim:  The overall thesis of the essay (argument for/against a topic)
  • Data:  The evidence gathered to support the claim
  • Warrant:  Explanations included for each piece of data relating how it connects to the claim (how data supports the thesis)
  • Counter argument & rebuttal:  States the opposing viewpoint and refutes it
  • Conclusion:  Summarizes and makes recommendations for action (This paragraph adapted from:  "Toulmin Argument" by The Online Writing Lab at Excelsior College, licensed under CC BY 4.0).
• Don't let emotion or personal bias overshadow your logic and evidence.  When choosing a topic, avoid picking one that you feel very strongly about.  Instead, consider choosing something about which you would like to learn more.  Also, when writing the body of your paper, be sure to support your claims with evidence from your research rather than with your opinions.  Avoid fallacies, or arguments based on poor/incorrect reasoning.
• Remember your audience.  Keep in mind that your essay should be written using college-level research for a professional audience (your instructor).  Be careful not to condescend to your reader by making assumptions about his/her stance on your topic.
• Cite your sources.  If you make a statement that is not your own original thought or common knowledge (ex. "The sky is blue"), or reference other works directly, be sure to cite your source both in-text and at the end of your paper.

Library Databases

Websites

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Annotated Bibliography

Before you begin writing:

• Read your instructor's guidelines carefully.  Don't assume that you know the details of an assignment based on a brief overview in class or hearsay from your classmates.  For example, be sure that you know what citation style to use.  If there are written guidelines for your assignment, read them completely--and ask your instructor about anything you do not understand--before you begin.
• Only include quality, relevant sources.  Review sources carefully before adding them to your annotated bibliography.  Make sure that they relate directly to your topic and that they contain useful, credible information.  
• Summarize your sources in your own words.  Don't take information directly from a source, as this is considered plagiarism.  Be sure to include important points from the source, but be careful not to make annotations too long by including unnecessary details.
• Remember your audience.  Keep in mind that your essay should be written using college-level language for a professional audience (your instructor).  
• Provide detailed evaluations (For more detail, see "Evaluating Sources: The C.R.A.A.P. Test ").  Provide reasons why you will, or will not, use each source for your research.  These reasons may include, but are not limited to:
  • Currency:  Does my instructor require sources to have been published after a certain date?  Is the information outdated?
  • Relevance:  Does the source relate to my topic?  Is it specific enough?
  • Authority:  Does the author have the credentials to show that they are an expert on this subject?  Is there an organization that sponsored this source, and if so, is it credible and reputable?
  • Accuracy:  Are there spelling/grammar/typographical errors?  Was it edited and published by professionals?
  • Purpose:  Is there bias or strong emotional language throughout the source?  Is it trying to sell you something?

eBooks

Library Databases

Websites

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Rhetorical Analysis

According to Merriam-Webster, rhetoric is defined primarily as "the art of speaking or writing effectively."  When you conduct a rhetorical analysis of a work, you are to evaluate the purpose or goal of the piece, as well as how well the author uses language to achieve this goal.

Key points to remember:

• Read your instructor's guidelines carefully.  Don't assume that you know the details of an assignment based on a brief overview in class or hearsay from your classmates.  If there are written guidelines for your assignment, read them completely--and ask your instructor about anything you do not understand--before you begin.
• Don't let emotion or personal bias overshadow your logic and evidence.  Be sure to support your claims with evidence from the text or outside sources rather than with your opinions.  Avoid fallacies, or arguments based on poor/incorrect reasoning.
• Convey one main idea per paragraph.  Ensuring that each paragraph has a strong topic sentence, and that the paragraph as a whole stays on point, helps you organize your thoughts and helps your reader understand your claims.  
• Remember your audience.  Keep in mind that your essay should be written using college-level language for a professional audience (your instructor).  
• Cite your sources.  If you make a statement that is not your own original thought or common knowledge (ex. "The sky is blue"), or reference other works directly, be sure to cite your source both in-text and at the end of your paper.  Do not wait until you have finished writing to go back and try to add citations, as this is extremely difficult and can result in plagiarism, no matter how good your intentions are.

Library Databases

Websites

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Career Report

Before you begin writing:

• Read your instructor's guidelines carefully.  Don't assume that you know the details of an assignment based on a brief overview in class or hearsay from your classmates.  If there are written guidelines for your assignment, read them completely--and ask your instructor about anything you do not understand--before you begin.
• Remember your audience.  Keep in mind that your essay should be written using college-level research for a professional audience (your instructor).  Be careful not to condescend to your reader by making assumptions about his/her stance on your topic.
• Cite your sources.  If you make a statement that is not your own original thought or common knowledge (ex. "The sky is blue"), or reference other works directly, be sure to cite your source both in-text and at the end of your paper.

Databases

Videos

Websites

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Literature Review

A literature review asks students to conduct research on a narrow topic to discover what current, scholarly sources have to say about it, and then present those findings within a cohesive report.  It should ask and answer, using scholarly sources, a central research question.

Before you begin writing:

• Read your instructor's guidelines carefully.  Don't assume that you know the details of an assignment based on a brief overview in class or hearsay from your classmates.  If there are written guidelines for your assignment, read them completely--and ask your instructor about anything you do not understand--before you begin.
• Not everything in a database is a "scholarly" article.  For this assignment, you need to ensure that the sources you use come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals.  Some databases contain a wide array of sources, including non-scholarly works (such as newspaper and magazine articles), so watch out.
• Don't let emotion or personal bias overshadow your logic and evidence.  This assignment should provide an overview of your findings from available literature on your topic, and should not be structured like an argument.
• Prewrite.  Using your notes to create an outline will give you a road map for writing your paper and will streamline the process.
• Remember your audience.  Keep in mind that your essay should be written using college-level research for a professional audience (your instructor).  Be careful not to condescend to your reader by making assumptions about his/her stance on your topic.
• Cite your sources.  If you make a statement that is not your own original thought or common knowledge (ex. "The sky is blue"), or reference other works directly, be sure to cite your source both in-text and at the end of your paper.

Library Databases

(Tip:  To find databases within a particular subject or field of study, check out the instructions under the How to Access Library Databases tab).

Videos

Websites

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Oral Interview Report

eBooks

Videos

“The Art of the Interview” (2008) (c) Films on Demand.

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Primary and Secondary Sources

Trying to figure out the difference between primary and secondary sources, and how to find them? 

Primary Sources

• First-hand data from researchers or accounts of direct witnesses
• Factual
• Original
• May include:  Original works of fiction, original research, journals, autobiographies, personal correspondence, interviews, photos, case studies, personal narratives, speeches, works of art

Secondary Sources

• Second-hand accounts or references
• Interpretive, analyzes prior research
• Often written long after the original research took place
• May include:  Commentary/reviews, biographies, history books & journal/newspaper articles written a long time after an event takes place

Note:  Some databases, such as SIRS Issues Researcher (pictured here) allow you to narrow your results to only primary sources using search limiters.

SIRS Issues Researcher source types, (c) Sarah Sowa, Mitchell Community College, all rights reserved.

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library main desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or email library@mitchellcc.edu.

Interlibrary Loan Request

So you've looked all over the library and you can't find what you need--now what?

Mitchell Library is able to borrow items from other institutions via Community College Libraries in North Carolina (CCLINC) using interlibrary loan.  This service is free to all library users*!

To request an item, fill out the Interlibrary Loan Request form, found both here and on the library homepage.  Be sure to fill out as much of the form as you can, as this will help ensure the correct item is requested.  A librarian will work to fill your request and will let you know when your item is ready for pick-up.

*Must have a valid student ID or MCC library card.

ILL FAQs

Q:  When will I get my book/other item?  How long will it take?

A.  That depends on many factors, including how far the item is traveling from its home institution, how long it takes to get a response from the library lending the materials, etc.  However, the majority of requested items arrive in a week or less.

Q:  What do I do with my ILL book when I'm done with it?  Do I need to mail it back to the lending library?

A:  No.  Simply drop the book off at any MCC library location, and your item(s) will be returned to the correct institution.

Q:  How long do I get to keep ILL items?

A:  Most ILL items are loaned for one month, which starts when the item is dropped into the mail by the lending institution.  Your library staff will stamp your item with its due date.  While all lending libraries do have the right to ask for their items back early, this rarely happens.

Q:  Can I renew ILL items?

A:  Yes.  Unless another student has requested that item, you can renew ILL materials.  Call or stop by any MCC library location, and our staff will be happy to assist you with renewals.  Just remember, all requests for renewals must be made before the item's original due date.

Q:  How many ILL items can I get at one time?

A:  Students can check out up to five items at once, including ILL items.

Q:  There's a book that I need, but it's "non-circulating."  Can you help me?

A:  Yes.  In many cases, a librarian can request scanned or photocopied pages of non-circulating books, which have been designated for library use only.  These may be sent in the form of a fax if only a few pages are needed, or may be scanned and emailed, or photocopied and sent via traditional mail if more than 10 pages are required.

Q:  What about journal articles?

A:  We can ask for digital or print copies of articles from other institutions, too!  If you find an article online that you cannot access, or that requires a paid subscription to view, ask you library staff to help you locate it for free.

Don't see what you're looking for?  Use the Need Help box on the left to contact your librarian, call the Huskins Library circulation desk at (704) 878-3271, contact the Mooresville campus library at (704) 978-1356, or visit the Mitchell Library homepage.