In this part of the Literary Analysis Research project, you will decide how to use the source material you have discovered.

• Using at least three credible sources you have discovered:
 
o Write a three-to five-paragraph background section. Add it to your paper. You will probably have to rewrite your paper to some extent to make the argument flow smoothly with this new information.
AND/OR
 
o You may also choose to enhance existing paragraphs with quotations or references from the background information.
• Consult the following resources listed under the Course Resources heading on the home page of this course:
 
How to quote from a literary text or outside sources
Using APA Style to cite a literary source
Avoiding plagiarism in literary papers

• REFLECT ON THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Answer these questions:

1. Did you decide to add an additional section of background material? Reflect on how this will help your own readers better understand the poem or story you are discussing.

2. Did you decide to add opinions from outside sources to your own opinions as you wrote the middle paragraphs of your paper, giving evidence/examples for your ideas about the poem or story? Reflect on how this will better help your own reader understand the poem or story you are discussing.

3. Reflect on the types of outside sources you found and were able to use. Which proved to be the most valuable, and why?

4. Check back through your paper to make sure that you actually developed and enhanced your own ideas through the use of these outside sources. Remember: they should not "show off" your hunt for sources, and they should never replace your own ideas.