Welcome! This guide is provided for students taking LITR 201: Introduction to Science Fiction Research.
This course is designed to expose students to the genre of science fiction through a survey of some of the greatest short stories and novels of the genre. Students will explore the elements of science fiction through a study of form, them, character and technique and develop the critical reading skills necessary for independent literary analysis.
You may be required to write a research paper. If so, you will typically be expected to find a variety of sources to support your topic (articles published in magazines and journals, books about authors and their works, reliable websites, etc.). This guide points to resources which should help you on your way.
A good way to begin research is by getting some background information on your topic. Background information can be found both through web sites and reference books. Because there is such a wide variety of free web sites, if you use these sources to gain background information you will need to assess these sources for accuracy, authority and reliability. Meanwhile, most reference books have already been reviewed by experts and are therefore a bit more trustworthy.
These short videos contain simplified explanations of some of the most confusing aspects of doing university level research, especially if you're new to it.
**Note: They were created by two librarians at another university (Coastal Carolina in South Carolina), so just ignore the references to "Kimbel Library"--what they're saying applies here as well.
