This guide will assist you in developing your research topic and subsequent paper for ENGLIT 1215: Pre-20th-Century American Literature.  It will also provide you with links to helpful sites, including PittCat, online databases, and online tutorials.

According to the Pitt-Greensburg program sheet for English literature, this discipline "emphasizes the development of sophisticated reading that incorporates a complex understanding of historical and cultural contexts."

• Develop a topic that asks a question or poses a problem that interests you.
• Select appropriate search terms for your subject. For example:
  • Native American
  • Virgin of Guadalupe
  • Mysticism
  • Pueblo Revolt
  • Anne Bradstreet
• Search PittCat and subject-oriented databases.
• Revise your topic. Determine how you will answer your question.
• Evaluate your resources carefully.
• Don't forget that you can always ask a librarian for help!

These two sample worksheets will help you to develop a search strategy and understand how to evaluate a scholarly journal article.