Research literacy is more than simply typing search terms into Google and hitting enter. To do well in college, students need to know how to navigate through the enormous amounts of information available to them. "I found it on the Internet" could mean, after all, any personal webpage, any corporate site, any government website, any social networking site--and not all of these kinds of sources are equally valuable. And, although it's difficult to fathom, there is a vast amount of information available on printed pages that cannot be found "on the web." The student who knows how to find print information in the library stacks is substantially better prepared for the demands of college work than the student who relies on a search engine like Google.

For college level research credibility, students need to know how to navigate the world of academic resources: hard copy books and bound periodicals in the DuPont-Ball Library, electronic databases holding refereed journals and other periodicals, interview techniques and survey questions are all part of what "doing academic research" means.

EH 121 Research & Argumentation teaches students essential research skills, and it asks students to demonstrate those skills in a research project, usually conducted in the second half of the semester. Students write an 8-10 page argumentative essay, whose point is bolstered by research. We distinguish "the research project" from the other kinds of researched writing done in EH 121: although all credible college level writing requires some research, the research project gets special attention because without successfully completing it, students cannot pass EH 121--regardless of their performance in other elements of the course.

Students in EH 121 are expected to write a detailed research proposal, an annotated bibliography of sources, an initial draft, and a revised draft. Each instructor varies the course's specificresearch requirements to suit the individual class, but all of the EH 121 teachers expect the same quality of work.

Because we know how valuable research skills are in academic success, the DuPont-Ball Library and the English Department have created the Evans C. Johnson Research Prize for the best essay produced by a student in EH 121 Research & Argumentation.

t the close of each calendar year, each student who successfully completed EH 121 that year is eligible to submit his or her research project to the judging panel, composed of two Library faculty and a Stetson English faculty currently teaching EH 121. The judges evaluate each submission based on several criteria, uppermost being the depth and quality of the research.

Look for details to be published around campus, or ask your EH 121 teacher for more information.