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Using Your Sources

Once you've located some reliable and relevant sources, now what?

The first thing you need to think of is your first paper. What points did you make in support of your thesis? Those points of support will all be expanded in this second version. As you are reading your sources (that is what you're doing, right?), look for information/ideas/points that support YOUR ideas. As you come to something in a source, highlight it, making a note about where it fits into your argument -- just like you did for paper #1.

As for integrating those points, that's where signal phrases come into play. Try to vary the way you introduce and integrate your sources. Remember too that the signal phrase and/or the parenthetical citations cross-reference the works cited page. The best site I've found for MLA documentation is from the Hacker Handbook:
Research and Documentation Online
As for beginning, you start with the file you saved for paper #1. Pull it up on the computer, with your *marked* sources around you, and start integrating them into your original paper. Once you have my comments on paper #1 you'll have more to go on. Right now, you should be reading the sources you have.
Sample Research Paper

IMPORTANT: DO NOT PANIC ~ GET STARTED NOW!

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