bibliography   List of printed sources usually organized alphabetically by author last name. Student bibliographies consist of all of the works you referred to while drafting and writing the paper.

bookmark   Place on a browser (usually near the top) where you can click on any Web page that is on your screen to add the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to your list of bookmarks. A click on a bookmark brings you directly to the saved URL.

book review   Assignment where the principal task is to comment on the contents or on some aspect of the contents of a book.

browser   Computer application program that searches for specific pages on the World Wide Web It is usually the screen where you begin a Web search.

call number   Combination of letters and numbers assigned to a book to indicate its place on a library's shelves.

chatroom   Open forum on the World Wide Web where anyone can comment on current messages. Older messages are not preserved. To take part in more organized and recorded discussions, subscribe to a listserv

citation Documentation To cite something means to show the reader (in a footnote or an endnote) where you found particular. Be careful not to confuse cite with site, which is a place on the World Wide Web where information is located.

comparative book review   Review of two or more books (or essays or documents) that focuses on their areas of agreement and disagreement.

counterevidence   Information discovered in the course of your research that clearly disagrees with one or more of the main points of your theme Your paper needs to include an explanation of why the evidence that supports your theme is more convincing than the counterevidence.

database   Electronic information (documents, articles, statistics, pictures) organized for rapid search and retrieval by a computer. Databases are found both on CD-ROM discs and on the World Wide Web

documentation   See citation

draft   Preliminary outline or first attempt at writing an essay or paper. The same as a rough draft

endnote   Note citing a particular source or making a brief explanatory comment and placed at the end of the paper rather than at the bottom of a page.

footnote   Note citing a particular source or making a brief explanatory comment and placed at the bottom of a page rather than at the end of the paper.

historical novel   Book-length fictional story that takes place in a realistic historical setting.

home page   First or main page of a Web site It introduces the site and provides a series of links to other sites and to other parts of the same site.

index   Alphabetical list of topics and people mentioned in a book with the page numbers where they are discussed.

internal notation   Reference to a source that appears within the body of the text. Sometimes known as intertextual notation.

journal periodical publication containing scholarly articles. The term also can apply to magazines and newspapers.

keyword   Word or term that represents a central aspect of the topic being researched. Keywords are used to search online catalogs and electronic databases in libraries and on the World Wide Web

listserv   Type of email for subscribers who have a special interest in the topic of the list. Thousands of listservs on the World Wide Web are moderated or organized by someone who sorts the incoming messages by date and topic. Messages are preserved so that you may read previous exchanges between subscribers.

microfilm   Film containing a reduced-scale photographic record of printed or other graphic matter.

monograph   Scholarly study of a particular theme.

online catalog   Electronic list of the holdings of a library.

paraphrase   Restatement in your own words of a phrase or idea that you found in your research sources. When you paraphrase, be extra careful to footnote any ideas that you take from your sources.

peer review   Constructive examination of the written work of a student by another student.

plagiarism   Knowing or unknowing use of exact words or phrases from a source in your own work. Placing a footnote after the exact words does not remove the plagiarism, but putting quotation marks around all of the quoted words does.

primary documents   See primary sources

primary sources   Materials containing firsthand evidence of historical events, usually recorded by someone who participated in, witnessed, or lived through the event. Physical objects such as arrowheads, furniture, or documentary films can be primary sources. Your college transcript is a primary source that describes the history of your academic experience.

research bibliography   List of sources that may be needed to research a theme It contains all of the publication information needed to create a footnote or endnote for each source.

research outline   List of the parts of your theme that need to be researched and a tentative ordering of the parts.

research paper   Formal writing assignment on a specific theme that usually requires the reading and analyzing of primary and secondary sources. Each piece of information taken from sources must have a footnote or an endnote

rough draft   First version of a written assignment. It is revised and improved in later drafts. The same as a draft or first draft.

search engine   Software program that helps you to find Web pages containing specific search terms. A tool for navigating the World Wide Web

secondary sources   Materials contianing the research findings of someone who lived after the event being studied. A secondary source often relies on primary (as well as other secondary) sources.

theme   Particular part of a general topic that you have chosen or been assigned for research. A theme sets limits on the area to be investigated and the points that will be made.

thesis   Same as a theme some instructors ask students to begin their papers with a thesis statement– a clear statement of the principal point you intend to make in your paper. This online guide refers to the same goal by asking the student to begin their papers with a clear statement of their theme.

topic   General subject area chosen or assigned for preliminary research.

Web page or Web site   Specific location on the World Wide Web accessed by using a browser The address for a Web page is its Uniform Resource Locator(URL).

World Wide Web   Part of the Internet that uses hypertext markup language(HTML) to connect texts, images, and sound by means of embedded links.

writing outline   Framework for writing a research paper It serves as a guide in writing the rough draft of the paper.