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whelmed because there are so many interesting things that I would like to learn more about! After thinking about it for a little while, I narrowed my choices down to three-the influence of Henry VIII on 16th century politics, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the role of the Mayflower Compact on the making of the American Constitution. One of my favorite subjects to learn about is British history, especially the Tudor time period so my first though was to complete an extensive search on it. But, since I already had a pretty Einstein comprehensive understanding of the time period, I felt as though it would be better to research another topic that I was not so familiar with. Then, while watching American Experience on PBS, I thought that it would be interesting to thoroughly investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. As I began to seek out information on this topic with GALILEO, I was rewarded with quite a The Search Process few results. However, most of the articles that I There are certain steps to that need to be was able to locate were related to the fiftieth anundertaken when researching a topic. First, and niversary of President Kennedys death. Given foremost, you need to identify a topic. As I began that that was not really the information relevant think of what I would like to research, I was overAlbert Einstein once stated that If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? Researching a topic can be very rewarding for some but for others it can net inadequate results. But, in Georgia being able to research a topic was changed equivocally with the creation of a virtual library. In 1995, the University System of Georgia (USG) launched the visionary library as a way to provide equal access to informa- tion and to improve the quality of library services for all Georgians. The new resource was named GALILEO, Albert or Georgia Library Online Learning, and today it serves more than 2,000 institutions throughout the state. To assess the resources available through GALILEO, I deemed it necessary to research a topic to determine the strength of the databases within the virtual library.

If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?

to my topic, I decided that I would divert With a better understanding of the Maymy efforts into a different topic. flower Compact, I was able to proceed to About this time, I had been speaking the next step in the research processto my father about our family history. He finding books, periodical articles, rehad been researching an ancestor that lived cordings, videos, and other resources that in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the enable me to explain to others the impact middle of the 17th century. But, our conthat the Mayflower Compact had on the versation turned to a different direction creation of the Constitution of the United when we began discussing other ancestors States of America. For this step, I went who had lived in the colony. One of those back to GALILEO, typed in Mayflower Comancestors was William Brewster, a Separapact in the search, and clicked the search tist pastor, passenger on the Mayflower button. Within a few seconds, I was taken (along with his wife and two to a page with my results-all sons), and a signer of the May5,535. As I began to sort through flower Compact. Since this was my results, I realized that I an area of history that I was not needed to be more specific with as familiar with as Reformation what I was searching for because era England, and one that would I was only able to find a few artibe interesting to research becles that were from academic cause of my family connection, I journals. So, I refined my search considered the Mayflower Comresults to only include academic pact to be a topic worth delving journals which lessened my reinto for research purposes. sults to only 1,395 hits with artiThe next step in the recles presented to me that were search process after deciding more in line with what I was upon a topic is to locate backsearching for. After this, I went ground information on our topic. to the list of History Databases As a child, I was taught about the held within GALILEO to deterWilliam Brewster served as Mayflower and the Pilgrims. But, the religious leader in the Ply- mine if I would be able to locate to understand the Compact, I mouth Colony as well as an anymore articles to complete needed to find out more. I began advisor to Governor William my research needs. My first by locating primary sources from Bradford in addition to being stop within the was Academic this time in history. I was able to my 16th great grandfather. Search Complete where I was discover a copy of William Bradfords jourable to explore and discover a few renal that detailed the voyage of the Maysources. I then went to the Research Liflower from London to the New World as brary at Pro-Quest were I was pleasantly well as events that took place in the colony surprised to find many academic journal from 1620-1642. In addition, I located a articles that fit my research needs. After copy of the Mayflower Compact. While making use of these two general databases, these sources are invaluable, I still wanted I focused my attention on historical datato have a condensed article that explained bases. I first went to the History Reference the Compact. I went to the Encyclopedia Center which enabled me to find 13 viable Britannica and was able to have my need references. I then went to the Digital Pubsatisfied. lic Library of America where I was not able

A facsimile copy of the Mayflower Compact

find any new academic journal articles but I was able to locate many print books available for my use that pertained to my topic. The most interesting thing to me about this database was the fact that a scanned copy of original books are posted for anyone to use, including those that pertained to my search. At this point, I went back to the listing of historical databases available from GALILEO and began to determine if there were another others that would have the information that I was searching for. I found five more-America: History and Life, World History Collection, Early English Books Online, Early American Prints, and Humanities International Index. As I began to investigate these other databases, I noticed that I was not having much luck in locating articles that I had not previously located. In fact, I was not able to locate any resources with Early English Books Online or Early American Prints. Once I had obtained around 20 articles, I felt as though I was prepared to complete the next step in the research processevaluating the authority, usefulness, and reliability of the information that I had located. To do this, I had to determine whether or not the articles that I had collected were actually academic journal articles by a set of criteria. The criteria included the format of the article as well as the intended audience and the appearance of the article. As I began the weeding process, I became aware that fifteen out of the twenty met the criteria I had established and the fifteen articles were:

1. The Social Compact in American History from Generations 2. The Historical Origins of the Rule of Law in the American Constitutional Order from the Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy 3. Plimouth Plantation from American History Illustrated 4. American Aspirations and The Grounds of Hope from the Review Of Politics 5. The Mayflower Compact from the Proceedings Of The American Antiquarian Society 6. Religion and the Constitution from Humanist 7. Puritanism and Its Impact upon American Values from the Review Of European Studies 8. The Pilgrims Before Plymouth from The World & I 9. Why They Mattered: The Return of Politics to Puritan New England from Modern Intellectual History 10. Keepers of the New Covenant: The Puritan Legacy in American Constitutional Law from the Journal Of Catholic Legal Studies 11. Mayflower Compact and Family Compact from Beaver 12. The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth from the New England Quarterly

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13. Mayflower: A story of Courage, Community, and War from the Historical Journal of Massachusetts 14. What was the Mayflower Compact? from Sea History 15. Pilgrims' Progress from the Smithsonian The last step in the research process is to cite each resource that has been located. There are several ways to do this. The first is to use a print copy of a particular citation style guide like the MLA Style Guide, Chicago Manual of Style, or the APA Citation Style Guide. The second way to cite the sources used in the research process is to use a software program to generate the citation. There are several to use and the most popular are EasyBib, Citation Machine, and NoodleTools. The third way is to use the citation tool within the database you are using. Whichever way you choose, citing resources is one of the most important actions to make in the research process because credit must be given to the correct person. I was able to cite each resource that I discover and here is a glimpse of the complete list of journal articles: Achenbaum, W. (1998). The Social Compact In American History. Generations, 22(4), 15. Bowman, G. (1920). The Mayflower Com pact and its Signers. Retrieved from http://ia700202.us.archive.org/6/items/ mayflowercompact00bow/ mayflowercompact00bow.pdf Bradford, W. (2009). Of Plymouth Planta tion. Of Plymouth Plantation, 1. Bradford, W. (2009). The Voyage of the Mayflower. Voyage Of The Mayflower, 92.

Calabresi, S. G. (2004). The Historical Ori gins of the Rule of Law in the American Constitutional Order. Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy, 28(1), 273-280. Cullen, J. P. (1973). Plimouth Plantation. American History Illustrated, 8(1), 26-37. Hesburgh, T. M. (1976). American Aspira tions and The Grounds of Hope. Review Of Politics, 38(3), 423. Lord, A. (1920). The Mayflower Compact. Proceedings Of The American Antiquar ian Society, 30(2), 278-294. Lutz, D. S. (1988). The origins of American Constitutionalism / Donald S. Lutz. Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, c1988. Mansfield, B. (McManus) "Mrs. M. F. Mans field.". (1897). The Voyage of the May flower. New York: E.R. Herrick & co. Mason Crest, P. (2004). The Plymouth Col ony. Northern Colonies: The Quest For Religious Freedom (1600-1700), 22-35. Mayflower Compact. (2009). Mayflower Compact, 1. Mayflower Compact. (2013). In Encyclopae dia Britannica. Retrieved from http:// www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ topic/370977/Mayflower-Compact McKown, D. B. (1988). Religion and the Constitution. Humanist, 48(3), 13-46. Ning, K. (2009). Puritanism and Its Impact upon American Values. Review Of Euro pean Studies, 1(2), 148-151.

Olsen, E. P. (2003). The Pilgrims before Ply mouth. The World & I, 18(11), 114-123. Retrieved from http:// search.proquest.com/ docview/235838692?accountid=15017 Peterson, M. (2013). Why They Mattered: The Return of Politics to Puritan New England. Modern Intellectual History, 10 (3), 683. doi:10.1017/ S1479244313000267 Piar, D. F. (2010). KEEPERS OF THE NEW COVENANT: THE PURITAN LEGACY IN AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW. Jour nal Of Catholic Legal Studies, 49143. Raible, C. (1996). Mayflower compact & Family compact. Beaver, 76(1), 22. Rudd, A. G. (1951). The Birth of American ism. Vital Speeches Of The Day, 17(7), 223. Sargent, M. L. (1988). The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth. New Eng land Quarterly, 61(2), 233-251. Symington, T. (2007). Mayflower: A story of courage, community, and war. Historical Journal of Massachusetts, 35(1), 97-99. Retrieved from http:// search.proquest.com/ docview/233366466?accountid=15017 Tichenor, D. J., & Harris, R. A. (2010). A His tory of the U.S. Political System : Ideas, Interests, and Institutions. Santa Bar bara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. What was the Mayflower Compact?. (2010). Sea History, (133), 38-39.

Worrall, S. (2006). Pilgrims' Progress. Smithsonian, 37(8), 88-97. Conclusion The process of writing a research paper can be daunting for anyone. For some, the process is time consuming and because of that reeks havoc in their life. While for others, locating articles that are relevant to a topic may seem too difficult as well as citing those articles. However, writing a research paper does have positive aspects as well. In researching a particular topic, you are able to gain knowledge and understand it in a new light. Within the steps that I took in learning more about the Mayflower Compact and its impact on the Constitution of the United States, I was able to exercise researching skills that I had not used in some time. Thankfully, even though I was a little rusty, I was still able to delve into the topic and find enough information to be able to write a research paper. For anyone else who is in the throws of researching and writing a research paper, I would offer the following advice. Remember to: 1. Be creative! You need to be creative in your thinking and process development to build upon your knowledge of a subject. 2. Use your judgment wisely! Make sure that you evaluate the resources that you use effectively but also make sure to ask for help when you encounter an obstacle. 3. Communicate effectively! If you need help, ensure that you are informing your teacher or professor that you do. Also, make certain that you suc-

cessfully use your writing skills to make your point. 4. Be organized! Keeping well organized notes will enable to you create a well thought out paper because you will be able to locate information easily. 5. Be persistent! Remember not to give up even if it seems as though you are at a dead end. In research, there is always a new resource that will help you in your endeavors. Bibliography (Images)
Ferris, J. (2010, August 3). The Mayflower Compact [Illustration]. Retrieved from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:The_Mayflower_Compact_1620_cph.3g071 55.jpg Haywood, M. (n.d.). The Pilgrim Fathers' first landing 13 Nov 1620 [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.mayflowersteps.co.uk/ mayflower_index.html Holbein, H. (2013, April 21). Portrait of Henry VIII [Image]. Retrieved from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Workshop_of_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger _-_Portrait_of_Henry_VIII__Google_Art_Project.jpg Imaginary likeness of William Brewster [Image]. (2009, March 25). Retrieved from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:William_Brewster_cropped.png King Henry VII, by unknown artist [Image]. (2009, April 1). Retrieved from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:King_Henry_VII_from_NPG.jpg Mayflower Compact [Image]. (2008, August 19). Retrieved from http://www.ncmayflower.org/

mayflowercompact.htm Nov.22 Front Page [Photograph]. (2013, November 22). Retrieved from http:// www.dispatch.com/content/stories/ local/2013/10/30/jfk-newspapers.html

Bibliography For Research Process

Achenbaum, W. (1998). The Social Compact in American History. Generations, 22(4), 15. Bowman, G. (1920). The Mayflower Compact and its signers. Retrieved from http:// ia700202.us.archive.org/6/items/ mayflowercompact00bow/ mayflowercompact00bow.pdf Bradford, W. (2009). Of Plymouth Plantation. Of Plymouth Plantation, 1. Bradford, W. (2009). The voyage of the Mayflower. Voyage Of The Mayflower, 92. Calabresi, S. G. (2004). THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE RULE OF LAW IN THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER. Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy, 28(1), 273-280. Cullen, J. P. (1973). PLIMOUTH PLANTATION. American History Illustrated, 8(1), 26-37. Hesburgh, T. M. (1976). American Aspirations and The Grounds of Hope. Review Of Politics, 38(3), 423. Lord, A. (1920). THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT. Proceedings Of The American Antiquarian Society, 30(2), 278-294. Lutz, D. S. (1988). The origins of American constitutionalism / Donald S. Lutz. Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, c1988.

Mansfield, B. (McManus) "Mrs. M. F. Mansfield.". (1897). The voyage of the Mayflower. New York: E.R. Herrick & co.
Mason Crest, P. (2004). THE PLYMOUTH COLONY. Northern Colonies: The Quest For Religious Freedom (1600-1700), 22-35. Mayflower Compact. (2009). Mayflower Compact, 1. Mayflower Compact. (2013). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http:// www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ topic/370977/Mayflower-Compact McKown, D. B. (1988). Religion and the Constitution. Humanist, 48(3), 13-46. Ning, K. (2009). Puritanism and Its Impact upon American Values. Review Of European Studies, 1(2), 148-151. Olsen, E. P. (2003). The pilgrims before plymouth. The World & I, 18(11), 114-123. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/ docview/235838692?accountid=15017 PETERSON, M. (2013). WHY THEY MATTERED: THE RETURN OF POLITICS TO PURITAN NEW ENGLAND. Modern Intellectual History, 10(3), 683. doi:10.1017/S1479244313000267 Piar, D. F. (2010). KEEPERS OF THE NEW COVENANT: THE PURITAN LEGACY IN AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW. Journal Of Catholic Legal Studies, 49143. Raible, C. (1996). Mayflower compact & family compact. Beaver, 76(1), 22. Rudd, A. G. (1951). The Birth of Americanism. Vital Speeches Of The Day, 17(7), 223. Sargent, M. L. (1988). The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth. New England Quarterly, 61(2), 233-251.

Symington, T. (2007). Mayflower: A story of courage, community, and war. Historical Journal of Massachusetts, 35(1), 97-99. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/ docview/233366466?accountid=15017 Tichenor, D. J., & Harris, R. A. (2010). A History of the U.S. Political System : Ideas, Interests, and Institutions. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. What was the Mayflower Compact?. (2010). Sea History, (133), 38-39. Worrall, S. (2006). Pilgrims' Progress. Smithsonian, 37(8), 88-97.