Evaluating Sources:
- Skill 20.1 “Read sources rhetorically and take purposeful notes.”
- Skill 20.2 “Evaluate sources for reliability, credibility, angle of vision and degree of advocacy.”
- Skill 20.3 “Use your rhetorical knowledge to evaluate Web sources.”
Write:
1. Think about your topic and write up a list of keywords that you could use as search terms. (Review the “Search library databases like a pro!” video for help coming up with search terms.)
2. Use these search terms (one at a time or in combinations) on the FIU Library’s homepage to search for books in the library (using the “catalog” tab) or articles online (using the “articles” tab). If you want to do more specific searches, click “Research Tools” and then “A-Z Databases” to use the FIU Library’s databases, such as OmniFile, Academic OneFile, or one of the subject specific databases. If you want to keep searching, try Google Scholar (remember that you can connect Google Scholar to the FIU Library to get better search results. On the Google Scholar site, click “Settings,” then “Library Links,” then search for FIU.)
3. Once you’ve found a source that you think will help you answer your research question, save it, print it if you prefer, and read it, using the annotation strategies we’ve discussed in class and the methods in the readings above.
4. Post a step-by-step narrative description of your research process and source analysis to the “Research Process and Source Analysis” discussion board in Week Three, using the title of your source as the subject line of your post. Include the following information in your post:
A) Include the MLA citation for your source. See the “MLA Documentation” section of The Everyday Writer for guidelines and examples.
B) What search terms or key words did you use? Which database or search engine did you use? How did you use the tips from the video or the readings assigned so far? Did you have any difficulties? Explain.
C) What was your goal in reading this source? Why did you pick it to read for your exploratory essay?
D) What do you know about the purpose, audience, and genre of this source? What kind of publication does it come from? Who would be likely to read this piece? How does all of that affect your thinking about the source? (TIP: If you’re not sure how to answer some of these questions, try doing a Google search on the author or the name of the publication.)
E) What was the author’s purpose in writing this piece (to persuade? to inform?)? What, as far as you can tell, are the author’s values? What kinds of assumptions does the author make about his or her topic? How do these values and assumptions affect your reading of the piece?
F) What interesting problems does the source raise? Does it make you more perplexed than you were when you started reading, or has it helped you to answer your research question? Does the information in this source connect to anything else you’ve learned about your topic so far? How?
G) How have the readings from Chapters 19 and 20 contributed to your analysis of this source?
(i will send you the book pages or the book is “The Allyn&Bacon Guide to Writing” pages 667-679)