ENGL102 Writing Rhetorically with Sources
ASSIGNMENT: Locating & Evaluating Sources Part I
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Overview
As I’ve written about elsewhere, most students see locating sources as a sort of tedious last step in the research process: you are either citing things so that nobody thinks you plagiarized or you are locating any sources you can find that will meet the required number of sources your teacher has asked you to find. The result is that students often jam in quotes wherever they can, even if they don’t entirely make sense. Sometimes students quote so much that the paper is mostly quotes and very little of their own writing. Sometimes the way students quote make very little sense in relation to the point the student seems to be trying to make.
I call this "quote loading," and I know what I’m talking about because for a very long time as a student that’s how I treated research. It was not until graduate school, when I really started to care about the research I was doing that I treated sources as an opportunity to learn more about my subject and to refine both the question I was asking and the answer I was going to argue for.
Details
For this second part of your project, you need to find between 5 and 7 sources that help you to answer your question. You will not need to cite all of the sources you locate, but I’m asking you to read and evaluate 5 to 7 so that you have some depth to your reading of your subject. This will also mean that you’ll be able to pick and choose which articles you actually quote in your paper. As you research, you might locate an article that does not help you. That’s okay. Real researchers often read an article that they think is going to work out, but then it doesn’t. But that’s not a waste. It’s just part of the process. This assignment gives you credit for locating an reading 5 to 7 sources, regardless of whether you end up using them in your final research report.
In order to fuflill the requirements of this assignment you must:
How you will be evaluated
The Locating & Evaluating Sources Part I is worth 10% of your final grade. In order to earn an “A” for that 10% of your grade, you must
In order to earn a “C” for this part of your final grade you must
If you do not meet the requirements for the “C” grade, you will earn an “F” for this portion of the class.
As I’ve written about elsewhere, most students see locating sources as a sort of tedious last step in the research process: you are either citing things so that nobody thinks you plagiarized or you are locating any sources you can find that will meet the required number of sources your teacher has asked you to find. The result is that students often jam in quotes wherever they can, even if they don’t entirely make sense. Sometimes students quote so much that the paper is mostly quotes and very little of their own writing. Sometimes the way students quote make very little sense in relation to the point the student seems to be trying to make.
I call this "quote loading," and I know what I’m talking about because for a very long time as a student that’s how I treated research. It was not until graduate school, when I really started to care about the research I was doing that I treated sources as an opportunity to learn more about my subject and to refine both the question I was asking and the answer I was going to argue for.
Details
For this second part of your project, you need to find between 5 and 7 sources that help you to answer your question. You will not need to cite all of the sources you locate, but I’m asking you to read and evaluate 5 to 7 so that you have some depth to your reading of your subject. This will also mean that you’ll be able to pick and choose which articles you actually quote in your paper. As you research, you might locate an article that does not help you. That’s okay. Real researchers often read an article that they think is going to work out, but then it doesn’t. But that’s not a waste. It’s just part of the process. This assignment gives you credit for locating an reading 5 to 7 sources, regardless of whether you end up using them in your final research report.
In order to fuflill the requirements of this assignment you must:
- Locate 5 to 7 articles or book chapters available to you. We will have one day in the library to locate sources with the help of a librarian. After that, you will need to seek out help when you need it on your own.
- For each of your articles, complete this annotated bibliography worksheet available by clicking on this link. One worksheet per article.
- Write a 750-1000 word reflection on what you've learned about your research topic from reading your bibliography. This is called a review of the literature. It is an important component of writing like a researcher. In your reflection, include the following information:
- Summarize what you've learned about your topic, indicate where your articles agree on information about your topic and indicate where your articles disagree on your topic
- Reflect on how this new information has affected your research question--how has it changed it, shaped it, influenced it?
- Reflect on how this new information has affected your tentative thesis, or your answer to your research question?
- What information do you still need to figure out or would like to figure out about your topic?
- The next part of our project involves qualitative research--surveys, interviews, case studies--how does the information that you've located so far affect how you are thinking about the next part of your research? What kind of qualitative research will help you to build your argument and answer your research question?
- Turn in your annotated bibliographies by the deadline for the class
How you will be evaluated
The Locating & Evaluating Sources Part I is worth 10% of your final grade. In order to earn an “A” for that 10% of your grade, you must
- Complete 5 to 7 annotated bibliography workshop worksheets completely
- Write a reflection that addresses all five of the bullet points identified above
- Turn in your completed worksheets with reflection by the due date.
- Complete the in-class project based on the reading "Student Debt is Transforming the American College Student" that you can find on our class syllabus for 14 February 2022.
- Complete at least 3 bibliography workshop worksheets
- Write a reflection that addresses all five of the bullet points identified above
- Turn in your completed worksheets with reflection by the due date.
- Complete any required discussion board posts related to this part of the assignment.
In order to earn a “C” for this part of your final grade you must
- Complete at least 2 bibliography workshop worksheets
- Write a reflection that addresses all five of the bullet points identified above
If you do not meet the requirements for the “C” grade, you will earn an “F” for this portion of the class.