Approach Steps 6 and 7 as a source evaluation to be accomplished in the spirit of an annotated bibliography. Unlike an annotated bibliography, the goal is not necessarily to locate exclusively good sources. Rather the goal is to acquire the skills to explain why sources are good or not good.
1) Place a heading at the top of your page to include:
- Your Name
- Course Title
- Professor’s Name
- Assignment Title
- Today’s Date
2) Name your topic. For example, Iron Work. (See Step 1 if you have forgotten your topic.)
3) Paste or type your citations from Step 3.
- Incorporate all feedback from your professor on Step 3 to bring your citations in line with Chicago Style.
- Ensure that they are in alphabetical order.
- Format as single-spaced with hanging indentation. (See Step 3 for a review of hanging-indentation instructions.)
4) Format your work. Below each citation (single space), indent the first line and double space your evaluations as shown here.
Carney, Judith. “Landscapes of Technology transfer: Rice Cultivation and African Continuities.” Technology and Culture 37, no. 1 (January 1, 1996): 5-35.
doi:10.2307/3107200
In her 1996 article, Judith Carney argues that the technology behind rice cultivation in what would become the southeastern United States originated in African expertise and developed with both European and African innovation.
5) Compose your evaluations for each source in narrative paragraphs. Refer to the attached example. (If you have any problems with this link, please email your professor for a copy of the example.
Each evaluation will be at least 150-250 words and will include 9 items:
Item 1: Author Background – What are the author’s credentials? Where does the author work? Does the author have other publications by credible publishers? Is the author affiliated with a respected organization?
Item 2: Publishing Organization Background – Is the publisher a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal? Is the publisher an academic press? Is the publisher a website cited by respected sources? Is the site affiliated with a respected organization?
Item 3: Thesis / Argument – Use your professor’s feedback on Step 4 – What does the author argue? Identify the thesis by completing this statement: The author argues that _____. This will help ensure that you capture the thesis.
Item 4: Main Points – In 2-3 sentences, briefly note the main points. These will usually appear as supports for the thesis.
Item 5: Evidence – What evidence does the author use? Is this evidence credible?
Item 6: Degree of Bias – Use your professor’s feedback on Step 5 – How biased is this source? Does the author acknowledge and explain their bias? What are the author’s goals? Who is the intended audience? These questions will help you in determining bias.
Item 7: Accuracy – Use lateral reading as addressed in Step 2 to determine how accurate the source appears to be. You might not be able to determine this authoritatively if the topic is not well covered online. If that is the case, include a statement to that effect.
Item 8: Comparison to Other Sources – History is a discussion, so what general trends do you see in your sources? For example, are there key areas of agreement or disagreement? Is one source more biased than the other? Or do you find generally balanced approaches in your sources? Do both of your sources share the same assumptions? Are there new approaches to old evidence? You do not have to answer all of these questions for this item. These questions should serve as a guide for how to address this item fully.
Item 9: Assessment of Suitability for Academic Research – State your assessment of quality clearly by choosing is or is not and completing this statement: This source is / is not suitable for academic research because _____.
You may find the evaluation criteria provided by the UMGC Library useful.
6) Use the rubric at the end of Submit Your Assignment as a checklist while you work and again before you turn it in.
Note: If your article has an abstract, do not copy and paste it as your own work. That would be a violation of your Academic Integrity Pledge. Instead read the article and produce your own answers to the above items. You may certainly use the abstract to guide your work.
Assignments must be submitted as a Word document. This means that the file name will end in .doc or .docx as in the following example: Johnson_Step_6.doc
7) When you have completed and proofread your work, submit your work for feedback and grading as a .doc or .docx.
