Transcript Slide 1
LIR 10: Week 2
Thesis Questions,
Citing, Evaluating and Annotating Sources
Class Announcements
Reader: check next week!
No class 2/19
Classroom food/drink rules
This Week’s Class:
From Topics to Thesis
Statements/Research Questions
Citing Sources
Evaluating information
Creating annotations for the final project
From “Topic” to Thesis
Statement
Research Topics
Topic selection:
Specific topic = ease of research
Focused
Eliminate off-topic sources
Even topics selected by instructors can be
“tweaked” for easier research
Good Research Topics
Two (or more) elements
Thesis = Topic + Specific Assertion
Good Research Topics
Thesis = Topic + Specific Assertion
Reading students + effect of
reading dog program
Clash + influence on music
Google + privacy & China policy
Steroids + Congressional hearings
Is a thesis statement or
research question required?
Ask your instructor!
(Can be helpful even if not required.)
Creating Thesis and Topic Statements or
Research Questions
Thesis statement:
One or two sentence
statement articulating
purpose
Defines, topic and
may indicate point of
view
Research Question:
All of the above,
plus…
Articulates research
topic in question form
Strong thesis/topic questions
Justifies discussion
One idea, direction for research
Specific
Roadmap for research and writing
Strong thesis statements?
Needs Improvement
New and Improved!
“Hansel and Gretel” by The Brothers Grimm
the Brothers Grimm is
sought to improve
one of the greatest
health education for
classic fairy tales.
their public through
fairy tales. “Hansel
and Gretel” reflects
their growing concern
over the highcarbohydrate diets
common in late 19th
century Germany.
Strong research questions?
Needs Improvement
New and Improved!
Does “Hansel and
Gretel” reflect the
health concerns of the
Brothers Grimm?
Given the Brothers
Grimm commitment
to health education
through fairy tales,
how does “Hansel
and Gretel”
demonstrate their
concern with the
high carbohydrate
diet of Germans in
the late 19th
century?
If your Thesis Question Can be
answered by a simple “yes or
“no”…
Keep working!
An effective thesis statement
or research question…
creates keywords for searching
Material in Reader…
(Excellent site for more information)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/thesis.html
Thesis Statement/Research
Question… Homework for
Next Week
Citations: Path to Sources
Citation styles: what the heck?
MLA vs. APA
APA
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/apa.pdf
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/apa-databases.pdf
Avoiding plagiarism by citing
correctly
Avoid Plagiarism!
Using someone else's ideas without giving
credit
Representing someone else’s ideas as your
own
…either on purpose or through carelessness
What Content Should Be Credited?
Information, ideas
Paragraphs or sentences
Distinct phrases
Statistics, research, artwork, etc.
Who Should Be Credited?
Published writers of books, articles
Internet sources
Another student at SRJC or elsewhere
Keeping track of sources: notecards
Author(s)
Title of article (periodicals)
Title of book, periodical or website
Date of publication
Place of publication (books)
URL (websites)
MLA Format Handouts
online versions
General sources:
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/mla.pdf
Electronic sources
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/mladatabases.pdf
Citation Elements: Basic Bibliographic
Information (refer to this chart while we continue)
Books
Periodical
Internet
Author(s)
Author(s)
Author(s)
“Article title” (if
needed)
“Article title”
“Page title”
Book title
Periodical title
Website title
Place of Publication:
Publisher
Publisher/
Organization
Date
Date of periodical Date created or updated
Page numbers (if
needed)
Vol.issue:page
number
Date accessed
<URL>
Author’s Name
Person/persons responsible for source
Last name first (except for additional
authors)
Don’t include credentials (not on notes)
Electronic sources: may not be
available
Use handout or MLA Handbook for
exceptions
Author Examples
Nope:
Filkins, Jean, M.S.L.I.S.
Yep:
Filkins, Jean.
Filkins, Jean and Kitty,
Hello.
Filkins, Jean and Hello
Kitty.
“Article Title” (in quotes)
Name of:
Encyclopedia article
Essay
Book chapter, section
Newspaper, magazine article
Web page, part of a web site
If using the whole book or website or
alphabetical entry, article title is unnecessary
Article Title Examples
Nope:
"This Is Where I
Belong"-Identity,
Social Class, and
the Nostalgic
Englishness of Ray
Davies and the
Kinks
Yep:
"This Is Where I Belong:
Identity, Social Class,
and the Nostalgic
Englishness of Ray
Davies and the
Kinks.”
Title of Resource (underlined)
Title of:
Book, Anthology, Encyclopedia
Journal
Newspaper
Website
Edition (if needed)
Number of volumes (if needed)
Title of Resource Examples
Nope:
“The Journal of Popular
Culture”
Yep:
Journal of Popular
Culture
Publication Information
Place of Publication (books)
City, sometimes state
“Major” cities don’t need state added
If adding state, use postal code
Publisher’s name (simply!)
Publisher Examples
Nope:
Hello Kitty Publishers,
Inc. Santa Rosa.
Yep:
Santa Rosa, CA: Hello
Kitty.
Date of Publication
Book
Year
If many, use most
recent
Magazine
Date: day month year
Journal
Volume.Issue (year)
Newspaper
Include edition
Website
Last date updated
Online source
Date accessed
Where do you find all that
stuff?
The book’s cover?
Nope!
Where do you find this stuff?
Book title page:
Author
Publisher
Place of publication
Title page verso (back of title page)
Date of publication
The title page!
Title of the book
Subtitle of the book
Authors of the book
Publisher of the book
Place of publication
The verso (back of the title page)…
Date of publication
CIP data, ignore!
For Periodicals
Publication
Information
Title
Authors
For Online Periodicals
Publication
Information
Title
Authors
Works Cited Format Notes
Alphabetize by first item
Usually Author’s last name
Double space
Hanging Indent
Indent 5 spaces after first line
Can be set on in Word
Works Cited Format Notes
Item not available? Leave blank
Sentence punctuation
Period after each section!
Dates = day month, year
Remove hyperlinks! (See example)
When you understand the
pattern…
It’s not such a mystery!
The pattern:
Author
Title
Publication information
Basic Book Citation Model (see Reader)
Author’s name (Last name, First name). “Article Title (if
needed).” Book Title. Ed. Editor’s name (first name
first, if needed). Place of publication: Publisher, Date.
first-last (page numbers, if needed).
Reference Resource Model (See Reader)
Author (last name first). “Article Title.”
Encyclopedia or Resource Title,
Ed. First name, last name if needed.
Place of publication: Publisher,
date. First-last (page numbers not
needed if alphabetical).
In-class Exercise
Crazy Mixed-Up Citations
Groups of 3-4
Use mixed-up examples
Create well-ordered citations
Present to class!
Example
Mixed-Up
1991
Cynthia Heimel
Grove Press
New York
If You Can’t Live
Without Me, Why
Aren’t You Dead
Yet?
Correct
Heimel, Cynthia. If
You Can’t Live
Without Me, Why
Aren’t You Dead
Yet? New York:
Grove, 1991.
Group 1 Presentation: Book
Are We Having
Fun Yet?
Dutton
New York
Bill Griffith
1985
Griffith, Bill.
Are We Having
Fun Yet?
New York:
Dutton,
1985
Group 2 Website
<http://hiyakitty.com>
November 2,
2006
Hello Kitty
Central
Sanrio, Inc.
Hello Kitty Central.
2 Nov. 2006
Sanrio, Inc.
31 Jan. 2007
<http://hiyakitty.com>.
Group 3: Magazine Article
Mama Mia: Please
Get This Song Out of
My Head
James Kellaris
Psychology Today
December 12, 2003
Pages 18-22
• Kellaris, James
“Mama Mia: Please
Get This Song Out of
My Head.”
Psychology Today
• 12 Dec. 2003:
• 18-23.
Group 4: Journal Article
WHEN DOES HUMOR
ENHANCE OR INHIBIT
AD RESPONSES?
James Kellaris
Thomas Cline
Moses Altsheck
Journal of Advertising
Research
Fall
2003.Vol.32, Iss. 3; pg. 3
1, 15 pgs
Group 5 Encyclopedia Article
Encyclopaedia of Film
Oxford University
Press
2003
Alfred Hitchcock
Leslie Halliwell
(editor)
London
“Alfred Hitchcock.”
ed. Leslie Halliwell.
Encyclopaedia of Film
London:
Oxford University
Press,
2003.
Evaluating Sources
Why bother?
Knowledgeable perspective
Discern between reliable &
questionable information
Hone in on useful information
Internet environment
Evaluating Sources… the Basics
Let’s recap:
Primary or secondary resource?
Popular or scholarly? (new!)
Objective or Subjective?
Primary
Or Secondary?
Primary Sources Review
First-hand accounts or direct sources
“the horses mouth”
Lecture notes note!
“Pack on My Back”
Example of a Primary Source
“I jumped out of bed and pulled on my pants.
Everybody in the house was trying to save as
much as possible.
“I tied my clothes in a sheet. With my clothes
under my arm and my pack on my back, I left the
house with the rest of the family. Everybody was
running north. People were carrying all kinds of
crazy things. A woman was carrying a pot of
soup, which was spilling all over her dress.”
Citing Electronic Primary Sources
Citation example in Reader
How to Cite Electronic Primary Sources from the Library of
Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/start/cite/index.html
Use the general MLA format for non-electronic sources:
http://www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/mla.pdf
Secondary sources… Review
Interpretations or reviews of research
Represents majority of sources
Example of a Secondary Source: History
of the Great Chicago Fire
Upward of 500 families were fleeing from the
seeming wrath to come. The streets were
almost impassable…
Example of a Secondary Source: History
of the Great Chicago Fire
Then the fire reached over the street, and
while that terrible southwestern wind
howled onward… Then it got into the
lumber yards and into the railroad shops,
and the round houses were soon wrapped
ill its dead embrace.
Citation examples in class Reader
Popular
Or Scholarly?
Popular Sources
Intended for general audiences, not experts
Scholarly Resources
Audience with background in the field
In-depth treatment of specific aspect of topic
Popular vs. Scholarly
Colino, Stacey. “Six Surprising Reasons
You're Not Losing
Weight.” Redbook Jan 2005: 44-46
Abstract: Colino explores six reasons
of weight gain despite best efforts
to lose it. Among others,
researchers from Deakin
University in Australia found that
people who watched between one
and two-and-a-half hours of TV
per day were 93 percent more
likely to be overweight than those
who watched less than an hour
per day.
Dunstan, D., Salmon, J., Owen, N., Armstrong, T. et al.
“Physical Activity and Television Viewing in Relation
to Risk of Undiagnosed Abnormal Glucose
Metabolism in Adults.” Diabetes
Care. 27.11 (2004): 2603-10
Abstract: Dunstan et. all seek to
assess the associations of
physical activity time and
television time with risk of
"undiagnosed" abnormal glucose
metabolism in Australian adults.
Their findings suggest a protective
effect of physical activity and a
deleterious effect of television time
on the risk of abnormal glucose
metabolism in adults. Population
strategies to reduce risk of
abnormal glucose metabolism
should focus on reducing
sedentary behaviors and
increasing physical activity.
Scholarly sources…
appropriate for college papers!
Objective
Or Subjective?
Objective Information Review
Factual, undistorted by emotion or
personal bias
Subjective Information Review
Conclusions based on personal opinions,
background
Evaluating Sources
The Next Level
Criteria for Evaluating All Sources:
START (The Fab Five)
Scope/Coverage
Treatment/Reliability
Authority
Relevancy
Timeliness/Currency
Strategies for Evaluating
Scope/Coverage:
What’s it all about… what’s covered?
Table of contents
Index
Intended audience?
Broad overview of topic or specific
subtopic?
Graphics, tables, statistical information?
Chapters (books), sections (articles),
pages (website)
Scope/Coverage Example:
Whitby Museum James Cook Web Site
•Excellent site for Cook’s early days
•Coverage does not include his famous voyages
Strategies for Evaluating:
Treatment/Reliability
A toughie!
Sources cited?
Complete bibliography?
Statistics, references cited?
Information valid and well-researched or
questionable, unsupported by evidence?
“An Expert”?
Demand more from your sources!
Another example, from the same
questionable source…
Expert identified!
Brisbane College of Zoological Studies
Dr.George McDevlin
Unfortunately, neither one seems to exist
Evaluating: Authority
Author’s background:
Expert in his/her field?
Specific credentials, degrees in the subject?
Training, education, experience in field?
Other works by author in field?
Publisher a known publishing house,
university press, professional
organization?
Strategies for Evaluating: Authority
Where to find information about an author:
Periodicals
At end or beginning of article text
Contributor’s page
Click on author’s name in online database
Books
Book jacket, introduction or notes
Check online databases
Online search
Website
“About Us” information
Check linking pages: Alexa
Evaluating Authority
Example, for a source about Seasonal
Affective Disorder:
Joe Schmo has a PhD. in Environmental Psychology
from Really Big University. His research in the area of
S.A.D. began in 1982. His published works include
the books Rain, Rain Go Away and Stormy Weather.
He is currently an instructor at Small But
Prestigious University and provides commentary on
the Weather Channel.
Authority Example
FactCheck.org - Annenberg Political Fact Check
•Unusually detailed “About Us” section
•Includes information about site, funding, staff
Strategies for Evaluating: Relevancy
Answers your questions?
Fills your information need?
Right kind of source for project?
Parameters of your project
If not, pick another source
Strategies for Evaluating:
Timeliness/Currency
Age of information?
Up-to-date for topic?
New discoveries, or related events taken place?
Does it matter?
Topic changing quickly or fairly stable, requiring
more background information?
Science, health, politics vs. humanities
Timeliness/Currency Example
http://www.bartleby.com/107/pages/page1292.html
Interesting source, but not appropriate for current information!
In-Class Worksheet
Evaluating an Information Source
Evaluation Exercise
Names:
Groups of 3-4:
Include your names!
Review source,
complete worksheet
Name of your source:
Type of Source (circle one):
Book or Periodical
If book, Circulating or Reference
Primary or Secondary
Subject or Objective or Contains Both
Authority/Reliability
Information about the source:
Academic / University Press?
Organization / Intuitional Press?
Commercial publisher?
Information in the source:
Information about the author’s background?
Information about the author’s experience in the field?
Information about the author’s affiliation (professional, educational)?
Is there a Bibliography (book) or list of sources used (article)?
Comprehensiveness
Does the source offer a broad overview or a topic, or concern a specific subsection?
Is it a summary of other work or present new research?
Currency
What is the date of publication?
Can you tell when the research was done?
Is there statistical data? What is the date of the statistical source?
Relevancy
When would you use this source? (You may circle more than one kind of project)
Speech
Debate
Research Assignment
Argumentative Essay Short Paper
Homework for Next Week
Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Sources:
Establishing Points of View
Points of View
Very difficult to eliminate from human
communication
Points of View
Examples:
Bias
Spin
Intent of Source
Commercial?
Persuasion?
Doesn’t necessarily mean
information is faulty
Not “quid pro quo”
Rather, a factor or indicator
Bias: From Both Sides
Reader/Viewer/Listener:
Preference or
inclination inhibiting
impartial judgment
Partiality preventing
objective consideration
of issue
Information source:
Author’s opinion or
point of view that may
influence the
presentation or content
of information source
…easier to spot when you disagree!
Spin
From pbs.org:
“The particular interpretation or emphasis
applied to information… to enhance the
public image of, or to minimize political
damage to, a politician.”
Applies to organizations, groups
Generally used to sway public opinion
Uses “selective” evidence/facts to support
How to Evaluate Information
Validity
For fun and profit
Evaluating for Information Validity:
Facts: check multiple sources
Data: check source, methodology
Research results
Read methodology carefully
Examine data
Graphics
Photographs?
Tables, charts, etc.
Check the Research:
From: Gender and the Internet by Hiroshi
Ono and Madeline Zavodny
Social Science Quarterly, March 2003.
Check the Research:
“Objective: This article examines whether
there are differences in men's and
women's use of the Internet and whether
any such gender gaps have changed in
recent years.”
Methods: We use data from several
surveys during the period 1997-2001 to
show trends in Internet usage…
What would you check next?
Check the Research
“We use several data sets [from] different
points in time during… 1997-2001.”
“Multiple data sets… give a more complete
picture of Internet usage patterns; each
survey asks slightly different questions
about Internet activities.”
Identifies surveys
Check the Research, cont.
“Results: Women were significantly less likely
than men to use the Internet at all in the mid1990s, but this gender gap in being online
disappeared by 2000. However, once online,
women remain less frequent and less intense
users of the Internet.”
Concepts unclear? Check definition and
measurement method
Though it takes time…
this kind of detective work
provides details for your annotations
Annotations:
They Make Life Worth Living
General Guidelines for Annotations
In your Reader and online…
http://online.santarosa.edu/homepage/jfilkins/annotations.html
What is an Annotated Bibliography?
List of citations to books, articles and
documents (e.g. sources)
Followed by brief (200-250 words) descriptive
and evaluative paragraph: the annotation
Informs reader of the relevance, accuracy,
and quality of sources cited
Annotations vs. Abstracts
Abstracts:
Annotations:
Purely descriptive
summaries often
found at the
beginning of scholarly
journal articles or in
periodical indexes
Descriptive and
critical
Expose the author's
point of view, authority
Evaluate reliability,
timeliness of
information
Relevance to your
research
Before Writing Your Annotation
Locate books,
periodicals,
documents
Sources should
support all aspects of
your topic
Examine and review,
choose works that
provide a variety of
perspectives on your
topic
Before Writing Your Annotation
Books:
Not necessary to read in entirety
Read or use scanning technique
Periodical and Internet sources:
Must be read completely
No newspaper articles or book reviews
Cite each book, article or document using
MLA style
Now you’re ready to write your
annotation!
Writing Annotations
A ten step program
Annotation Workshop
Don’t write a review!
1. Using separate piece of
paper, write down 5
criteria:
Scope/Coverage
Treatment/Reliability
Authority
Relevancy
Timeliness/Currency
Annotation Workshop: No Reviews!
2. Leave space below each
of the criteria
3. As you read source, jot
down impressions under
each heading
4. Do more research if
necessary (especially
regarding authority)
5. Read source again,
develop your ideas
Annotation Workshop: No Reviews!
6. Start writing your annotation:
7. Make each criteria is
covered completely
8. Proofread for errors
9. Double check citation format
10. Check the final project
format for spacing, indents,
etc.
Homework for Next Week
Library tour
Thesis Statement/ Research Question
Worksheet
Evaluating Information Sources sheet