Project 1: Critical Analysis & Evaluation of Sources

This project will hone your skills for critically analyzing potential sources for your research, as well as helping you determine the reliability of sources and information used by others.

Today's information age places so much at our fingertips it is easy to get lost and misled. We've all seen TV or magazine ads making fantastic claims about the effectiveness of their product -- most of the time we laugh. But what if you're doing your research report and you find something like this article by Dr. Butz, which claims the Holocaust never happened? How can you tell if the information is reliable or a bunch of hooey?

Effective evaluation of any material, whether on the web or in print, is crucial to any claim or argument you make, whether in this class or in any other. An easy checklist to follow is the CARS approach by Robert Harris: Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, Support:

Summary of The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation

Credibility	trustworthy source, author’s credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source, a source that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.
Accuracy	up to date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect intentions of completeness and accuracy. Goal: a source that is correct today (not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.
Reasonableness	fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or slanted tone. Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably, concerned with the truth.
Support	listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied. Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that support it).

This assignment will give you the opportunity to develop some of the critical skills you will need in the next 2 papers, specifically those of analyzing and evaluating potential sources of supporting information. Your task is to choose an issue that you are considering using for your next paper – your Persuasion essay. The issue should be one that invites differences of opinion and which you feel strongly about. You might look through the headlines, in the evening newscasts, the readings from your text book, or the editorial section of the local newspaper for ideas, or rely on your earlier diagnostic writings.

Locate and select four (4) sources that address this issue and evaluate them using the criteria and skills we’ve covered in class. Your sources must consist of:

	One print article from a journal
	Two internet sources (one helpful, one less helpful)
	One book or essay from a book (it can be your textbook).

Your Rhetorical Purpose for this paper is to present your subject to readers (whom you may assume are interested in the topic but know less than you) and share with them your "research method" and theory. In other words, you will be "writing through" your critical thinking / reading process to demonstrate the ups and downs of the research process.

This assignment will consist of several steps:

Select your issue
Determine your criteria
Select your sources
Develop a Works Cited/Bibliography, using correct MLA/APA citation style
Write a 4-5 page paper organized according to your thesis and your criteria (these can be your paragraph topic sentences)

Paper Length: 4-5 pages

Pre-Writing Suggestions: Ask (and answer these questions thoroughly. The answers should appear in your essay in some shape or form.

	explain why you wish to cover this topic,
	why it is of interest to you (your authority),
	who else might be interested in it,
	what you've discovered about these sources,
	establish at least 3 (three) criteria you'll use as a basis for evaluating these sources (we'll discuss this more in class). They should be of importance to your audience as well.

Important Elements / Skills to be Applied:

	Summary: In order to clearly communicate to your readers what the main ideas of the essay are, you will need to summarize each source. What information does it contain? What is the thesis?
	Paraphrase: Remember that your audience has limited knowledge of the topic. If there are main ideas or concepts within the source that are difficult to understand, use your powers of paraphrase to clarify them for a reader who is less informed than you are.
	Analysis: Consider the target audience, credibility, tone, purpose, and approach of the source. Who is the target audience for the source? What is the purpose of the source? What is the significance of the source? Is the information given in the source documented? Is the source accurate (as best as you can determine)?
	Critique: Based on your analysis of the source, critique it for your reader. Who would find the source useful? What is most/least helpful about the source?
	Source Citations: Because you will be using quotations from your source, you should be able to document the sources correctly throughout the paper.

About Topics for the Papers:

You will have the opportunity in this semester to explore issues and subjects you are already interested in or perhaps want to learn more about. However -- I will ban all "teacher topics." You know the ones: abortion, gun control, death penalty, drinking age, legalizing drugs, euthanasia. The only exception I will make to this ban is if you can convince me that you have discovered a unique and thought-provoking approach to one of these subjects (and I do mean convince!). I will provide you with a list of possible topic ideas if you need it. I encourage you to take this opportunity to explore topics that will allow you to write 'academic' papers -- topics that are of wide concern -- or on some potentially debatable topics that are related to subjects you are already passionate about.

For example...are you interested in space travel, the International Space Station? Perhaps a position paper on how the money is being misspent to advance political interests rather than space exploration...or a problem/solution paper on how the program is faltering due to misplaced priorities. Try to 'think outside the box' on these issues. Look for angles you might not have considered before. How? Read widely and consider 'alternative' sources (but reliable, of course).