READ 105 - Analytical Reading Library Research Project

Read these directions carefully before you find your articles. Why? To understand which articles will be best. What will BEST look like? Articles that are:

1. relevant [on topic],
2. current [published recently enough to address the issue as it exists now]
3. authoritative,
4. contain enough facts and points of view to satisfy the task requirements.

More about evaluating sources.

Introduction

The purpose of this assignment is to synthesize the skills you have learned this semester and to show mastery of the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) as delineated in our Course Outline. Specifically, students will show evidence of proficiency of the skills below.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of research skills by using the college’s library database or the Internet.

2. Apply reading strategies (such as highlighting, annotating, determining the thesis of an article, paraphrasing, and summarizing) and demonstrate comprehension of articles to gain a broader understanding of contemporary concerns of American society.

3. Use critical thinking skills to identify and respond to author’s viewpoints, worldview, and tone and distinguish facts from opinions.

4. Evaluate the credibility and reliability of sources.

5. Use the information learned from the research to write an original thesis and response that is supported with evidence from the researched article.

General Directions

1. Find one recent article about your topic using the Westchester Community College library subscription databases or Internet. Your article must be approved by the instructor prior to answering Parts II through X.

2. Preview the article to be sure that it is relevant to your topic.

3. Critically read, highlight, annotate or take notes for your article.

4. Follow the assignment outline below to complete this project.

5. Use complete sentences to answer all questions.

Assignment Outline

Use complete sentences or paragraphs to answer the questions.

I. Response prior to research

After you have chosen the question that you would like to research, but before you begin your

research, decide how you feel and what you think about the question. Write a

well-developed paragraph in which you explain your original ideas about the topic. Your

paragraph should start with a main idea sentence and should contain three reasons for your

opinion. This part of the project will be collected before you begin your research.

II. Evaluating sources

After you have chosen your article, answer the following questions about the article.

A. What is the URL?

B. Is the author qualified to write this article? How do you know?

C. Does the author or source of the information have a bias?

D. How current is the site? What is the date of the article?

E. How would you determine if this information is accurate?

III. Style of Writing

Identify the style of writing for your article and explain your answer.

IV. Patterns of Organization

Identify the major pattern of organization of your article and explain your answer. Include a definition of the pattern and at least one specific example.

V. Facts

Quote two (2) facts from the article using proper MLA in-line citation format. Explain why you have chosen this information as a fact.

VI. Opinions

Quote two (2) opinions from the article using proper MLA in-line citation format. Explain why you have chosen this information as an opinion.

VII. Outlining or Summarizing

Write a brief outline or summary for your article that includes the topic, thesis, and major details of the article that you read.

VIII. Response to the Question

Develop a clear, specific thesis statement that answers the research question that you have chosen. Explain if your thesis is similar or different to your original thoughts about this research question. Then support your thesis statement with explanations and evidence that you have learned from the article that you used for research. Your response should be written in two or three well-developed paragraphs and reflect a clear understanding of the research question. Be sure to refer to the article as you explain how you have reached your conclusion.

IX. Works Cited Page

Obtain a Citation Format Guide from the library webpage. Follow the format used for citing electronic sources from the MLA Citation Format Guide to cite the article you used for this project. Pay close attention to the section on URLs.