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    Introduction to Evaluating Sources

    September 30, 2022 / Leave a comment

    close up on the fore edges of a stack of books

    Introduction to Evaluating Sources

    Bateman, Dayna. “Research.” Photograph. Uploaded on November 25, 2006. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/suttonhoo22/305806118/. Creative Commons licensing info.

    In this module we’ll be thinking about how to evaluate the sources we find. The first step in evaluating a source is to identify what type of source it is, which can often help you to decide whether the source matches your information need. In this module, we’ll be working with some types of sources that you might find in a library database, such as newspaper articles, encyclopedia articles, journal articles, and e-books.

    Here is the outline for this module. All parts of this module are due on [due date].

    1. Identifying Source Types Mini Quiz (2 points)
    2. Evaluating Source Types Padlet Post (1 point)
    3. Matching Sources to Scenarios Group Padlet Posts (3 points)
    4. Reflection on Source Types Blog Post (4 points)

    Part 1 – Identifying Source Types Mini Quiz (2 points)

    The first activity in this module asks you to identify types of sources based on their citations in MLA format. You may want to do these optional activities first.

    Optional activities: Guides to MLA citation

    If you’re not familiar with MLA citation style, or if you need a refresher, we recommend the following video from from Santiago Canyon College which breaks down how to format a citation for a journal article according to MLA style. [This video refers to the older 8th edition of MLA, but the rules in the current edition (9th) are the same for journal article citations.]

    We also recommend looking at the following citation examples from Valencia College Library. We find their color-coded guide very useful and clear!

    Click here for Valencia College Library’s full MLA citation guide

    Required activity: mini-quiz

    For 2 points, fill out the mini quiz in the embedded form below, or access the mini quiz at this link. Take note of the correct answers (=which citation corresponds to which source type). You will need that information for the next activities in this module.

    If you would like to work out your answers on a worksheet before submitting the mini-quiz, you can download a copy of a worksheet below (this is optional and you will not submit this worksheet to us).

    identifying-and-evaluting-source-types-worksheet-optionalDownload

    Note to instructors: You can copy our Microsoft Form template for this activity.

    Part 2 – Evaluating Source Types Padlet Post (1 points)

    After identifying each source type in activity 3.1, click on the links below to open and skim each source (you do not need to read them in full for this exercise). All of these sources cover the topic of caffeine, but in different ways. Think about what characteristics make each source type distinct. Below we list the citations and links to the sources and a list of aspects to consider.

    Tech note: Most of these sources are behind a paywall and are available through the Hunter College Libraries. To access them, you will need to log in with your Hunter NetID.

    Citations List

    [Make sure you’ve correctly identified which citation corresponds to each source type. Refer back to your answers and corrections from the mini quiz in 3.1]

    1) Brody, Jane E. “Scientists See Dangers in Energy Drinks.” The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2011, p. D7. Nexis Uni, https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:522Y-F9F1-JBG3-62BT-00000-00&context=1516831.

    2) “Caffeine.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Jul. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/science/caffeine.

    3) Mednick, Sara C., et al. “Comparing the Benefits of Caffeine, Naps and Placebo on Verbal, Motor and Perceptual Memory.” Behavioural Brain Research, vol. 193, no. 1, 2008, pp. 79–86. Science Direct, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2008.04.028. 

    4) Preedy, Victor R, editor. Caffeine: Chemistry, Analysis, Function and Effects. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2012. https://pubs-rsc-org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/en/content/ebook/978-1-84973-367-0.

    5) Rippe, James M. “Caffeine.” Encyclopedia of Lifestyle Medicine & Health, edited by James M. Rippe, vol. 1, SAGE Reference, 2012, pp. 169-171. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX1959000064/GVRL?u=cuny_hunter&sid=GVRL&xid=e00cae1a.

    6) Urwin, Rosamund. “Count Me Out of This Caffeine-Addled Nightmare.” London Evening Standard [London, England], 12 July 2010, p. 15. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A231329356/ITOF?u=cuny_hunter&sid=ITOF&xid=7b1d23cb. 

    Criteria to think about

    • Authorship: Who writes this kind of source?
    • Audience: Is this written for the general public? For students? For professionals in a given field? Someone else?
    • Scope: Does the source cover the topic broadly or does it narrow the focus to 1 or 2 specific aspects?
    • Depth: Does the source go into detail about the topic, or does it only give an overview?
    • Originality: Does the source include original findings by the author/s, or does it report on the findings of others? Or both?
    • Novelty: Does the source report new information or information that has already been established? 
    • Language & Tone: Formal or informal? Impersonal or personal? Plain & simple language or jargon? Is the text understandable to a non-expert?
    • Purpose: Was this written to educate? To share new information or a new argument? To entertain? To persuade? To make a political argument? As cultural commentary? Something else?

    Full-class Padlet exercise – make 1 post

    On the Padlet below, make 1 post, following these instructions:

    • Post underneath a source type listing one characteristic of that source type (refer back to the criteria listed above for ideas). For example, under newspaper article (report), I might post “Newspaper articles are written for a general audience.”
    • Discuss only one characteristic in each post. (For example, do not post “Newspaper articles are written for a general audience and usually present new information” in a single comment)
    • Do not repeat something already listed in another post, unless you are disagreeing with or modifying what’s written in that post

    Once everyone in class has contributed to the Padlet, we should have a full grid summing up the ways in which each source type might cover the same topic in different ways. As a researcher or information seeker, this is something that will factor into your decision when choosing an appropriate source for your information need.

    Link to Part 2 Padlet.

    Note to instructors: If you have a Padlet account, you can recreate this Padlet, and all the others we’ve made.

    Part 3 – Matching Sources to Scenarios Group Padlet Posts (3 points)

    Now that you’ve thought about how different source types might cover a topic in different ways, it’s time to match these sources to an imagined scenario or task. This activity will be done in your assigned groups.

    Next, open your group’s Padlet in a new window and make 3 posts, following this instructions:

    • Create a post under a scenario listing which source from this module you’d use in that scenario
    • Each post should list both the title of the source and the type of source it is. (For example, “In this scenario, I would use the newspaper article ‘Scientists See Dangers in Energy Drinks’ because…”)
    • Each post should say why you think that that source is the most appropriate one for the task
    • Make sure to take into account not only which kind of source is useful in each scenario, but also whether this particular source is a match for the scenario. Would the information in that source really help answer your question in that scenario?

    Link to Part 3 Padlet.

    Note to instructors: If you have a Padlet account, you can recreate this Padlet, and all the others we’ve made.

    Orientation

    September 29, 2022 / Leave a comment

    A women holding a laptop stands between library bookshelves looking at the books.

    Orientation

    Hidalgo, Leo. “Research.” Photograph. February 26, 2015. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ileohidalgo/16702558912/. Creative Commons Licensing Information.

    Hunter College LIBR 100 students: If you are enrolled in a LIBR 100 course, this is NOT your course site. Your coursework is posted on a private version of this site. Please contact your professor(s) or check Blackboard for instructions on how to register for and access your section’s course site.

    Welcome to the orientation module! In this course, lessons (we call them “modules”) will be posted every week on Tuesday. This orientation module, which we’ve posted a few days early, is meant to familiarize you with the course syllabus, our course site, and some tools we will be using throughout the semester. We are asking you to do several activities using several different tools. We hope this is not too tedious! We do this so that you will be prepared to use these same tools in assignments later in the semester and won’t face frustrating technical difficulties at that point. While the work in Module 1 shouldn’t be too time consuming, please don’t wait until the last minute to complete it: allow yourself some time to work out any technical problems you might encounter.

    This module has 7 parts. Six of them require you to turn in something for points:

    1. Participate in an icebreaker activity using the Padlet tool (1 points)
    2. Fill out a student information form (2 points)
    3. Read the course syllabus and outline
    4. Use Hypothesis to ask a question about the syllabus (2 points)
    5. Set a goal for the course (1 points)
    6. Create a blog post about libraries and research (2 points)
    7. Submit a document via Dropbox (2 points)

    The work in this module is due on [due date].

    Nice to meet you! 

    -Your instructors

    Part 1 – Icebreaker Activity (1 point)

    This activity uses a tool called Padlet. You don’t need to have a Padlet account or log in to Padlet to create a post. To create a new post, just double click anywhere on the Padlet or click on the pink (+) symbol in the bottom right corner. Consult the Padlet help site for more details on how to make a Padlet post. Make sure you always write your name in your posts on Padlet so that we can give you credit for your work. Note that your posts on Padlet are always visible to everyone in this class.
    Instructions for this activity: 

    1. Post your name & a picture that represents you (it doesn’t have to be a picture of you) – or use the video option on Padlet to post a short video telling us a little bit about yourself. 
    2. Tell us something you’d like to share about yourself. 

    Note that your instructors have posted to introduce themselves, too!

    Link to Part 1 Padlet

    Note to instructors: If you have a Padlet account, you can recreate this Padlet, and all the others we’ve made. If not, these activities can be adapted to other formats.

    Part 2 – Student Information Form (2 points)

    Fill out the student information form with some basic information we’d like to know about you. What you type into this form is private and is visible only to the course instructors. 

    Note to instructors: you can duplicate this form using Microsoft forms.

    Part 3 – Read the Syllabus and Course Outline

    Click the following links or use the menu at the top of the site to view the Syllabus and the Course Outline. Please read them both to learn more about what we’ll be working on this semester, when deadlines will be, and how you will be graded.

    Part 4 – Use Hypothesis to Ask a Question about or Comment on the Syllabus or Course Outline (2 points)

    Hypothesis is open source software that you can use to highlight and annotate information on web sites, both privately and publicly. Later in this course, you will be using Hypothesis to comment on articles. Your comments will be visible only to your instructors and classmates in this course.

    For this module, please do the following:

    1. Sign up for a Hypothesis account. Please make sure your username includes your first and last name, so that we can identify your posts and give you credit.
    2. Once you have a Hypothesis account, join our course Hypothesis group [instructors: link here to your course Hypothesis group].
    3. Watch this video on how to use Hypothesis to highlight and annotate.
    4. (For 2 points) Use Hypothesis to leave a question or a comment on either the Syllabus or Course Outline, as demonstrated in the video. Be sure that you are commenting in the “[your course group name]” group, not publicly.

    Then navigate back here to the Orientation Module to finish the rest of the module.

    Part 5 – Set a Goal for the Course (1 point)

    Instructions for this activity: Take a moment to set a personal goal for this course, related to one or more of the course learning outcomes. Then, share your goal with the class on this Padlet. The 6 course learning outcomes from the syllabus are listed in the top row on this Padlet. Please post your goal in the column under the learning outcome you think your goal most relates to. Don’t forget to put your name in the post so we can give you credit!

    Link to Part 5 Padlet

    Note to instructors: If you have a Padlet account, you can recreate this Padlet, and all the others we’ve made. If not, these activities can be adapted to other formats.

    Module 1.6 – Blog Post about Libraries and Research (2 points)

    In this course we will occasionally ask you to create blog posts to share on this site. These blog posts are visible to everyone in the class. For this module, we ask you to post your answers to the following questions:

    1. How do you define the word “research” (in your own words)?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word “library?” What kind of associations–positive, negative, or neutral–do you have?

    For this blog post, there is no minimum word or sentence count, just create a post that answers those 2 questions. 

    Follow these instructions to create and publish a blog post. When you create this post, you can give it any title you like, but please select the category “Student Posts Module 1,” from the “categories” menu on the right side of the screen. That way your post will appear in the correct place on the site.

    Note to instructors:

    We teach this course in the CUNY Academic Commons, a WordPress-based site, and regularly assign blog posts so students in our asynchronous course can see and interact with each other’s work. These discussion questions can be adapted to various other formats, like Padlet or the discussion board in your learning manage system.

    Module 1.7 – Submit a document via Dropbox (2 points) 

    Later in this course you will need to be able to fill out Microsoft Word documents and upload them to Dropbox. Assignments that you submit via Dropbox are visible only to your professors. 

    We understand that Mac users and folks using mobile devices may not have ready access to Microsoft tools. To that end, you can use Microsoft Word on the computers on campus, or you can access it online on any computer by logging in to Microsoft Office 365 on the CUNY Technical Services site. 

    1.7.1

    Here’s a link to a view-only Microsoft Word document: Orientation Part 7.docx

    You will need to use your CUNY login to access it from this link. Please either download a copy to fill out, or make an online copy (go to File –> Save As –> Save a copy online).

    Save a copy with your answers labeled with your name and Module 1.7.

    1.7.2

    Next, we want you to submit this document via Dropbox. First, go to the CUNY Technical Services page, and click on “Log into Dropbox.” This step is important so that you can access the document again after submission, and see your instructors’ feedback.

    Once logged in to Dropbox, submit your document via Dropbox here [instructors: add Dropbox submission link here].