Article evalualtion | Education homework help
UNIV 104 article evaluation Assignment
Doing research is not for the faint of heart. It takes careful thought and planning, diligence, and a detective’s mindset. Carefully review Chapter 8 in your textbook before starting this assignment.
Locate > evaluate > use
This assignment will guide you through the steps of locating a credible source for a topic for a pretend paper. You will find an article, evaluate the article, and demonstrate that you can properly cite your article. You MUST use the Jerry Falwell Library for your research. Also, be sure to watch the videos that are integrated throughout the assignment as they will provide you with valuable information. All yellow boxes must be addressed, and don’t forget to sign your name at the bottom of the assignment.
STEP 1: Preparing to Search
Topic Selection
Mark your topic selection with an “X”
☐Time Management
☐Learning Preferences
☐Adult Learning Theory
☐Academic Integrity
Finding your Focus
It is important to define your topic by determining your focus and selecting keywords to help narrow your search. Otherwise, you will end up with millions of possible articles.
What specific aspect of this topic are you interested in researching?
Ex.: The topic of academic integrity can be narrowed to avoiding plagiarism, integrity in the online classroom, or cheat sites.
What are you hoping to find regarding your topic?
Determining Keywords – VIDEO TUTORIAL
List the three keywords or phrases that first come to mind to use as search terms.
Hint: The general term/phrase listed above should be included as one of your five keywords
List the keywords or phrases, separated by commas.
List four other synonyms or different phrases that you might also use in your search.
Consider using a thesaurus or finding keywords / phrases from the results of your initial searches
List synonyms or additional phrasing, again separated by commas.
STEP 2: Locating a Source
Now that you have focused your topic and determined your possible search terms, it is time to locate and evaluate an article for your pretend research paper. Don’t forget to use the Jerry Falwell Library.
Using the Library Databases – VIDEO TUTORIAL
Find a Database to use
· If you are familiar with the databases, choose one that is specific to your topic.
· If you are unfamiliar with the databases, try using a general one like Academic Search Complete or ProQuest Central
Enter name of database used here
Select one of your keywords and run a preliminary search.
How many sources did your initial search return?
Enter the number of results here
STOP!
Did you find thousands or millions of results? Even if your search only returned a couple thousand or a few hundred, that is too many to look through. You must work to narrow results to focus on the specific aspect of your topic. Your article must be relevant to your SPECIFIC topic; you don’t want just ANY article that mentions your broad topic.
Narrowing and Using Filters – VIDEO TUTORIAL
Each database offers various filters, usually on the left side of the screen. Adjust the date options to the last five years and check the box that returns full-text articles. Be sure to set your search parameters to look for peer-reviewed articles only, not e-books, newspapers, or videos.
List all filters and parameters that you used in your search
Try out some Boolean Operators or Wildcards. Hint – find search tips here.
Describe the tools that you used to limit your results
It is usually necessary to alter search terms. Try out a few different ones to see which is most efficient and relevant.
List your most effective search terms here
Continue to repeat your search, adjusting your search terms, tools, and parameters until you get a manageable number of results.
How many results did you have in your final, most narrowed search?
Enter the number of results from your FINAL search
~ Choose one relevant, focused article to use in your pretend paper~
What is the title of your article?
Article Name
What is the name of the journal in which your article was published?
Publication Name
Paste the permalink for this article in the box. Use this tutorial if you are unsure how to locate or create the permalink: http://www.liberty.edu/library/persistent-links-tutorial/
Enter the permalink here.
How does this article relate to your specific topic? Provide details.
Article’s relation to the overall topic
Step 3: Evaluating the Article
Evaluating Sources –VIDEO TUTORIAL
Currency
In what year was your article published?
Enter Year here
Is this a current article?
☐ Yes ☐ No
Why is it important that your source was published within the last 5 years?
Importance regarding article’s publication date
Author’s Credibility
Who is/are the author(s)?
Author(s)
How is/are the author(s) qualified to write this article? You may need to conduct a Google search to find out more about your author(s). Look at experience, education, etc.
Author’s or authors’ qualifications
Peer Review
What is peer-review and why is it important?
Define peer review and explain its importance
Is your article peer-reviewed?
How do you know?
☐ Yes ☐ No
Explain your response
Style
Does the article include references to other publications? If so, how many?
This information is often available on the article information page.
☐ Yes ☐ No
Enter # here
Is this a scholarly article or a popular article?
☐ Scholarly (journals, technical publication, etc.)
☐ Popular (magazine, trade journal, etc.)
Is the language technical and full of jargon or more general in nature? Provide an example (direct quote).
☐ Technical ☐ General
Provide a direct quote from the article proving its technical or general style
Objectivity
Do(es) the author(s) display any bias?
☐ Yes ☐ No
Explain your response.
Do(es) the author(s) address alternative viewpoints?
☐ Yes ☐ No
Explain your response.
Is the article objective or subjective?
Explain your response.
Summative Evaluation
Based on the answers above, would this be considered a credible, scholarly source that could work for your pretend paper?
Why or why not?
☐ Yes
☐ No
Explain why this article would or would not work for your pretend paper.
Using the Article
Avoiding plagiarism involves knowing how to properly cite any source information that is used inside your paper. Here is one of the best websites for APA formatting: Purdue OWL
In-Text Citation
Two things to know:
1. A signal phrase is necessary to distinguish between the writer’s thoughts and those of a source (utilized for direct quote, summary, or paraphrase). APA signal phrases use author’s last name(s), the year of publication, and past-tense verbs that should fit the context of the paper. Examples include:
A. As Smith (2004) concluded,
B. Johnson and Wales (2011) also asserted that
C. According to Stevens (2014),
2. APA requires that a page number be provided for all directly quoted material. It belongs in parenthesis after the quoted material but before the period. Examples include:
A. (p. 171).
B. (Smith, 2004, p. 171).
SAMPLE APA in-text use with signal phrase, quotation and ending citation:
Miars and Ford (2012) argued that “time management is one of the key foundations regarding student success” (p. 24).
Select a specific quotation from your selected article and show how you would integrate the quote into your paper using a signal phrase, proper punctuation, and APA in-text citation.
Create a signal phrase, properly write a direct quote, and end with an ending citation.
Reference Entry
In addition to properly citing sources within the paper, you must also properly cite the source on the Reference Page so others can confirm your research. The reference entry contains publication information for the entire article as well as a DOI (digital object identifier), permalink or database name to identify the retrieval source.
à SAMPLE APA reference citation with DOI:
Sagarin, B. J., & Lawler-Sagarin, K. A. (2005). Critically evaluating competing theories: An exercise based on the Kitty Genovese murder. Teaching of Psychology, 32(3), 167–169. https://doi.org/10.1207/ s15328023top3203_8
à SAMPLE APA reference citation without DOI:
Reitzes, D. C., & Mutran, E. J. (2004). The transition to retirement: Stages and factors that influence retirement adjustment. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 59(1), 63-84. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete
Create an APA reference entry for your selected article.
Note: Many databases have a “cite” function that will give you a good start to your entry, but be sure to double-check the details with proper APA formatting.
Additional help regarding APA citations can be found using the links at Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
Create the citation for this article using proper APA formatting
The above work was completed by the person whose name appears below: ☐ Yes ☐ No
Name: Enter Your Name Here. Date: Click or tap to enter a date.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 5.