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MWEng100 ReliablevsUnreliableSources

This document provides guidance on evaluating sources and creating Works Cited pages using MLA style. It discusses identifying author credentials and potential biases when evaluating sources. It also outlines the key components of a Works Cited page such as formatting, listing sources alphabetically by author's last name, and including necessary information for different source types. Students are directed to Purdue OWL for MLA guidelines and advised to double check citations for accuracy.

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jeanninestanko
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95 views

MWEng100 ReliablevsUnreliableSources

This document provides guidance on evaluating sources and creating Works Cited pages using MLA style. It discusses identifying author credentials and potential biases when evaluating sources. It also outlines the key components of a Works Cited page such as formatting, listing sources alphabetically by author's last name, and including necessary information for different source types. Students are directed to Purdue OWL for MLA guidelines and advised to double check citations for accuracy.

Uploaded by

jeanninestanko
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ENG 100BC

Evaluating Sources

Activity

Groups

Is the source reliable?

Give a brief reason

Write answers on board

There are 7 sources

What is bias?

Bias is an inclination of temperament or outlook to present or hold a partial


perspective, often accompanied by a refusal to even consider the possible
merits of alternative points of view.

one-sided

lacking a neutral viewpoint

not having an open mind.

Web Sources

Who placed this piece on the Web and why?


Each kind of website has a different purpose

.com

Commercial site

Purpose is to promote the view of a corporation or business

.org

Nonprofit organizations or advocacy groups

Purpose is
To

provide accurate, balanced information related to organizations mission work

To

promote political views

To

advocate a cause

.edu

Web Sources

Associated

with a college or university

Purpose

varies to include school promotion, strong


advocacy on student issues, objective and scholarly
research

.gov or .mil
Sponsored

by a government agency or military unit

Provide

basic data about government policy, bills in


Congress, economic forecasts, census data, etc.

Purpose

varies to include objective information or


promotion of agencys agenda

How should sources, specifically


web sources, be evaluated?

Authority

Objectivity

Coverage

Accuracy

Currency

Evaluating Sources

Authority
Is

the document author or site sponsor clearly identified?

Does

the site identify the occupation, position, education,


experience, or other credentials of the author?

Does

the home page or a clear link from the home page reveal
the authors or sponsors motivation for establishing the site?

Does

the site provide contact information for the author or


sponsor such as an email or organization address?

Evaluating Sources

Objectivity
Is

the sites purpose clear?

Is

the site explicit about declaring its


point of view?

Does

the site indicate whether the


author is affiliated with a specific
organization, institution, or association?

Does

the site indicate whether it is


directed toward a specific audience?

Evaluating Sources

Coverage
Are

the topics covered by the site clear?

Does

the site exhibit a suitable depth


and comprehensiveness for its purpose?

Is

sufficient evidence provided to


support the ideas and opinions
presented?

Evaluating Sources

Accuracy
Are
Do

the sources of information stated?

the facts appear to be accurate?

Can

you verify this information by


comparing this source with other
sources in the field?

Evaluating Sources

Currency
Are

dates included in the Web site?

Do

the dates apply to the material


itself, to its placement on the Web, or
to the time the site was last revised and
updated?

Is

the information current, or at least


still relevant, for the sites purpose? For
your purpose?

Define the term Peer Review

Highly prized concept in academia

Refers to rigorous and competitive selection process by which


scholarly manuscripts are chosen for publication

Judged on rigor and accuracy of research and significance and


value of argument

Activity Review

What is a Licensed Database?

Index articles appearing in thousands of


periodicals

Restricted to fee-paying customers

Cant be accessed through web search


engines
Academic

Search Complete (Ebsco)

LexisNexis

JSTOR

Web Sources

What is Google Scholar?


Attempts

to duplicate services of licensed


databases
Doesnt

make public names of journals it

indexes
Unsure

whether source is current or


thorough

Useful

substitute for researchers who dont


have access to online databases licensed by
university libraries

Complete AlleyCat activity

Tutorial worksheet available on Weebly

print completed worksheet

For Monday

Complete AlleCat

What is MLA?

Modern Language Association (1883)

Style most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within liberal arts
and humanities

Foundation for other styles such as APA


Not

every source type has a formula in APA; therefore, must refer to MLA
knowledge

Specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English


language in writing

Why use MLA?

Builds writers credibility by demonstrating accountability to source material

Provides writers with a system for referencing sources (uniformity)

Protects writers from accusations of plagiarism

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

turning in someone else's work as your own

copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation

changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit

copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether
you give credit or not

http://www.checkforplagiarism.net/plagiarism-consequences

What is a Works Cited page?

Alphabetical list of sources found at the end of a research-based essay

Entries are listed alphabetically by authors or editors last name or by the title
of the work if no author/editor is available

Author names are written last name, first name, middle name (or initials)
Burke,
Levy,

Kenneth

David M.

Wallace,

DO NOT list titles (Dr., Sir, Saint, etc.) or degrees (PhD, MA, DDS, etc.)
John

Smith, PhD appears as Smith, John

DO include suffixes (Jr., II., etc.)


Dr.

David Foster

Martin Luther King, Jr. appears as King, Martin Luther, Jr.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/

Works Cited page basics

One-inch margins, same header as rest of essay, double spaced (no extra
spaces between citations)
Works Cited (do not italicize, underline, bold, or put inside quotation marks)
centered at top of page

First line of each entry is NOT indented. The second and subsequent lines are
indented (hanging indent).
Page numbers are hyphenated, not separated by a dash
For every entry, indicate the medium of publication (Print, Web, Film, DVD)

URLs for Web entries are no longer required (instructor/publisher discretion)

<https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/>.

Use italics (do not underline) titles of larger works (books, magazines, etc).
If citing a source originally issued in print form but was retrieved from an
online database, type the online database name in italics

Works Cited page basics

It there is more than one entry per author, works are arranged alphabetically
by title

For second and all additional entries, type three hyphens and a period in
place of the authors name

Stanko, Jeannine. I Like Belly Dancing. Pittsburgh: Random, 2014. Print.

---. I Like Cats. Pittsburgh: Random, 2014. Print.

Electronic Sources

Author and/or editor names (if available)

Article name in quotation marks (if applicable)

Title of the Website, project, or book in italics. (Remember that some Print
publications have Web publications with slightly different names. They may,
for example, include the additional information or otherwise modified
information, like domain names [e.g. .com or .net].)

Any version numbers available, including revisions, posting dates, volumes, or


issue numbers.

Publisher information, including the publisher name (n.p. if unavailable) and


publishing date (n.d. if unavailble).

Take note of any page numbers (if not available n.pag.).

Medium of publication.

Date you accessed the material.

URL (if required, or for your own personal reference; MLA does not require a
URL).

How to create a Works Cited page

First, adhere to all of the basics as outlined in the previous slides

Second, determine the type of source (book, periodical, electronic source,


other [interview, lecture, visual art, film, audio, digital file) being cited

Third, find the appropriate formula to document the necessary information


of the source

OWL@Purdue https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/

Online Bib Generators - WARNING

Not always correct

Inaccurate information

Not up-to-date with current MLA

User error

MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE CHECK YOUR WORK FOR ERRORS

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