Home Teaching Guides Teaching CO130 Academic Writing Source Evaluation Worksheet

Introduction

Course Overview

Rationale for the Course

Goals for the Course

Portfolios - Overview

Unit 1: Personal and Academic Writing

Unit 2: Using Sources

Unit 3: Reflecting on Writing

Suggested Grading Breakdown

Suggested Weekly Outline

Suggested Text: "Frame Work"

Alternative Texts

Working with International Students

Writing Assignments

Unit 1

Portfolio 1

Unit 2 - Discourse Analysis

Unit 2 - Source Evaluation

Unit 2 - Position Paper

Unit 3

Teaching Materials

Detailed Syllabi

Worksheets

Workshops

Daily Prompts

Supplemental Readings

Portfolio Considerations

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Source Evaluation Worksheet

These are some of the issues you'll want to consider when gathering data for your source analysis. You'll want to read through the article at least once before beginning to answer these questions. After reading it once, you may want to read through again, either doing a "backwards outline" of the article (writing the main idea of each paragraph or section next to the paragraph) or summarizing it. Then, once you have a sense of the article as a whole, read and respond to the following questions.

Purpose/Context

1. What is the article's topic? What is the general subject area that it covers?

2. What is the purpose of the article? Is it to introduce a new idea, present research, make an argument, provide an overview on a topic, or something else entirely? How can you tell?

3. What is the article's thesis or main idea?

4. Who is the author of the article, and what do you know about him or her? What kind of authority does he or she have in this subject area?

Audience

1. Where is the article printed? What kind of periodical is it in? Is it an academic journal, a professional publication (for people in a particular field), or a popular magazine? Does the periodical suggest a particular kind of readership (gender, education level, political stance, professional interests, level of wealth, hobbies)? (Hint: All magazines, in some way or another, limit their readership to a particular "target group." To find out who that is, don't limit yourself to looking only at your article. Flip through the table of contents to see what else is printed in the periodical. Look at submission guidelines, advertisements, editorials and cartoons as well.)

2. Is the language technical (field-specific) or accessible to a more general readership? If technical terms are used, are they clearly explained?

3. Does the article include a works cited list or some other form of references?

4. Based on the information above, do you feel the target audience is or could be an academic one? Why or why not?

Organization/Development

1. How does the writer develop his or her ideas? Does the author compare or contrast? Use statistics or other numerical evidence? Use personal anecdotes? Develop by example? Appeal to authority (other sources) or to his or her own character/expertise? Describe a process? Evaluate?

2. Explain why the text is organized and developed the way it is. What does the writer do first, second, third. Why?

3. How credible do you think the means of support would be to an academic reader? Why?

Style

1. How would you characterize the tone of this article? Is it formal or informal? Is it humorous or serious? Do you detect any sarcasm or irony? How does the author's choice of tone function to promote his or her purpose?

2. Does the author refer to him or herself using the first person ("I")?

3. Is the style appropriate/compelling to an academic audience? Why or why not?

Evaluating