Touchstone 2.1: Evaluate a Source
ASSIGNMENT: For this essay, you will select one of the sources you have found through your preliminary research about your research topic. Which source you choose is up to you; however, it should be a source you intend to use in your argument. It should also be substantial enough that you will be able to talk about it at length, and intricate enough that it will keep you (and your reader) interested. Once you have chosen a source, you will write a 2-3 page (500-750 word) essay in which you evaluate the source on two levels:
- Credibility: Using the information in this unit as a guide, evaluate the source’s authenticity and reliability.
- Usefulness: Using a combination of summary and analysis, discuss how the source will help to support your argument.
Sample Touchstone 2.1
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.
A. Directions
Step 1: Write Introduction
The introduction of this paper will involve introducing the source. Provide the author, the title, and the context (where you found the source, where it was originally published, who sponsored it, etc.). Recall that a thesis statement states your position and an overview of your reasons. For this assignment, include a thesis statement stating your position on the source’s credibility and usefulness.
Step 2: Evaluate Sources
You will then go on to evaluate the source on two levels:
- Credibility (at least one paragraph): Using the information in this unit as a guide, evaluate the source’s authenticity and reliability. Look at all the information that you can find about the source to establish the author’s (or sponsor’s) trustworthiness. Among others, you might consider the following questions: Did the author cite or name their own sources? Do you see the author’s credentials? Is the source of publication (website, journal, etc.) a reputable source? Is the position of this source in line with other sources you’ve read?
- Usefulness (at least one paragraph): Using a combination of summary and analysis, discuss how the source will help to support your argument. Determine what the source’s purpose (thesis) is, and how it arrives at that goal. Examine its value to you and the project you are working on. How will it help you prove your own points? How does it address your research question? How might it come in handy to back up a claim (or address a counter-claim)? Are there any special features in this source? For example, does it use visuals or graphs? Is it current?
Step 3: Write Conclusion
Finally, you will include a conclusion that shows your final assessments on both counts.
Step 4. Reflection Questions
Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
- What types of questions did you ask yourself when evaluating the credibility and usefulness of your source? (2-3 sentences)
- How do you feel this evaluation practice will help you as you continue to move through the research process? (2-3 sentences)
Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
Source Identification and Thesis
❒ Have you provided the author’s name?
❒ Have you provided the source title?
❒ Have you provided the context (where you found the source, where it was originally published, who sponsored it, etc.)?
❒ Have you provided a clear thesis statement with sufficient support?
Evidence and Analysis
❒ Have you stated your position on the source’s credibility?
❒ Have you used specific examples from the source to illustrate your position on credibility?
❒ Have you provided a position on the source’s usefulness?
❒ Have you used specific examples from the source to illustrate your position on usefulness?
Organization
❒ Did you include an engaging introduction with background information and a clear thesis statement?
❒ Did you include a body paragraph or paragraphs addressing the source’s credibility?
❒ Did you include a body paragraph or paragraphs addressing the source’s usefulness?
❒ Did you include a conclusion with a compelling closing thought?
Conventions
❒ Have you double-checked for correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, and capitalization?
❒ Have you proofread to find and correct typos?
Reflection
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
Before You Submit
❒ Have you included your name, date, and course in the top left corner of the page?
❒ Is your essay between 500 and 750 words in length (2-3 pages)?
B. Rubric
| Advanced (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Acceptable (75%) | Needs Improvement (50%) | Non-Performance (0%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Thesis Statement Provide a clear thesis statement with sufficient support. (20%) |
The thesis statement states a clear position on credibility and usefulness, and includes clearly stated and compelling reasons for the position. | The thesis statement states a clear position on credibility and usefulness and includes some indication of the reasons for that position. | The thesis statement does not state a clear position on credibility or usefulness or it may be unstated or unclear. | The thesis statement consists of an identifiable main idea, but it is not not well supported or does not match most of essay’s content. | The thesis statement is missing or completely
Note: Full answer to this question is available after purchase.
|
|
Evidence and Analysis Evaluate a single source based on the characteristics of credibility and usefulness. (40%) |
The analysis includes specific examples from the text as support; claims for credibility and usefulness are fully developed. | The analysis includes examples from the text as support; claims for credibility and usefulness are adequately developed. | The analysis includes some examples from the text, though they are potentially vague or abstract; claims for credibility and usefulness are established but need further development. | The analysis includes one or two examples from the text, but they are of a vague, abstract nature; claims for either credibility or usefulness are missing. | The analysis includes little to no examples for support; there are no established claims for either credibility or usefulness. |
|
Organization Exhibit competent organizational writing techniques. (10%) |
Presents all of the required components of a source evaluation essay, including an engaging introduction with background information and a clear thesis statement, a body paragraph or paragraphs addressing the source’s credibility, a body paragraph or paragraphs addressing the source’s usefulness, and a conclusion with a compelling closing thought. | Presents all of the required components of a source evaluation essay, including an introduction with background information and a clear thesis statement, a body paragraph or paragraphs addressing the source’s credibility, a body paragraph or paragraphs addressing the source’s usefulness, and a conclusion with a compelling closing thought. | Presents nearly all of the required components of a source evaluation essay; however, one component is missing. | Presents most of the required components of a source evaluation essay, but is lacking two components; sequences ideas and paragraphs such that the connections between ideas (within and between paragraphs) are sometimes unclear and the reader may have difficulty following the progression of the essay. | Lacks several or all of the components of a source evaluation essay; sequences ideas and paragraphs such that the connections between ideas (within and between paragraphs) are often unclear and the reader has difficulty following the progression of the essay. |
|
Style Establish a consistent, informative tone and make thoughtful stylistic choices. (10%) |
Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of sentence structures. | Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of sentence structures. | Demonstrates generally effective style choices, but may include occasional redundancies, imprecise language, poor word choice, and/or repetitive sentence structures. | Frequently includes poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures. | Consistently demonstrates poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures. |
|
Conventions Follow conventions for standard written English. (10%) |
There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. APA citation guidelines are consistently followed. | There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. APA citation guidelines are consistently followed. | There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. Citations exist but may not follow APA guidelines. | There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. Some attempt at citation is made. | There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. No source citation exists. |
|
Reflection Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. (10%) |
Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses, following or exceeding response length guidelines. | Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple insights, observations, and/or examples, following response length guidelines. | Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows response length guidelines. | Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines. | No reflection responses are present. |
C. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
- Composition must be 2-3 pages (approximately 500-750 words).
- Indent the first line of each paragraph by ½ inch.
- Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins.
- Use a readable 12-point font.
- All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
- Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
- Use of generative chatbot artificial intelligence tools (ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Bard) in place of original writing is strictly prohibited for this assignment.
- Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
- Sources must be cited following APA guidelines. Refer to the Unit 2 tutorials “Source and Quotation Formatting in APA” and “In-Text Citations and Reference Formatting in APA” for instructions and examples of proper citations.
- Include your source information in the appropriate APA formatting (see the resources section if you need a review).
- Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
- Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
- Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.
D. Additional Resources
The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment:
- Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide
- This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.
- Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style
- This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.
- APA Style: Quick Answers—References
- This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types.
Read; ENG1020 Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography
Order This Paper
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.