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English 1020: Harborside

Library Activity

A - Authority; B - Bias / Balance; C - Currency; D - Documentation 

Scenario: You need to write a paper for class. You need to utilize outside sources to support your claims. 
You have chosen Child Nutrition as your topic, and plan to focus on picky eating. 
Great news- You have found several sources related to your topic! But are they credible? 


Instructions: 

  1. Scroll to your assigned Team and add your first names next to your team number.

  2. Each team will use The ABCD Test worksheet provided below to collaboratively review and evaluate the source assigned to your team based on the ABCD criteria. 

  3. Score each ABCD category 1-10 (1 = unreliable, 10 = excellent).

  4. Include notes / highlights to share about your evaluation assessment.

  5. Choose one person from your team who will share your evaluation with the class after the breakout session ends.

Determining Credibility

 

Supplemental Resources

Check facts on these sites:

 

Lateral Reading strategies (learn about a source from sources outside the source):

Opposing Viewpoints database (Pro Tip: Great for Browsing Subjects and choosing a topic!)

  • Support your point of view on a controversial issue with facts and statistics from primary and government documents, photos, magazine and newspaper articles which have already argued your case
  • Explore opposing sides of the most important issues helps to develop information literacy and critical thinking skills

Academic Search Complete database (Pro Tip: Great for Keyword Searches!)

  • A great place to start for most topics
  • Mostly full-text articles from scholarly peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, popular magazines, and newspapers
  • If full-text is not available, click link to Check for Full Text (Providence) to connect to Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request form

How to start a Keyword Search:

JWU library has two style guides: 

MLA Style Guide

APA Style Guide

However, if you need more in depth guidance on formatting go to the Purdue OWL. 

Need to talk to someone and seek guidance in real time?

  • Schedule an appointment with the writing coach through uSucceed.

______________

MLA Basics

  • In-text Citations: (Author's last name and the page number). Period after the in-text citation. 
    • Example: “There is a significant relationship between auditors’ assessments of the relevance and reliability of reported information and their attitudes to creative accounting” (Ionescu 161).
    • Need more help? Click here!
  • General paper format:
    • Times New Roman
    • 1-inch margins 
    • double spaced 
    • indent each new paragraph
    • Need more help? Click here!
  • Works Cited page:
    • last page
    • double spaced
    • citations listed in alphabetical order
    • hanging indents
    • appropriate citation format for each source type (i.e. book vs. article)
    • Need more help? Click here! 
  • ​How to Cite an Interview!

Greetings from JWU Library!

Use this guide as a starting point for your research. This Guide Provides:

  • Recommended library databases
  • Tips for article searches 
  • Techniques for effective reading / evaluation
  • Citation format tools

For additional assistance, please reach out to the library. Top Services: 

Don't hesitate to reach out! We're more than happy to help! 

This I Believe is an international organization engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. Use the documents included below as a guide for your own writing: