Instructions for research and composition of a Source Analysis Essay Source evaluation “ ESSAY 3 “ grading rubric (

Instructions for research and composition of a Source Analysis Essay

Source evaluation – ESSAY 3 – grading rubric (Links to an external site.)

Checklist: The following components are required.

• The first two paragraphs should contain an overview of the topic—cite and quote from your sources when necessary—and your interests in the topic.
• A third paragraph will describe your research process. What search terms did you use? What worked and how did you change your plan based upon your initial searches? Did you need to narrow or broaden your topic?
• Much of the essay will be the write-up and analysis of your three sources.
• Include a conclusion paragraph that draws connections among the sources telling how they work together to give you a better sense of your final paper topic. What kinds of sources might you still need to locate? What gaps in knowledge about your topic exist that future research could fill?
• Your paper must have a Works Cited page for the seven sources, which will constitute both the works you have referred to in your essay and a brief bibliography on your topic. The Works Cited page will appear at the end of the assignment.

Note: The length of the assignment is flexible, but the total number of pages should be no less than 3.

Assessment Rubric for Source Analysis Essay:

The write-up of the source captures its thesis and purpose. Remember to paraphrase accurately and ethically. For each source:

• who is the author (and what qualifications does the author have)
• who published the source; what is the purpose of this publishing venue; what biases or slants might be connected to this purpose; and, most importantly, who is the audience of this publication venue (and thus the audience of the source)
• in what conversations is the source engaged
• what types of evidence does the source employs (research studies, first-hand accounts, etc.)
• what the stylistic and genre conventions does the source employ
• how does the author accommodate or appeal to his/her audience?
• There is a citation for the source in MLA format.

For this assignment, locate and evaluate your sources. Also draft a reflection of your research process.

1) First locate 7 sources on your topic during and after two library research days, where you use the Internet and library databases. The sources should be examples of public writing, similar to the kinds of articles we have been reading for class. Use both primary and secondary sources in your research. These sources might include videos, interviews, primary source documents, newspaper articles, magazine articles, government sponsored studies, or even an individual chapter in a book. You may choose a website or blog post from a credible source.

2) Then choose the five sources on which to focus in your Source Analysis Essay. As you decide which sources to use, ask yourself the following questions:

  A. Are they substantial?

• • in length and perspectives (such as a feature article in a newspaper or magazine) or
  • in breadth or depth of research (such as a government report)
  • In depth of research (such as a newspaper expose

3) For each of the five sources, write a good-sized paragraph that describes what kind of source it is and considers its rhetorical situation—audience, publication venue, author. Identify the kind of publication the source came from (a news magazine for general readers; a trade journal for practicing nurses; a website aimed at cancer patients). Be sure you answer the following questions:

1. who is the author (and what qualifications does the author have);
2. who published the source;
3. what is the purpose of this publishing venue;
4. what biases or slants might be connected to this purpose; and
5. who is the audience of this publication venue.

The rhetorical context may also consider the conversations in which the source is engaged; the main types of evidence the source employs (research studies, first-hand accounts, etc.); the stylistic and genre conventions of the source; the ways the author accommodates or appeals to his/her audience.