IRLS200

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

NOTE: For this assignment you do not have to attach a word doc. You can simply paste into the dialogue box. This assignment provides you with practice evaluating the sources you've found. You'll then receive feedback from me about the direction of your research and the quality of the sources you've found.

Keep in mind that you can use the sources found in previous assignments unless they were deemed inappropriate by me or you discover that they won't really work as you go through the evaluation process. The sources included in this assignment must be high-quality sources that are relevant to the topic and appropriate for college level research in IR/global studies.

Types of sources to include for this assignment:

• One book (or chapter from a book).
  Note: do not list our textbook here. Select a book from our online library.
• Five scholarly journal articles
• One article/report published by a governmental organization.
• One article/report published by a reputable non-governmental organization.

Step 1: Include your thesis statement at the top of the page. Your thesis is your answer to the research question you posed at the beginning of the quarter. It asserts the main argument you will be developing and supporting in your final project.

Step 2: Create headings for each type of source (Books, Scholarly Journal Articles, etc.) and then list your sources under the appropriate headings using the Turabian style.

Step 3: Immediately after each Turabian citation, summarize, assess, and reflect upon the source. Use subheadings to clearly distinguish between each section (3 full paragraphs for each source). Do NOT quote from your sources but rather put any information you glean from them in your own words. Also remember that copying an abstract from a database is plagiarism.

• Summarize: The summary section of your evaluation of the source identifies the author's main argument, followed by a brief discussion of some of the main points the author makes in support of the thesis.
• Assess: The next part of your analysis of the source focuses on evaluation. After summarizing the source, evaluate it using the CRAAP test. Review the CRAAP test here: http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf. In other words, evaluate the source's usefulness in terms of its currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose, asking questions such as, "Is the information in this source out of date?" and "What are the author's qualifications to write on this topic?" Remember, you should only include sources that meet the above criteria, so this section should focus on defending your choices, using specific examples to support your assertions.
• Reflect: The final part of your evaluation of each source involves reflecting on how the source fits into your research. Explain, for example, how you might use the source in a paper, how it helps you shape your arguments, which arguments in the source you might want to use to support your own position on the issue, and the degree to which the source has shaped your own thinking about the topic.

  NOTE: Each Turabian Citation should be followed by 3 full paragraphs (summary, assessment, and reflection).

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