LIR 10
Final Project
Information Sheet
Project Description
The final project for this class is an annotated List of Works
Cited (bibliography) using MLA citation format. You will do the
following:
1. Select a research topic (instructor approval required)
2. Write a thesis statement
3. Complete the research planning worksheet (computer text
file available on class web site),
4. Prepare an annotated List of Works Cited in Noodlebib that
consists of 3 citations from a variety of information sources.
5. Provide the TYPE of source and the finding tool used.
Overview of Project Requirements:
1. Completed Research Planning Worksheet (computer text file
provided).
2. List of Works Cited that adheres to the following guidelines:
• Prepared in Noodlebib and exported as an RTF (rich text
format) document.
• Contains three (3) citations from various sources (see
next page for details).
• Has a 4-6 sentence annotation after ONE of the THREE
sources listed.
• Identifies the TYPE of source (reference/circulating
book, magazine/journal/newspaper article or web site)
AND the LOCATING TOOL used to find each source (Internet search engine, library catalog, periodical subscription database etc.).
• Grammatically accurate with correct spelling.
• Citations presented in correct MLA format.
• Organized in alphabetical order by author.
• Indented on the second line of the citation.
• Double spaced.
• Photocopies of the FIRST or TITLE page of each source
included in the List of Works Cited (Do not submit entire
articles... just the first page is fine).
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Project Essentials
Due Date: Thursday, October 7th
Late projects will NOT be graded.
Points:
Research planning worksheet: 10 points
Annotated List of Works Cited: 50 points
Turn in online to INBOX (see link below):
1. Computer file with Research Planning
Worksheet (in RTF format)
2. Computer file with List of Works Cited
(in RTF format)
AND in class: PRINTED versions of:
1. Research planning worksheet
2. Final project with ­photocopies of 1st
page of each source.
Project Goals
This project constitutes a culmination of
the research skills you have learned during
this 6-week class. Your goal is to:
1. Demonstrate research skills and searching techniques using a ­variety of tools
and sources.
2. Demonstrate the ability to critically
evaluate and annotate information
sources.
3. Demonstrate the ability to prepare citations correctly in Noodlebib using MLA
style.
Final Project Info. Web Page
http://www.santarosa.edu/~kthornle/
LIR10thurs/finalproject.html
Class InBox page:
http://online.santarosa.edu/
presentation/page/?89287
Project Details
Annotations
1. Research Planning Worksheet
This worksheet is available in electronic form and must be turned
in online and in print with your project. It requires you to outline
the preparatory work that went in to creating your List of Works
Cited. This includes: original topic idea, thesis statement, synonyms, web search engine syntax, and Library of Congress Subject
headings (that relate to the topic).
The purpose of the annotation is to inform
your readers of the relevance, accuracy,
and quality of the sources cited. You should
write the annotation for your citation based
on the following criteria:
2. List of Works Cited (Bibliography)
The citations for your final project must meet the following
­requirements:
• Highest quality research information.
• Listed alphabetically, double-spaced with hanging indents.
• THREE citations from the following sources:
• ONE circulating library book from the JC libraries (include a
copy of the title page of the book)
• ONE in-depth, lengthy periodical article (full-text) from the
JC library’s subscription databases — journal, magazine or
newspaper (include a copy of the first page of the article)
• ONE reputable web site focused on your topic or a detailed
web site article (should be lengthy not just a short article)
(include a copy of the first page of web site)
For each citation you should:
• Prepare a correct MLA citation using Noodlebib
• Provide the following UNDER each citation:
1. TYPE of SOURCE the citation describes (circulating
book, scholarly journal, magazine, newspaper, web site)
2. FINDING TOOL used to locate the source — library catalog, subscription periodicals database (Expanded Academic
ASAP, Proquest etc.) world wide web search engine name
(Google, DogPile etc.)
3. CALL NUMBER for the circulating JC library book ONLY.
• Under ONE of the citations, write a 4-6 sentence annotation (based on the annotation criteria given to the right).
• Summarize the content of the information source.
• Evaluate the authority/background of
the author and the credibility of the
information.
• Discuss the accuracy and quality of the
information.
• Explain how the source is relevant to
your topic.
Example of a good annotation
John McGraw, professor of Sociology at
UCLA, uses this article to support his
hypothesis that children of alcoholics
and substance abuse parents are associated with significant medical and psychosocial problems. He uses statistics,
study results, and real-life examples to
demonstrate that the children of alcoholics (COAs) are much more likely
to abuse alcohol and other drugs, and
have higher rates of anxiety, depression,
poor academic function, and antisocial
personality traits. This recent article
was published in a scholarly journal (the
American Academy of Pediatrics), and it
contains a detailed bibliography of the
sources used. The information validates
some of the social and physiological factors that influence children to alcohol
abuse.
Example of an MLA Citation
Berger, James D. and Helmut J. Schmidt. “Regulation of
Macronuclear DNA Content in Paramecium Tetraurelia.”
The Journal of Cell Biology 76.1 (1978): 116-126. Proquest
Research Library. Web. 7 Sept. 2010.
Type of Source: Journal Article.
Finding Tool: Proquest Research Library subscription database.
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Example of a bad annotation
The article told me about children of
alcoholics. It was good.