Here Is The Template For All Your Information Literacy Assignments
WR 121 Information Literacy Assignment
In this assignment, you will explore the proposed topic for your paper and find resources related to that topic.
DO NOT paste the heading sections here into your submissions. Use the titles only.
Be detailed, thoughtful, and thorough. This assignment will form the foundation for your essay.
The topics are set, and given on your Moodle website.
Part One: Brainstorming your Topic
- Write a paragraph answering the following questions:
- What do you already know about your topic?
- What do you still need to learn about your topic
- List some words that describe your topic. Try to think of several different words that describe or relate to your topic. These are the keywords that you will use when searching for sources about your topic
Part Two: Using a Reference Source to Explore your Topic
Reading about your topic in reference sources will give you a broad overview of your topic. In this section, you will read a Wikipedia article about your topic. The article will give you ideas about how to focus your topic and develop your paper. Because the articles in Wikipedia change very frequently and have no identifiable author, you should use the information that you find in a Wikipedia article to generate ideas, not for citing in your paper.
As you read the article, look for subtopics and related topics, main issues, key people and organizations, new keywords, and links or references to other resources.
The reference librarians can also show you some of the library’s subscription reference sources, such as the Opposing Viewpoints Reference Center: http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/linnben?db=OVRC
- Go to Wikipedia: http://www.wikipedia.org and do a keyword search on your topic. If the article you find is not relevant to your topic, try another search with new keywords. You can also look at the related articles listed under the "See Also" heading to find a more relevant article. If you cannot find a relevant article after several attempts, get help from a librarian by calling (541) 917-4645.
EXAMPLE
Sofia searched for gambling. By scanning the Gambling article, she figured out that it was about the legal aspects of gambling, types of gambling, etc. But what she really wanted was an article about addiction to gambling. So, she did a new keyword search for gambling addiction and was taken to a Compulsive Gambling article.
- Write the URL of the article:
- Scan the article for new terms, subtopics, and related topics that you could use in keyword searches. List at least three new keywords:
- Read the article and list at least three specific examples of new information that you learned about your topic. Look in the External Links, Further Reading, and/or Notes and References sections of your article. List at least three resources that might provide useful information on your topic:
- Click on the Discussion tab at the top of the article. Find a discussion that focuses on content or point of view (not formatting, etc.). If you cannot find a substantive discussion on your main page, look at related pages until you do. Read the discussion and write a paragraph answering the following:
- What was the discussion about?
- How did this discussion affect your evaluation of the content of the main article?
- Did the discussion pages give you ideas for things that you want to investigate further?
- Click on the History tab at the top of the article. This is where you will find prior versions of the article. Compare 3-4 different versions of your page and identify some changes to analyze. Write a paragraph answering the following:
- How often is your page revised?
- How quickly would bad or misleading information be corrected (hours, days, weeks)?
- How many people seem to be monitoring your page?
- What kind of changes are people currently making to your page?
- Has a consensus about your topic emerged? Or is the conversation still developing?
Part Three: Exploring your Topic on the Web
In this section, you will use an internet search engine to find at least one reliable website on your topic. This exercise will help you learn what criteria to look for when choosing a website to use. You will also learn to create a properly formatted MLA citation for the website.
- Read this online guide to evaluating webpages: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
- Go to Google or another search engine that you are comfortable using and do a keyword search. Write your keywords below:
- Scan the results and select a website that looks promising. If you cannot find a relevant website, try another search with new keywords. Evaluate the website using the criteria described in the guide you read in step one. If this website does not seem like an appropriate source to use for your paper, go back to the search engine results list and continue to evaluate the websites until you find an appropriate source. If you cannot find an appropriate website after several attempts, get help from a librarian by calling (541) 917-4645. Provide the following information about the webpage that you have selected:
- The author or sponsoring organization
- The date that the page was last updated
- · 2-3 sentences discussing why you think this is an appropriate source for your research paper
- Read the website and list at least three specific examples of new information that you learned about your topic:
- Write a properly formatted Chicago Manual of Style citation using the example below and/or the examples provided in these guides:
Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Ed. Paul Halsall. 10 Dec. 2006. Fordham University.
15 Nov. 2008. < http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/>;
Part Four: Refocusing Your Topic
Write a paragraph answering the following:
- Describe how the information you found changed your ideas and opinions about your topic.
- How have you changed the focus of your paper based on this new information?