Skip to Main Content

ENG 111: College Composition I (Russo-Loudoun)

This guide has been created by librarians to help you find books, articles, videos, and other types of resources related to this program of study. Direct comments to Julie Combs, jcombs@nvcc.edu.

Source Analysis Information

Purpose:

Finding research used to be more difficult, but in a world where we have constant access to the Internet, our work as responsible citizens and students is more about finding reliable sources for our particular topics and concerns, and being able to fully synthesize this material into the writing we do. Taking time to analyze a source before writing research assures you are thinking critically and carefully about what information you use, and that you fully understand what others have said about your topic before you use them.

Practicing reading complex texts and using annotation to help you comprehend is a skill you can use when studying for other classes, as well as whenever you need to prepare in any workplace project where you’ll need to draw information from a variety of sources. 

For more information, please Using Sources: Evaluating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism and Evaluating Sources: The CRAAP Test.

Task #1: Read and Annotate

  1. Select any one source that you feel offers important and useful information about your topic.
  2. Then, download and save the article as a .pdf file. 
  3. Read the article and take notes on it.
    1.  If you need help with how to take notes on a .pdf digitally, you can follow these instructions from Adobe.
    2. Alternatively, you can print the article and take notes by hand; you will need to scan/take pictures of this to upload with the article OR you will need to give the printed copy to Prof. Russo in class. . 
  4. Re-read the article a second time, assuring you can put the main point into your OWN words.

Task #2: Take Notes, Document and Analyze What You Read

  1. After you have finished the article, find your ENG 111 class Google doc.
  2. Write the Heading “Source Analysis 1”  (or 2, or 3 depending on what number it is!)
  3. Copy and paste the chart on the next page under that heading.
  4. Fill out the chart completely with these six steps: 
    1. First, write an MLA style works cited entry for the source (you can later copy this into your works cited list)
    2. Second, explain WHY this source is reliable. What expertise does the author have about  your specific topic?  What do you know about the platform upon which it is published? What biases are there? 
    3. Third, write a 200-word paragraph summary of the article. Begin this paragraph with a topic sentence naming the article and author, as well as the FULL main point of the  article. 
    4. Fourth, copy  three quotes you found particularly interesting into the chart.
    5. Fifth, explain HOW and WHY those quotes are helpful and meaningful to you and your argument. This can mean considering questions like:
      1. Do they support your experience with the topic, or provide a different view? 
      2. Did you learn something new here? Or something surprising? 
    6. Sixth and finally, finish by offering two or three sentences with your overall reaction and response to the work – that means, what is your opinion on it? What new knowledge does it bring? How might you use it?
  5. Submit both the annotated .pdf/pictures or scan of annotated article and the chart to Canvas when you are ready for feedback.

Your Source Analysis Chart worksheet is on page 3 of this updated Research Open Letter template assignment.