Two Annotated Articles: Instructions and Rubric

The Process

So far we have chosen our cultural artifact from the list of available options, and we've narrowed our focus to a specific argument about it. This week we'll move to the next stage in the process of writing an academic Research Paper: the actual research itself.

Research, in my opinion, is the fun part!

The Purpose

• To practice the skills of annotating and summarizing
• To promote research
• To practice and engage in the process of writing (research)
• To avoid procrastination

Directions

This week you'll upload two (2) annotated CREDIBLE articles related to your research paper topic.

NOTE: You are NOT expected to do outside research on your chosen topic. Instead, a list of articles and other resources related to your subject are available in the Research Paper Sources module, found directly after this week's module.

Identifying Credible sources

• Consult the list of CREDIBLE articles provided in the Research Paper module below this week's module in Canvas.  This will save you A LOT of time. Note that the topics are arranged alphabetically. Open the page and choose sources that appeal to you.
• What makes an article credible?
  • It's published by a reliable, respectable source
    • Often this information can be determined by consulting the page "About Us" on a website
  • Usually, it's not published on a .com (or commercial) website but rather on a .edu (education) or a .gov (government) website
  • The author is an expert in the field
    • a professor, university press, or published author of peer reviewed articles
  • If there is no author, the publishing organization provides information about itself and demonstrates that it is a reliable source of information
  • Typically, the date of publication is provided

Annotating the Articles

• • Utilizing your annotating skills, highlight key words and passages, important names and dates, and detailed information related to your subject
  • Summarize the main important points in the margins
  • Be sure to HIGHLIGHT passages that might be useful to quote in your paper

What to Look for

To prepare yourself for writing the paper, try to read at least TWO SOURCES about each of the following:

• • the work of art (when and why it was created, how it looks, how it was created, where it is located, etc.)
  • the artist (history, expression in art, reasons for creating work of art, connection to work of art in San Diego)
  • the artwork’s importance or significance within the San Diego community or a community within San Diego County
  • artwork’s significance beyond San Diego and/or to the artist

Some sources will cover several of the points listed above in one article.

What to Highlight

In the early stages of research, we often don't know what we'll want to share in our paper, but we need to start somewhere, so. . .

• Highlight information that will be pertinent to your paper
  • What it looks like, where it's located, and when it was created
  • How it was created
  • What events led up to its creation?
  • Why it's important to a particular community or to the greater San Diego community
  • Arguments about why it shouldn't be funded or cared for

Determining if the Source Is Useful

Sometimes when we do research, the source turns out to be useful, and other times it doesn't. Considering the information you have read, write either "Useful" or "Not Useful" at the top of the annotated article.

Uploading Your Annotated Articles

• To upload your work, you have TWO options:

1.  Print, read, and annotate the articles on paper. Take photos of the annotated pages, and upload the photos of your annotations here in Canvas.
2.  Copy and paste the documents into electronic files on which you can highlight and type comments in the margins. Then, upload the electronic files here in Canvas.

Be sure to upload the annotated articles by Sunday before 11:59 pm.

Submitting Your Assignment

1. Please save the documents as Word documents or PDFs. Or take photos of your annotations.
2. Click the +Submit Assignment link located in the right-hand column of the course window.
3. Click the Choose File
4. Navigate to your documents (or photos) and select them.
5. Click the Submit Assignment
6. Click on the box that states you agree that "This assignment submission is my own, original work."
7. Click the Submit Assignment

Grading Criteria and Rubric: