Length: 1-2 pages + completed search-term and sources cited worksheets

In your University Studies 189 class you will be introduced to the basics of library research, including how to locate a variety of sources, both print and electronic, to help you develop sophisticated academic arguments to complete assignments in university-level courses. In this assignment, you will use the skills you have been developing in your US 189 class to begin a research project for your English 110 course. This project will include several related assignments, including an annotated bibliography. These worksheets are to help you document and keep track of the sources you find so that you can use them for future projects.

Assignment:
This assignment asks you to thoroughly search a wide variety of resources for information on your topic. You will need to work carefully to develop search terms that will generate enough information. The worksheets you’ve been given will help you keep track of your searches—use them to meticulously document your research process. You will be turning them in. You will also produce a bibliography of at least 15 sources, documenting those sources using MLA style documentation. We will develop models for this in class.

To adequately complete this assignment you must attempt to locate the following sources on your topic: at least

• four articles from at least three different online databases (Infotrac, Proquest, etc.)
• articles from two print or on-line journals (through interlibrary loan, pull-service, or new journals)
• one book located through WebPals
• two web sources (academic sites)
• two web sources (personal sites)
• one popular (non-academic) treatment of your subject
• the remaining three sources may be of your choice.

Extra credit: if you find any of the following sources on your topic

• one movie/video/television show/documentary treatment of some aspect of your topic
• one annotated bibliography (WebPals)
• one chapter from an edited collection
• two newspaper sources (one print, one online)
• one interlibrary loan book (attach a print out of the request)

It may be very difficult to find some of these sources on some of your topics. That’s why you’re being asked to carefully document your searches—if you cannot find the source you need, just show me that you’ve attempted to find it.

Purpose:
This seems like busy-work, but its goal is to help you develop skills you will need to succeed in the university and to complete other assignments in this course. There will be class time available to do much of this work, and I will be available to help you. If you would prefer to develop your own method of documenting your searches, feel free to talk to me about that.

• A typed bibliography of at least 15 sources, distributed as listed above, very closely related to your topic, employing consistent, MLA documentation. (50%)
• Evidence of a carefully documented search of a wide variety of sources of information. (50%)

Grading rubric for this assignment
Back to 110 index
Search term worksheet
Electronic works cited worksheet
Works cited worksheet
Annotated bib assignment