Source Evaluation Essay: Select 1 academic article to evaluate. It should be related to your Essay 4 topic. Refer to “Chapter 10: Evaluations” for key concepts on developing evaluations. Also refer to the handout posted in Canvas: How to evaluate journal articles.
Requirements:
• 1,500 – 2,000 words (roughly 5-6 pages).
Remember: the word count begins with the first word of the first paragraph and ends with the last word of the last paragraph. Your Works Cited page doesn’t count.
• Third person voice only.
• Follow standard essay format. Paragraph 1 is dedicated to the introduction and will include thesis and forecast statement. The final paragraph will be dedicated to a thoughtful conclusion that moves beyond summary. The body paragraphs will support the thesis with
3-4 main points. Keep in mind that while you will never discuss more than one main idea in any given paragraph, you may discuss one idea for multiple paragraphs.
• These are source-based papers. All papers must have a Works Cited page and utilize in-text citations according to the guidelines of MLA 8th edition.
• To help you establish if the article is credible, you will also use 1-2 additional sources on your topic. Essentially, you are using these additional sources to fact check the source you’re evaluating. In other words, you are not evaluating multiple sources. All main points and arguments should focus on the one article you are evaluating.
Deadlines:
o Draft (10 points) due April 2. Reviews (10 points) due April 5.
o Submit your rough draft to Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on April 2. No late work is accepted. Your rough draft must be a minimum of 3 pages to earn full credit. Included with your rough draft, you must have your outline. You also need to answer the 4 following questions at the end of your rough draft:
What I want the reader to understand is…
My piece is strong in…
Where my essay is weak is…
I’d like suggestions on…
o Complete peer review through Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on April 5. Each student will be required to complete two anonymous peer reviews.
o When you begin writing, first write an outline. At minimum, this should include the thesis statement, forecast statement, and three main points. The more detailed you are, the better prepared you will be for writing a well-developed essay.
o Then write your draft. This should not be rushed or done last minute. You need to spend time revising your draft before submitting it for peer editing. The more polished your work, the better feedback you will receive.
o For your reference, here is the Canvas guide for Peer Review: tinyurl.com/y79yy38m
• Final Draft (100 points) due April 9. Submit to Canvas by 11:59 p.m.
o Reminder: Late work is accepted for up to 7 days after the deadline. There will be a 5% penalty for each day the assignment is late.
o A print copy is not required.
Revision:
Keep in mind that revising is a key step in the essay writing process. When you write your very first draft, spend time revising it yourself before you bring in your typed rough draft for peer editing. Ideally, a rough draft is what you would be comfortable turning in for a final draft. A sloppy draft with typos and minor errors you could easily fix on your own will distract readers from your main ideas and minimize the effectiveness of the editing process.