Questions to answer for your two sources

Please bring a hard copy of your repsonses to class on Thursday. You must complete the underlined tasks. For the rest of the tasks, choose 3 to complete.

1. Write down the bibliographic information for the text, in MLA format.  See the Purdue Owl website for reference help if needed.
2. Read the preface/introduction--What does the author want to accomplish? Browse through the table of contents and the index.This will give you an overview of the source. Is your topic covered in enough depth to be helpful? If you don't find your topic discussed, try searching for some synonyms in the index.
3. Check for a list of references or other citations that look as if they will lead you to related material that would be good sources.
4. Determine the intended audience. Are you the intended audience? Consider the tone, style, level of information, and assumptions the author makes about the reader. Are they appropriate for your needs? (Provide examples to back up your answer.)
5. If the source is opinion, does the author offer sound reasons for adopting that stance? (Consider again those questions about the author. Is this person reputable?)  (Provide examples to back up your answer.)
6. How timely is the source? Is the source twenty years out of date? Some information becomes dated when new research is available, but other older sources of information can be quite sound fifty or a hundred years later.  (Provide examples to back up your answer.)
7. How credible is the author? If the document is anonymous, what do you know about the organization?  (Provide examples to back up your answer.)
8. Are there vague or sweeping generalizations that aren't backed up with evidence?  (Provide examples to back up your answer.)
9. Are arguments very one-sided with no acknowledgement of other viewpoints?  (Provide examples to back up your answer.)