Author: Rebekah Coleman (Page 2 of 6)

HOMEWORK DUE Wednesday, MARCH 30th Complete the sheet below for AT LEAST 2 Sources (preferably ALL 4!) 

PROJECT 2 – Source Analysis and Evaluation Sheet! 

Analyze EACH SOURCE

Write a Brief Summary / Description 

Write a short (2-3 sentence) summary or description of your source. A summary describes what the source is mostly about– its thesis or main idea. 

You should: 

• Captured the author’s ideas accurately and succinctly
• Avoided inserting your own ideas/ opinions (we want to hear what the AUTHOR thinks/says)
• Avoided plagiarism (borrowing words/ ideas that are not your own)

Identify and Analyze Genre and Rhetorical Situation (audience/ purpose)

Genre: What is the GENRE of the piece. Be VERY specific (ex. not just article, but feature article)

Audience: Who is the intended audience? Explain. How does the author hope the reader will react? Is the genre or format of the source the author chose the appropriate format to reach the intended audience?

Identify and Analyze Rhetorical Appeals (ethos, pathos, logos)

How does the author establish their credibility (ethos)?

How does the author appeal to the audience’s emotions to help persuade them

(pathos)?

How does the author use logic (facts, data, statistics) to help convince the audience (logos)?

Analyze Author’s Craft (how the author presents the message-tone, style)

An analysis of the author’s craft looks carefully at how and why the author presents the information.

• What is the tone of the piece (formal, academic, serious, humorous, scientific, etc.)
• What is the author’ style (for example, does author use figurative language, descriptions)

Evaluate EACH SOURCE for Credibility

WHO

• Who is the author?
• Is the author recognized as an expert on the topic? 
• Is there a bibliography? If so, who is listed? Are the sources listed reputable sources?

WHAT

• What is fact or opinion in the text?
• What are the main ideas and arguments ? Are the arguments backed up with sound reasoning and evidence?
• Do you agree with the ideas in the text based on your own knowledge?
• Is it a primary, secondary, or tertiary source?
• Can you find other credible sources that confirm the same information?

WHERE

• Where does this information come from? Where was it published? (website, organization, magazine, newspaper, etc.)
• Did a reliable source link me to this site? (For example, did you find it on Google or on the CityTech Library?)

WHEN

• When was it published?
• Is it up to date?

WHY

• Why did the author/ producer publish this? (Think PURPOSE)
• Does the author / text appear to be selling something?
• Is there an obvious agenda or bias?

HOW

• How is the material presented?
• Is the text well edited and free of errors?
• Is the formatting well designed and professional looking?
• How is the subject described?

• Read “Using Sources Ethically” by Marcia Muth and write a response to the questions below: 
  • Choose one to two pieces of information that you found interesting or learned from reading this piece? Why was it interesting? Explain!
  • How can you use what you learned to help as you begin to write your articles?

Read “Why I’m Behind the Athletes’ Bill of Rights” by Senator Cory Booker. 

• • What did you think of the piece? Be honest! Did you find any parts interesting? Did you learn something new?
  • Who do you think is the intended audience of the piece? Who is meant to read this text?
  • What do you think is the purpose of this text? Why do you think the author wrote it?
  • How do you know that this is an example of a feature article? Be specific! 
  • What did you notice about how the author wrote this piece? Maybe the tone (formal, informal, humorous, casual, etc), or the use of ethos (statistics and facts) or the use of pathos (emotion) or the use of logos (logic)?
  • What stands out to you– what do you like/ dislike about this writer’s style?  What are you confused by? What do you want to know more about? Pay special attention to how this author uses research (outside facts, statistics, history, news, interviews) etc in their writing.
  • What did you learn from reading this feature article? How did this author use research? How do they use personal experience? Did the author tell any stories?