Enduring Questions: Perspectives from Rhetoric and Research (HNRS 2313)

Assignment Information

Complete a Source Summary (2 per week, total of 10)

1. Identify a source relevant to your topic.

Create a bibliographic entry for the source using the citation style recommended by your mentor (MLA, APA, etc.).  If you do not know what citation style to use, it is important to ask your mentor.  Consult owl.purdue.org for citation guidelines. 

Look for scholarly sources rather than journalistic sources. 

2. Read the source.
3. Write one or two paragraphs in which you discuss the source.  Include quotations. 

Consider the following factors:

• Focus (what aspect of the topic is covered by the source?)
• Timeliness
• Reliability/trustworthiness (consider author’s expertise and perspective, and publisher or publication’s status)
• Main claims of the source
• Why is the source valuable for your purposes/how does it complement other sources you will be using?
• What are the source’s most interesting or valuable contributions (statistics, testimony, conclusions, etc.)?