Requirements, guidelines, and grading scales for each of the course’s major assignments will be posted here as the semester progresses.
Class Presentation | Online Documentation Project | Final Research Paper | Research Paper Draft | Annotated Bibliography | Research Topic Proposal
Guidelines for the Class Presentation
DUE: Thursday December 16th (at the beginning of class!)
The class presentation is worth 10% of your total course grade. Presentations will be graded using the chart included below.
You will be working with your classmates on your presentation. All students in your group will receive the same grade on the presentation.
Presentations must be 10 minutes long (no more!), followed by 5 minutes for questions from the rest of the class.
Your presentation will present your online documentation project to the class. Your presentation must:
1. Present and discuss your proposal for a research tool or game.
2. Present and discuss the process of implementing your documentation project.
3. Demonstrate your documentation project.
4. Include at least 2 images, audio and/or video.
5. Cite all of your sources using APA Style.
All students in your group must deliver the presentation. Be sure that everyone has roughly the same amount of time to speak.
You must use presentation software to deliver your presentation. Powerpoint is one option; others are Google Docs Presentations (http://docs.google.com), Prezi (http://prezi.com/) [both require internet access]. Let me know if there’s another you’d like to use.
Again, you will demonstrate your project, but you will also use presentation software to present it. For example, don’t just show us the wiki your group built, use Powerpoint to share your research and implementation, then show us your wiki.
Create your References list as the last slide of your presentation, formatted like the References for your paper. For multimedia provide as much information as you can: author (photographer/composer), date, title, source (URL). For guidance when citing audio and video, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/11/
Suggestions for your presentation:
• You have probably endured enough Powerpoint presentations to realize that sides with large blocks of text are difficult to read and not very engaging. Consider using images to illustrate your points (remember: “a picture is worth a thousand words”). Other strategies you may wish to try are using a single word or phrase per slide or a bulleted list.
• A good place to look for images/audio/video is Creative Commons: http://search.creativecommons.org/ (uncheck the “commercial purposes” box before you search).
• Use an outline to organize your presentation. Outlines aren’t just for research papers!
• I strongly suggest that you PRACTICE your presentation at least once – you will be much more comfortable during the real presentation if you do. I can open our classroom for you to practice in if you’d like, just let me know and we will arrange a time.
In addition to time outside of class, you will have 4 class sessions to work on your project and presentation with your group:
• Tuesday November 23rd
• Tuesday November 30th
• Tuesday December 7th
• Tuesday December 14th
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.
Download the guidelines and grading chart for your class presentation.
Guidelines for the Online Documentation Project
DUE: Thursday December 16th (at the beginning of class!)
The online documentation project is worth 15% of your total course grade. Projects will be graded using the chart included below.
This is a group project – you will be working with your classmates on both the documentation project and the class presentation (presentation guidelines and grading chart coming soon). All students in your group will receive the same grade on the project and presentation.
For your project your group will:
1. Choose a topic
2. Choose an online technology to present your project
3. Research the topic
4. Write a proposal
5. Document your research and proposal
6. Publish your proposal and documentation using an online technology
7. Evaluate your work on this project and the work of the other students in your group
1. Choose a topic.
• Create a research tool:
We have spent this semester learning about many different tools to use when doing research. If you could create any tool for anyone to use for research, what would it be? What would the tool do? How would it be different from the research tools we’ve worked with this semester? How would it make doing research easier, faster, or more enjoyable? How would it help solve commonly-encountered difficulties with research?
• Create a research game:
There are many ways in which doing research is similar to a game: we hunt for sources, filter and select only the best information for our needs, complete required tasks along the way to our goal, and eventually reach the finish line when we complete an assignment. Write a proposal for creating an enjoyable game to teach research skills. What will players learn? How will they progress through the game? What are the rules? What is the goal of the game? Under what circumstances will the game be played?
2. Choose an online technology to present your project.
You will need to present your proposal and documentation using some form of online technology that can be demonstrated in class. Possibilities include but are not limited to: a wiki, website, blog, etc. Here are some examples:
• PB Works wikis: http://pbworks.com
• Google Sites: http://sites.google.com
• And of course our blogging platform: http://www.wordpress.com
Let me know if there’s another online application you’d prefer to use.
3. Research the topic.
• Each person in your group must find at least 1 source on your topic.
• Each source must be different and distinct, to insure a range of information on the topic (for example, do not use more than 1 article from any single publication).
4. Write a proposal on your topic.
Your proposal must be no less than 700 words (approximately 2 double-spaced pages of text), and should include:
• a description of your topic
• a summary of your sources
• discussion of how your research has informed your proposal
• a description of the tool or game you are proposing to create
Include at least 2 illustrations and a References list with citations for all sources (including images) in APA style.
5. Document your research and proposal.
Your documentation must be no less than 700 words (approximately 2 double-spaced pages of text), and should include:
• a description of how you researched online technologies for presenting your project
• your rationale for selecting the online technology you are using to present your project
• a description of the process of implementing your project
• suggestions/cautionary tales/recommendations
Include at least 2 illustrations and a References list with citations for all sources (including images) in APA style.
6. Publish your proposal and documentation using an online technology.
Your proposal and documentation must be presented using the online technology you select. Please do not print out or email your proposal and documentation. Publish it on whichever online technology your group selects, then post the URL on our course website.
7. Evaluate your work on this project and the work of the other students in your group.
Each student in your group is responsible for writing an evaluation of her/his own work on this project and the work of others in her/his group. Please answer all of the following questions in your evaluations:
• Self evaluation (minimum 200 words):
What project tasks did you complete on your own? How would you describe the amount of effort you put into your work on this project? What do you think your strengths were in your work on this project? How could you improve your work on this project?
• Group evaluation (minimum 200 words):
What project tasks did you complete as a group? Was the work shared evenly between group members? How effectively did your group work together? What do you think the strengths were of the group’s work on this project? How could the group improve its work on this project?
Please type your evaluations and email them to me in a word processing document (not in the body of an email).
In addition to time outside of class, you will have 4 class sessions to work on your project and presentation with your group:
• Tuesday November 23rd
• Tuesday November 30th
• Tuesday December 7th
• Tuesday December 14th
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.
Download the guidelines and grading chart for your online documentation project.
Guidelines for the Final Research Paper
DUE: Tuesday November 30th(at the beginning of class!)
• The final research paper is worth 15% of your total course grade. Papers will be graded using the chart included below.
• YOU MUST REVISE YOUR PAPER to receive credit. Papers that have not been revised will receive 0 points for the assignment.
• Research papers must be 5-8 pages, not including a title page and References (required) or illustrations (optional).
• In your paper you must use a minimum of 5 different sources, including:
– at least 2 news sources
– at least 2 scholarly sources
– at least 1 internet source
• In your paper you will:
– Write an introduction in which you present your research topic and question
– Summarize and synthesize the sources you consulted for information on your topic
– Analyze your sources in light of your research question (how do your sources help you answer your research question?)
– Present your conclusions, findings, or recommendations
• Paper drafts must be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font and 1 inch margins. Please use page numbers.
• Your paper must have a title page that includes the title of your paper, your name, our course number (LIB 1201) and the date.
• You do not need an abstract or running head for your paper.
• Please EMAIL your paper to me in a word processing document (not in the body of an email!).
• Please format your References according to APA Style. Additional information about APA Style can be found on the Purdue Online Writing Lab website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.
Download the guidelines and grading chart for your final research paper.
Guidelines for the Research Paper Draft
DUE: Tuesday November 16th (at the beginning of class!)
• The research paper draft is worth 10% of your total course grade. Papers will be graded using the chart included below.
• Research papers must be 5-8 pages long, not including References (which are required) or illustrations (which are optional).
• In your paper you must use a minimum of 5 different sources, including:
– at least 2 news sources
– at least 2 scholarly sources
– at least 1 internet source
• In your paper you will:
– Write an introduction in which you present your research topic and question
– Summarize and synthesize the sources you consulted for information on your topic
– Analyze your sources in light of your research question
– Present your conclusions, findings, or recommendations
Remember: inquiry + research = knowledge! (also see Badke p. 19)
• Paper drafts must be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font and 1 inch margins. Please use page numbers.
• Your paper must have a title page that includes the title of your paper, your name, our course number (LIB 1201) and the date.
• You do not need an abstract or running head for your paper.
• Please PRINT your paper out and bring it to class with you.
• Please format your References according to APA Style (which we will review in class). Additional information about APA Style can be found on the Purdue Online Writing Lab website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.
Download the guidelines and grading chart for your research paper draft.
Guidelines for the Annotated Bibliography
DUE: Thursday November 4th (at the beginning of class!)
The annotated bibliography is worth 10% of your total course grade. Bibliographies will be graded using the grading chart included below.
• Select a minimum of 5 (more than 5 is okay!) different sources of information on your topic, including:
– at least 2 news sources
– at least 2 scholarly sources
– at least 1 internet source
If you are unsure whether a source you’d like to use meets one of these criteria, please ask me.
• Begin with the citation for each source, formatted using APA Style. For guidelines use the APA Style Guides in the library (see readings for call numbers), or the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
• Underneath each citation, write an annotation for the source. Each annotation must be at least 100 words, though of course it may be longer.
• In your annotation, please summarize the source and provide a brief analysis of how the source relates to your research question.
• Please write in a formal academic style, no first person (“I”) statements. Avoid excessive jargon, and do not use quotations from your sources.
• This guide to creating an annotated bibliography from the City Tech Library may be helpful: http://library.citytech.cuny.edu/research/subjectGuides/annotated/ (though note that the citations in this guide use MLA Style – we are using APA Style). You may also wish to consult this guide from the Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/1/
• Please type up your annotated bibliography as a word processing document and either a) email it to me or, b) print it out and bring it to class. Use a standard 12 point font with 1 inch margins. Annotations can be single-spaced.
• I’ll grade your bibliography within a few days after you submit it, so you can use it while writing your research paper draft. Your research paper draft will be due on Tuesday November 16th.
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that my office hours are 11:15am-12:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (right after class), and am happy to make an appointment to meet with you at other times.
Download the guidelines and grading chart for your annotated bibliography.
Guidelines for Research Topic Proposal
DUE: Thursday October 21st (at the beginning of class!)
Your individual research project for this course is a series of writing assignments that lead up to a 5-8 page research paper: a research topic proposal, an annotated bibliography, a draft of the paper, and the final paper.
For your research topic proposal (worth 5% of your total course grade):
• Choose a research topic that is both: 1) relevant to the course content, and 2) interesting to you. Your topic may be something we have already discussed in class, or it may be on a subject we will discuss in the coming weeks.
• In your paper I will ask you to use a variety of different sources on your topic, including:
at least one news source
at least one internet source
at least one scholarly source
• It’s best if you choose a topic that is discussed in both academic and popular sources—please ask me if you are unsure about your sources.
• Write a proposal presenting your paper topic. Your proposal must include your research question.
• Your proposal must be at least 100 words, though of course it may be longer.
• Please give considerable thought to whether your topic is focused enough to write about in 5-8 pages. We will also spend time in class discussing how to narrow your focus and decide upon a manageable research topic.
• Please either: a) type up your research proposal as a word processing document and email it to me or, b) print it out and bring it to class.
• I’ll take a look at your topics and give you feedback fairly quickly. It’s possible that your topic may need to be further refined, and I can meet with you or discuss over email.
• Your annotated bibliography is due two weeks after the proposal, on November 4th.
As always, please ask me if you have any questions! Remember that I have office hours 11:15-12:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Download the guidelines and grading chart for your research proposal.
LIB 1201 - Research & Documentation for the Information Age 
As an international student, I found myself troubled with the notion of plagarism. This was more of an internal conflict rather than something that actually surfaced. For some time, I was a senior student in South Korea. There, using and transcribing information from other scholarly articles when writing research papers was not an issue. The reason for this leniency is due to the fact that college students are not professional writers and as sdtudents, we should learn from others. However, the term copy does not simply mean that a student copies and pastes other people’s ideas. Students must show his/her idea based on the information that he/she found. Students can copy the information as exmaples and explain ideas that already exist. However, they need to writer their own ideas and draw their own conflusions with the copied information. Students in Korea also need to indicate where the information came from but the way to copy from professional writing or scholarly articles definitely saves more time when writing research papers rather than changing the information into his/her own words. I believe that changing his/her words will help in undersatnding and absorbing the information well. However, as college students, we already know that if we do not understand, we cannot write out own ideas. I think the way of writing research papers differs in America and other countries. Yet the basic idea that the student needs to find their own ideas is the same anywhere in the world.