This paper, a minimum of three pages in length, is designed to prepare you for research in your field of study by emphasizing the process of discovery. When this assignment is finished, you should be acquainted with the significant sources in your field. The sources you review for this paper should therefore give you a solid background for future research in the field of your choice. For the present, you will delve into your discipline, not into one particular topic.

GOALS

This experience will familiarize you with

• the criteria by which scholars and/or professionals in your field judge the productions of others
• the names and specialties of the leading scholars, business people and GMU professors in your field
• the major periodicals in your field of study, both print and electronic, academic journals as well as commercial magazines and newsletters
• the reference works (bibliographies, abstracts, encyclopedias, etc.) serving researchers in your field
• professional conferences and associations normally joined and attended by members of your field; major publications and research services offered by these groups
• online journals, web sites, or other electronic sources if recognized as reliable sources in your field
• participatory media such as wikis, blogs, bulletin boards, podcasts and chats, and their status as reference sources in your area

PROCEDURE

Preparation

• Before beginning this paper, select a field of study that interests you within a major discipline.
• Begin by interviewing professor(s) who teach in the general area or other experienced professionals who are knowledgeable on the subject.
• As these questions, among others:
  • What constitutes an important resource in the field (for example, conferences vs. journals)?
  • What are the important reporting structures and what makes them authoritative?
  • What criteria are used in the field to determine authority?
  • Which types of sources does the department regard as inappropriate or unreliable?
• Be sure to attend the class meeting with a librarian and to consult that handout material provided
• Try to find out which, if any, popular periodicals are also read by professionals (very common in CS and related studies.)
• Find out what, if any, journals in your field are solely published electronically (e-zines). Are there good web sites--personal, institutional, organizational, library or university sponsored? Any reputable newsgroups or bulletin boards?

Content

• Prepare a paper in paragraph form which surveys the sources you have gathered that are appropriate for the field of study. Sources may include humans, reference works, electronic sources, databases, journals, associations, popular magazines, and any other valuable resources you discover
• Discuss the library resources available to you, including librarians, print and electronic sources, partnerships with other libraries and document delivery.
• Indicate which sources might be considered as inappropriate or unreliable. Are some magazines considered too "popular" or oversimplified? Too political or narrow-minded? Are cybersources acceptable at all? Why or why not?
• Conversely, describe the sources which are highly regarded professionally. Focus on the reasoning behind the rating process, clearly explaining the qualities of thought and habits of work which are respected by scholars or other professionals. As you are writing this section, the goal is to internalize these standards so that you can begin to take a professional attitude toward new data sources when you meet them.
• As you identify the resources, indicate the availability or ease of access of each.

GRADING

Grades will be based on the following criteria:

1. Format: paper is word processed in 12 point type, using standard US spelling, sentence structure and punctuation. It is written in paragraph form, NOT a series of bulleted lists. At the upper left of the first page, it lists your name, date and class section.
2. Content includes a complete review of a variety of resources, including but not limited to
   • academic journals
   • professional conferences
   • authority figures (people)
   • reference works
   • popular newsstand magazines
   • databases
   • electronic journals
   • internet sources such as web sites and listservs
   • participatory media like podcasts, wikis, blogs and electronic bulletin boards
   • any other valuable resources, such as newsletters
3. Source Evaluation: each type of sources has been evaluated adequately and effectively according to the accepted criteria for your chosen field of study and for its acceptability in student papers
4. Criteria for such an evaluation have been specified

Return to the syllabus for English 302-H26, fall 2008

Return to the syllabus for English 302-H27, fall 2008

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