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Source Pertinence: Common Problems
| 3 (best) |
2 |
1 |
0 (worst) |
|
Resources are pertinent to topic (80-100%)
|
Most resources are relevant to topic (50-79%) |
Some resources are relevant to topic (20-49%) |
Resources not relevant to topic/not present (under 20%) |
What you're seeing:
- Students are grabbing sources that may have words in common with the topic but are actually unrelated to it
- Students are using sources that are only tangentially related to their topic in order to pad their bibliography
Improving Source Pertinence
- Require students to hand in a source list or annotated bibliography before the final draft is due.
- Annotated bibliographies require students to describe and/or evaluate their chosen sources. By requiring students to submit a list of their sources before the final draft, you can catch any problems and turn it into a teachable moment. You can find helpful information about annotated bibliographies at the following links:
- Include a relevant LibGuide in your Canvas course or link it within the assignment itself.
- LibGuides direct students to the most pertinent library databases and other resources in a given subject area. They can help students to do their searching in the right places, which will help them choose relevant sources.
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