Comparative Source Analysis: Childhood Obesity Assignment | Online Assignment

Purpose For this assignment, you will evaluate the credibility of sources. Though countless sources of information exist on the internet, how do we know we can trust the information they contain? It is possible that any source you uncover may be biased, may attempt to manipulate the reader by withholding information, or may even provide false and misleading content. The reliability of a source is not only essential to establishing your credibility as an author, but it is also essential to making a well-informed and sound argument. This assignment will prepare you for locating trustworthy and useful sources for your upcoming research essays. Organization and Development Your introduction should open with a general statement about internet sources and the abundance of information online. You should then present criteria that are used to evaluate the reliability of a source. You should also clarify to your reader that this criteria will be used to evaluate articles on your given topic. Finally, provide a thesis statement in which you state which article is the most credible and which is the least. Evaluate 3 articles of your choosing. Remember, all of the articles should be on the same topic and one of your articles should be a source you would not dare use on a formal research essay (Note: Do not select all unreliable sources). You will provide an objective summary and a detailed analysis of each source. Typically, an effective source analysis should be about a page in length per source. Be sure to properly introduce the article title and author of each source. When evaluating each source, consider the following factors (do not simply answer these questions in order, they are meant to guide your thinking. ● Author: Indicate the author (if any) and their credentials. o Do authors of the source give evidence of their credentials? o Can you find any bias that the author may hold? ● Publisher: Indicate the publisher of the document. o Is there evidence that the content of the source is affected by commercial sponsorship? o Is the argument aimed at a specific and identifiable audience? How might that change your interpretation? • Date of Publication: o When was the article published? To what extent does this have an effect on the relevance of the information? ● Content/Evidence: Identify the thesis and the main arguments that the author makes. o Does the author cite or reference other sources? o What type of data or other information does the author use to support his/her argument? How does the author validate this information? How does the author present this information? o Is the content logically arranged? You might need to do additional research to substantiate your claims as to the reliability of the source. Fully cite each additional source used in helping you reach your conclusions. You also need to provide comparisons/points of contrast between the articles in terms of credibility. Your paper will be a minimum of 4 pages in length (not including MLA Works Cited page), 12 point font, Times New Roman, double spaced. You must utilize MLA in-text citations for any quotations or paraphrase used from the articles. You are also required to document your sources in an MLA Works Cited page. You should have at least 3 entries, one for each article. You will also need to include entries for any additional sources you used for the essay. Evaluation Your final source evaluation counts for 100 points. Make sure that you have:  Provided criteria that one uses to evaluate the reliability of a source.  Summarized each source objectively  Evaluate the credibility of each source  Compared and contrasted sources to one another in terms of credibility  Used proper MLA in-text citations and Works Cited page  Checked for grammar, spelling, and any other mechanical errors