Otis College LibGuides: Writing As Discovery: Thought Lab I: Citations and Annotations

In this class, you must use MLA citations for your projects.

Critical Essay: FOUR cited academic sources; TWO annotations; list citations in an MLA-style Works Cited page
Creative Project + Presentation: Cite any sources you use in an MLA-style Works Cited page

Getting Started

How do you encounter or find information on a daily basis?

Are there some news sources that you automatically trust? Are there some sources that you are immediately suspicious of?

When a celebrity posts on a social media platform about a topic important to you, do you wonder if they are getting paid to promote some content? How believable are they on that topic? Why? Will reading this tweet persuade you to change how you think about the topic?

Information Creation as a Process

Format is the way tangible knowledge is disseminated. The essential characteristic of format is the underlying process of information creation, production, and dissemination, rather than how the content is delivered or experienced.

Learners recognize that there is a process behind the production of each resource. Knowing how information is created and produced for specific formats helps learners to evaluate the quality of a resource and illuminates benefits (e.g. the review process for an article) & constraints (the lack of currency of a book) of those resources.

Types of Sources and Information

Authority Is Constructed and Contextual

This framework refers to a recognition that information resources are drawn from a creator's expertise and credibility is based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority should be viewed with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought.

Criteria for Evaluating Information

Fake News

Intended Audience & Types of Information

Identifying the intended audience for information is one step in evaluating sources.

The types of information listed below can apply to periodicals, books, and web pages. Include reference to these descriptions in your annotations. Note that these categories are not definitive; there is room for overlap and ambiguity.

Academic / Scholarly	Written by scholars or researchers in an academic setting Geared towards readers with background knowledge; uses high-level, academic vocabulary Reports on original research, experimentation, or theory Always cites sources and/or includes a bibliography Often published by a university press, research center, or academic association Often peer-reviewed (note: all peer-reviewed articles are scholarly, not necessarily vice versa) May contain visual info, like charts or graphs, that are suited to the field/discipline Not usually available on newsstands Examples: Fashion Theory; Art History; Art Bulletin; Journal of the American Medical Association
Trade / Professional	Written by and for people in a specific industry or professional field Assumes reader has knowledge of the field; uses specialized jargon Info about news, trends, and products related to the field as well as career/professional development information Sometimes includes references or a short bibliography Often published by a trade or professional association Not usually available on newsstands Examples: American Libraries; Communication Arts; Animation Magazine
Substantive News	Longform, in-depth content Provides fact-checked information about current events Sometimes lists sources or includes a bibliography Clear indication of the author(s) (usually) Level of writing geared to an educated or well-read audience Sometimes available on newsstands Examples: National Geographic; The New York Times; The New Yorker; Art in America; Artforum
Popular (newspapers, magazines, etc.)	Written for general, broad audiences on any topic Articles written by staff writers or freelance writers In.print format, these are typically slick or glossy Features lots of advertisements Rarely will include full citations/references Easily found on newsstands, in bookstores, or via the Internet Examples: Time; People; Sports Illustrated; Vogue; Rolling Stone