Research Papers Source Cards & Works Cited Pages

Evaluating Sources Primary Sources: sources that contain firsthand information ◦ Maps, diaries, letters, autobiographies, interview of a person who was there Secondary Sources: interpretations of the primary materials produced by others ◦ Encyclopedias, newspaper articles, documentaries Primary sources are best!

Evaluating Sources Sources may have out-of-date information or mistakes, so you must evaluate them! Internet sources ◦ Sites with addresses ending in.org (non- profit organizations),.edu (educational institutions), and.gov (U.S. government agencies) are the best places to start ◦ The Internet is full of inaccurate information – evaluate the article and the website carefully!

Evaluating Sources How to evaluate: 1.Is the source nonfiction?  Do not use stories or novels for a factual report. 2.Is the information current?  This is particularly important in changing fields, like technology. It’s not as essential in historical topics. 3.Is the information trustworthy?  You should be able to verify all of the facts with other sources.

Source Cards As you research, you will create one source card for each article, video, interview, etc. that you MIGHT use in your paper Skim through your article first to be sure it’s about your topic and has information you might use in your paper Then, create your source card (BEFORE taking any notes!)

Source Cards What goes on my source card? 1.First, number it in the upper right-hand corner (Is this the first source you looked at? The second? Third?) 2.MLA Works Cited information  The information will depend on the type of source (book, newspaper, internet, video, etc.)  See page 678 in HLLA book or the handout I provided for the correct format

Sample Source Card #1 "White Rose." Holocaust Encyclopedia. 6 January United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 9 May ?ModuleID= ?ModuleID=

Works Cited After you’ve written your paper, you will create a Works Cited page, which tells your reader which works (articles, videos, etc.) you used (cited) in your paper. You must find FOUR sources, but only need to use THREE in your paper. Only list the sources you actually used in your paper on the Works Cited page.

Works Cited Must use MLA format. Must list works in alphabetical order (do not pay attention to the number in the corner – that is for your notes). If your source cards are accurate, all you need to do is copy the information from your index card!