Selecting sources for persuasive research report.

Choosing and Evaluating Sources for a Persuasive Research Report

Directions: Using the sources you found for your persuasive research report, answer the questions in Part I below. Be thorough in your responses. For Part 2, you will only need to pick three (3) of your sources to evaluate. The source evaluation must be included as an appendix to your persuasive research report. Should you decide not use some or any of the sources evaluated, you will need to revise in order to include three (3) sources that are used in the final paper.

What is your research question?

Why is this topic important or relevant to you?

What is your thesis statement (topic plus controlling idea)?

What are the major points/sections that will support the thesis (4-6)?

	Name of database or web search engine	List of keywords, synonyms, or subject headings searched	Reference Entry
Sample	MasterFile Premier	Flipped Classroom Effectiveness	Sams, A. & Bergman, J. (2013, March). Flip your students’ learning. Educational Leadership, 70(6), 16-20.
Resource 1
Resource 2
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Answer all the questions in each of the five categories listed below in order to establish the credibility of the information of the THREE (3) sources you found above. Be specific.

1. Criterion

Name of WEBSITE and URL or Article Title/Author/Date/ Source

2. Currency

How do you know that this information is sufficiently current? (Check with your instructor for currency requirements in your field or topic area)

When was the information published or posted?

3. Relevance

How does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?

Who is the intended audience?

4. Authority

Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor and what are their credentials or organizational affiliations?

What does the URL reveal about the author or source? (examples:.com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net, etc.). How does this pertain to your specific source?

5. Accuracy

Where does the information come from?

How is the information supported by evidence/ citations/ hyperlinks?

6. Purpose

Is the purpose of the information to inform, teach, sell, entertain, persuade, or some combination of these?

How do you know?

7. Overall Evaluation

Given the above evaluation, briefly explain why this is an appropriate source for your research project:

Criterion	Sams, A. & Bergman, J. (2013, March). Flip your students’ learning. Educational Leadership, 70(6), 16-20.
Currency	The information was published or posted in 2013. The article is less than ten years old. The flipped classroom trend has continued and is still very popular today; information in this article is still relevant. (Check with your instructor for currency requirements in your field or topic area)
Relevance	The audience is educators who are interested in flipping their classrooms. This article directly describes the effectiveness of flipped classrooms. It also addresses two of my supporting points (self-paced learning and deeper learning during class time).
Authority	Sams is an educator and advisor for TED-Ed. He has written seven books on flipped classrooms. Bergmann has been a teacher for 24 years, and is the co-founder of the “Flipped Learning Network.” He has also written several books, including one about flipping the classroom. Educational Leadership is published by ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), founded in 1943. Educational Leadership has won several awards for publication excellence, including the 2018 APEX award. It has a circulation of 135,000.
Accuracy	The authors are talking about their own experiences, which, since they are both long-time educators and experts, specifically, in the field of Flipped Learning, makes them more credible. The authors also reference articles and studies that have been done on the topic. The article includes embedded citations and a references list at the end with links to the content that was used. Several links within in the article lead to demonstrations of flipped learning that have been published for educator training purposes.
Purpose	The purpose is to inform, but also to persuade. While the authors are trying to educate their audience about flipped classrooms, you can tell that they are advocates of this method and they are trying to persuade teachers to try it. They provide information about the benefits, and some how-to information. The article is definitely biased, and does not provide information on the disadvantages or challenges of this method.
Overall Evaluation	This article provides clear, credible information in support of the flipped classroom method. The authors are both authorities in the subject area with many years’ experience, and their information directly supports my thesis statement that flipped classrooms are effective. The article supports two of my research sections: the idea that flipped classrooms enable self-pacing, and that flipped classrooms deepen the learning that happens during classroom time