Assignment 1: Discussion—Evaluating Sources (Scholarly versus Popular)

When creating research papers, the quality of the sources you use is critical to the success of your investigation of the subject. Therefore, it is important to be able to effectively evaluate the appropriateness of the information you are collecting.

Post to the Discussion Area your response to the following:

• What are the criteria you use to judge the quality of the resources you use when doing research?
• How do you maintain the balance between writing your own thoughts and quoting or paraphrasing from your sources? What percentage of your paper is original?
• How do you maintain the balance among Web resources, print media, and other source channels, and what is the percentage of such content?

Write your initial response in about 150–200 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Note that your response to this assignment will also be submitted as a piece of writing for M8: Assignment 2 for a review of your writing skills. Therefore, make sure your response to this assignment is logical, clear, and well organized. Also, proofread your response for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.