Comparative Source Analysis Essay Prompt
What is this assignment?
- First, you will need to summarize the stances on a controversy on which academic sources have taken positions (possibly related to your research topic) using at least four sources.
- Throughout the essay, you will also need to evaluate each source’s credibility and usefulness using criteria such as those we’ve discussed in class (credibility of author, popular vs. academic publisher, focus of publisher, how recently published, fact-checking/peer review, source citation, potential bias, etc.). This should make up the bulk of your essay.
For example, if your topic is “computerized grading of college composition writing,” your Comparative Source Analysis Essay might analyze a combination of some sources that support computerized grading, others that are against it, and still others that are somewhere in between. Each of these sources will also use various types of information to present their stance. Analyze and evaluate how effectively they prove their point.
What do I need to do?
You’ll want to review the research you’ve conducted so far and find sources where the author or authors make an argument or take a stance. You might want to make a list of each different stance, which authors support which stance, and the reasons for that stance. You will need to use these sources in your essay, so remember to cite whatever you summarize or quote.
You will need to find a total of four sources. At least two must be academic sources (scholarly books or book chapters or scholarly journal articles), but the other two may be popular sources.
Why am I doing this?
You will need to take a stance in your research projects and argue for and/or against something. In order to do that, you will need to be informed about your topic and the arguments surrounding it and to be able to analyze and evaluate the credibility of potential sources. Presenting all sides of an issue makes your argument more credible.
How will I be graded?
Your Comparative Source Analysis should be at least 1000 words (roughly 4 pages) in length. It must summarize and evaluate a controversy related to your topic. Use at least four sources and include a References/Works Cited page. Select a documentation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) and follow your style’s documentation rules for references, in-text citations, and headings/title pages.
- Save your assignment in Word format (.doc or .docx) or PDF format
- Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced and 1” margins
The essay is worth 150 points: 50 points for the first draft and 100 points for the final draft.
Note: 10 points of Extra Credit will be added to the final Comparative Source Analysis essay if you visit the Writing Center and send documentation proving you visited.