Students will complete an annotated bibliography of a minimum of 7 highly credible sources pertaining to a research topic related to information literacy selected by each student. It MUST be a controversial social or professional topic. A few examples of highly controversial topics might include the following (though there are dozens more): Do not copy papers from the internet, as you will automatically receive a ZERO.
- Topic is: Vaccination reluctance and public health.
These are all highly controversial topics, and many involve misinformation/disinformation. You may choose other topics, but they should be topics that extend beyond the personal to large portions of society. ALL SOURCES must be sources of high quality, not sources of questionable credibility. Your aim is to focus on causes and effects, not simply on what you believe on the topic. This is the first step in writing a formal problem statement.
Decide on your thesis, your point of view or stance on the topic, but then step aside from your emotions and do serious, impartial research on causes/effects. When it comes to deciding your thesis (or research focus), start generally then focus down. Work through this progression with your own research interest.
EXAMPLE:
- General area of interest: vigilante marketing.
- Research topic: consumers use of vigilante marketing to build brand commitment.
- Central research question: how do consumers use vigilante marketing to self-create and disseminate advertising artifacts that build commitment to a brand and brand community?
- Aim: to investigate how consumers in a specific brand community use vigilante marketing techniques to self-generate brand-centred communications in order to build both brand and community commitment.
(Adapted from Muñiz and Schau, 2007)
Find and review 7-to-10 sources of high quality on a discipline-specific, information literacy-related topic.
Prepare a 750- to 1,000-word annotated bibliography in which you address the following in your annotations:
- Summarize each source you intend to use for your research project.
- Analyze each source for its relevance to your research project.
- Discuss the quality/credibility of the sources chosen for your prospective
thesis. - Argue each source’s credibility and note its flaws.