What Do You Think?:
Current Controversy Library Assignment

Assignment
Everybody has an opinion, and here’s your chance to express your’s. Choose a current controversial topic, and write a three paragraph summary of your opinion on that topic. Find some supporting evidence from three sources and cite these sources in a brief bibliography at the end of your summary. If you have problems coming up with a controversial topic, we’ve put together a short list of some suggested topics below.

• Use PITTCat to locate your books. For more help on searching the catalog, check the How do I find a book if I just have a topic? guide.
• Use a database to locate your articles. For more help on selecting and searching an article database, check the How do I find articles on a topic? guide.
• Use a search engine to find a Web site. The Web site should be evaluated using the five criteria included in the Evaluating Web Information page.

Topic Bibliography Library Assignment

Introduction
A bibliography is a listing of information used in a research project. Research papers or scholarly journal articles will almost always be concluded with a bibliography of the research used in that article or paper. A bibliography shows what informational sources the researcher used, and allows the reader to check the research used in a project or paper. During your time at Pitt, you will have to create a bibliography for any research paper you write. Bibliographies are created using a standard format for citing each informational source. The most commonly used citation formats are the American Psychological Association (APA) Style and the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style.

Assignment
Compile a brief bibliography on any subject or topic of your choice. Your bibliography must include two books, two articles, and one World Wide Web site.

• Use PITTCat to locate your books. For more help on searching the catalog, check the How do I Find a Book if I just have a topic? guide.
• Use a database to locate your articles. For more help on searching an article database, check the How do I find srticles on a topic? guide.
• Use a search engine to find a Web site. The Web site should be evaluated using the five criteria included in the Evaluating Web Information page.

When you type up your bibliography, be sure to put your name, the date, and your subject or topic of interest in the upper right hand corner of your assignment. The bibliography should be compiled using the Modern Language Association citation style. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th edition, by Joseph Gibaldi, will show you how to cite research materials using MLA style. The book is available in campus libraries, and there is an online guide to Citing Resources on the main library site.

Scholarly Research? Hoax? Sales Pitch? Personal Opinion?: Evaluating Web Information Library Assignment

Assignment
When you use a Web site as a resource in a research assignment, you need to evaluate the information in the Web site to make sure it’s reliable. Choose one of the Web sites listed below, and evaluate it using the five criteria discussed in the Evaluating Web Information page in the Freshman Studies Library Orientation module. Would you feel confident in using that particular site’s information if your grade were riding on it?

When you type up your Web site evaluation, be sure to put your name and the date in the upper right hand corner of your paper. On the following lines, list the title of the Web page you chose to evaluate, and the Web site’s URL. Then briefly discuss your evaluation of the Web site, using examples from the site, under each of these headings:

1. Accuracy
2. Authority
3. Objectivity
4. Currency
5. Coverage