Book evaluation assignment
Writing
Directions: You will need to find a book related to your research topic from the St. Ambrose Library. You are not required to check this book out, but doing so may help you to answer the following questions.
If you choose to use a reference book, remember to ONLY cite and evaluate the actual article that you would use.
RESEARCH QUESTION
What topic are you looking for more information about?
BOOK INFORMATION
Now, find a book in Library Central on your topic.
Include a link to the book in Library Central here – remember, you can find this link under “Permalink” on the “Actions” tab for the entry.
Find the book on the shelf, scan the title page and include it in the assignment dropbox as well. Fill out the following information using the catalog record:
Author(s) or Editor(s):
Year of Publication:
Title/Subtitle:
Place of Publication (first listed):
Publisher’s Name:
CITATION
Now, using the above information, write the citation for your selected book in APA format. If you need examples for the format, check the EasyBib APA Quickguide on Blackboard or the APA homework assignment.
ANNOTATION
Write a 3-sentence annotation for this book. Sentence 1: How this book covers your topic. Don’t say “It’s on my topic” – expand on HOW it’s on your topic. Sentence 2: Address the authority/credibility of this item. Why is this book appropriate for college-level research? Sentence 3: How you would potentially use this book in a paper on your topic (Ex. “I would use this book to provide historical background on XYZ”)
EVALUATION
Rankings should be based on a scale of 1-5, where 1 = Bad and 5 = Excellent. Please explain your ranking using complete sentences, and specific details (eg. “The lead researcher, Dr. Jones, has been working in pediatric medicine for over 20 years, and specializes in Asperger’s Syndrome.” ).
1. CURRENCY
a. When was this book published?
b. Have multiple editions of this book been published? If so, which edition is this?
c. For your topic, how important is it to have recently published information (say, in the last ten years)?
d. How would you rank the currency of this book?
2. RELEVANCE
a. Who is the intended audience for this book?
b. Is the information appropriate for your needs? Is this background information, or will you use it for specific data or ideas?
c. What objections you would expect from your professor if you used this as a source?
d. How would you rank the relevance of this book?
3. ACCURACY
a. Who is the author of this book?
b. What are their affiliations (ie. Where do they work? Do they belong to any relevant organizations? If they’re a college graduate, what did they study?)?
c. Are the sources used in the book clearly identified?
d. Can the information in the book be verified by another source?
e. How would you rank the accuracy of this book?
4. PURPOSE
a. Does the language seem unbiased, or free from emotion?
b. Are there any personal, political, cultural or institutional biases displayed?
c. Who is the publisher? What type of materials do they typically publish?
d. Why was this book created? Is the intention to inform, to teach, to sell, to entertain, or to persuade?
e. How would you rate the purpose of this book?
