College of San Mateo

LIBR105

Final Project

The final project consists of two parts:

• An annotated bibliography of sources relevant to the thesis you have formulated over the course of the semester.
• A brief essay in which you reflect on your experience in the class.

Part I.  Annotated Bibliography

Compile an annotated bibliography of sources supporting the thesis you have been developing over the semester. 

Your bibliography must include 10 sources and follow MLA format. 

Feel free to include sources you have already discovered in the course of completing the assignments.

Your bibliography should include ALL OF THE FOLLOWING types of sources:

• Reference Sources: Search the Encyclopedia Americana (in print or online) or any other authoritative print or online reference source to find one reference article supporting your thesis.

• Books: Using the CSM Library catalog, find three books in the Peninsula Library System supporting your thesis.

• Magazines and Journals: Search the Expanded Academic ASAP database to find three articles supporting your thesis.  At least one of these articles should be from a scholarly (peer-reviewed) publication.

• Newspapers: Search the e-Library database to find two newspaper articles supporting your thesis.

• Websites: Use a search engine or engines of your choosing (Google, Yahoo, Librarians’ Internet Index, etc.) to find one authoritative website supporting your thesis.

Sample Entry:

Commins, Nora L. "Addressing linguistic diversity from the outset." Journal of Teacher Education, 57.3 (2006): 240-247.

This article argues that prospective teachers should be taught to work with students from a variety of linguistic, cultural, and class backgrounds as a core part of their training.  The article also notes that when teachers are trained to work with "average" students, they are unprepared for the realities of most urban public school systems. 

I think that I will be able to use this article to show one specific example about the importance of addressing diversity in the educational system. I will also be able to take other facts from this article to support my thesis statement.

For each entry in your Annotated Bibliography, remember the following things:

• Include your name and thesis statement at the top of the first page, before you list your citations.

• The title of your document will be “Works Cited.”

• List the citations in alphabetical order by the author’s or editor’s last name.

• You will need to have a minimum of TEN citations included in this document.

• Do not number your citations. If there is no author, the citation begins with the title.

• You will need an annotation for each citation.

• Annotations should describe the source (in your own words) and why it is relevant to your thesis.

 Part II. Reflective Paper

Write a three page paper (double spaced) in which you reflect on what you have and haven’t learned in this course.  Answer the following questions in your essay:

• Do you have a better understanding of what makes a good research topic?

• Have you developed more confidence in your ability to do research? 

• What have you learned about evaluating sources of information for accuracy, bias, currency, etc.?

• Please also discuss what you haven’t learned. 

• Are there aspects of research with which you are still not completely comfortable? 

• Are there things you wish the course had covered or emphasized more? 

I am interested in an honest evaluation of your experience in this course.  Please concentrate on what you would like to tell me, not what you think I would like to hear!

Questions?

E-mail them to Mark Fink at finkm@smccd.net before the final project is due.

Go back to the LIBR105 Course Syllabus