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Building Better Research Assignments

Evaluating the Quality of Research Sources

It is important to evaluate the sources that your students are citing in their research assignments for their currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose (the CRAAP method). Equally important is ensuring that students have demonstrated that they have actually read and understood these sources.

The list of references and in-text citations that students submit can provide insight into the quality of their sources and their depth of engagement with them.

Research Materials

Remember to consult with Seneca Libraries for resources suited to the specific needs of Seneca's programs and subjects. Make sure that Seneca Libraries has the resources your students will need to complete the assignment:

  • contact your liaison librarian for a one-on-one consultation to discuss what resources Seneca Libraries has available. Librarians can match what resources are most appropriate for your assignment (we can help!)
  • include Seneca Libraries resources and links in your assignments and require your students to use these resources!

How can Seneca Libraries help?

We offer a wide range of resources and services to help you and your students, including access to many research sources in support of Seneca programs, information literacy and digital literacy workshops, tutorials on plagiarism and citation, and guides to research and citation.

Information Literacy Workshops

In consultation with your liaison librarian, consider a librarian taught class which is customized to your assignment.

These workshops can cover a range of topics such as:

  • Defining a research topic
  • Retrieving Information, i.e. learning to find articles in a library database
  • Evaluating information sources, i.e. critical thinking
  • Using citation guides accurately, i.e. directing students to online and print style guides
  • Introducing students to information literacy skills (one of the 10 core literacies outlined in Seneca's Academic Plan)

If a librarian taught session is not feasible, remember to still consult with your liaison librarian.

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