Capstone Project: Bibliography

The basics

Brief description: Conduct some preliminary research and create an MLA-Formatted bibliography.
Research: Include 20 peer-reviewed scholarly sources, primarily articles, but articles in books and monograph-length book might also be included.
Format: MLA Style
Length: 20 bibliographic entries for 20 different sources, all formatting in MLA Style.

The details

This assignment assumes that you have experience with effectively searching a library database, in general, and experience with effectively searching the MLA International Bibliography, more specifically. If you need help, ask me, ask your faculty reader, or ask a librarian.

The bibliography is an important early step in your capstone project. Your goal is to conduct preliminary research by exploring the MLA International Bibliography to identify scholarly sources that may be relevant to your project. You will create an MLA-formatted bibliography based on these sources. Please note that this is not an annotated bibliography; it is just a bibliography.

What's the different between a bibliography and an annotated bibliography? A bibliography is nothing more than a list of sources. Unlike an annotated bibliography, which includes brief summaries or evaluations of each source, a bibliography provides the full citation details for each source, such as the author’s name, title, publication information, and page numbers. Here, you will be following MLA Style for formatting your bibliography.

Instructions

1. Access the MLA International Bibliography:

Use the USC Upstate Library to access the MLA International Bibliography, a valuable database for scholarly sources in the field of English. Later, you might use other databases -- like JSTOR or Project Muse -- to retrieve the actual sources on the bibliography you create. But this assignment requires you to use the MLA International Bibliography.

2. Define Your Research Focus and Generate Keywords:

Review your capstone project’s research question and objectives. Be clear about the specific aspects of your topic you wish to explore in your research.
Generate a list of keywords and search phrases related to your research focus. These will be used in your database search.

3. Refine Your Search Results:

Refine your search results as follows:
- Source Types: Limit your search to academic articles, articles in scholarly books, and scholarly books.
- Publication Date: Restrict the publication date range to the last 20 years to ensure relevance to contemporary scholarship.

4. Conduct Your Search and Revise as Needed:

Use the generated keywords and search phrases to initiate your search.
If you are not finding enough sources, that’s a sign that you need to adjust your search strategy. It does not mean that you have chosen a bad topic for your research.

5. Evaluate and Select Sources:

Carefully evaluate the search results and select sources that seem potentially relevant to your project. Pay attention to titles, abstracts, and keywords to gauge the content’s suitability.
You do not need to read any sources to decide at this stage that it belongs on the bibliography.

With this document in hand, you will have a curated list of scholarly sources that can inform your capstone project’s scholarly context and provide a strong foundation for your research journey.

The Rubric

40% Relevance and Appropriateness of Sources:
- Insufficient: The bibliography contains fewer than 20 sources, and many of them are not peer-reviewed or lack relevance to the research focus.
- Adequate: The bibliography includes 20 sources, but some are not peer-reviewed or have limited relevance to the research focus. Several sources may be dated or less appropriate.
- Good: The bibliography contains 20 sources, primarily peer-reviewed scholarly articles, but some may be less relevant or slightly dated. Most sources are suitable for the research topic.
- Outstanding: The bibliography includes 20 peer-reviewed scholarly sources that are highly relevant to the student's research focus. All sources are appropriate, recent, and contribute significantly to the research topic.
35% Accuracy and Consistency in MLA Formatting:
- Insufficient: Many bibliographic entries lack proper MLA formatting, with numerous errors and omissions in essential details.
- Adequate: Some bibliographic entries have formatting errors or inconsistencies in MLA Style. Several essential details may be missing.
- Good: Most bibliographic entries are correctly formatted in MLA Style, with minor errors or inconsistencies. The majority of essential details are included.
- Outstanding: Each bibliographic entry is accurately formatted in MLA Style, including all necessary details (author(s), title, publication information, and page numbers). The formatting is consistent throughout the bibliography.
30% Organization and Presentation:
- Insufficient: The bibliography lacks organization, making it challenging to navigate, and is poorly presented.
- Adequate: The bibliography may lack clear organization or have significant presentational issues, making it less reader-friendly.
- Good: The bibliography is generally well-organized and presented, with minor organizational or presentational improvements needed.
- Outstanding: The bibliography is organized in alphabetical order by the author's last name, with impeccable presentation and readability. It demonstrates a high level of professionalism.