L SC 311: Information Literacy
Fall Semester 2003

Research Portfolio
Guidelines

Due Dates:	December 2 2003
Points:	350 points (35% of course grade)
Scope:	Your project must consist of two components: * Annotated Bibliography (200 pts.) * Research Essay (150 pts)

Purpose: The final project will show the results of your research question or hypothesis through the annotated bibliography and will describe and evaluate the methods undertaken to produce the bibliography. The project is holistic in nature and reflects the entire research process. The steps necessary to complete your project are listed below.

1. Formulate a research question or topic.

2. Find information that matches your topic.

3. Read, review, evaluate and reflect on information retrieved.

4. For your bibliography you will:

4	* Apply an approved citation style to each information source selected for inclusion.
	* Organize information resources into a bibliography.
	* For each source, describe its contents, usefulness and its applicability to your topic.  These descriptions serve as annotations.

5. In your essay you will: Describe your topic and your interest in it.

* Justify the decisions you made in finding and selecting the information sources.

* Report how you searched and describe the strategies you used.

* Analyze your progress, noting what worked, what didn't work and why.

* Describe what you would have done differently.  

Required Format & Contents:

Your paper will have the following structure: (1) Title Page, (2) Annotated Bibliography, and (3) Research Essay. In your Research Essay, each section should be labeled with the appropriate heading. A list of requirements is given below.

TITLE PAGE	Must include: Topic title, Name, Date, Course number, Semester, Year.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY	* Contains at least 15 sources. * Includes at least one source from the following categories: Book, journal article, web page. You are strongly encouraged to include the following source types as they apply to your topic: videos, sound recordings, government/state documents, interviews, speeches, conference proceedings, dissertations, newspaper articles, FAQs, performances, TV/radio programs, etc. * Organized in a logical manner; for example, alphabetical, by source type, date, or importance. Give a brief description of rationale for your organizational plan in your research essay. * Has citations that conform to approved citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago). Explain your choice of style in your research essay. * Contains succinct but descriptive annotations (50-75 words). Annotations must show the purpose, use and value of the source.
RESEARCH ESSAY
General Information	*The Research Essay will describe your research process. It is a detailed account of how and why you chose this topic; which finding tools, search terms/strategies were used; how you used them; and why they were chosen. It should cover what problems you encountered and what successes you met. Summarize what you learned about doing research and using research methods. * Minimum length is 5 pages, single spaced (10 pages double spaced), not including the title page or annotated bibliography. * Maximum font size is 12 point. Use a standard font face, one that can be easily read. * Margins are to be no more than 1" on each side. * This is not a research paper. You will not hand in a traditional research paper. A multiple submission (the same paper submitted for two or more courses) will result in an F. Do not make this mistake.
Introduction	* The parameters of your topic, what it involves/includes and what it doesn’t. Ex: pancreatic cancer not liver cancer. * Why you chose this topic, what do you already know about it, and what you want to learn from it. * How your topic fits within a larger field of study. * Explain the focus of your topic. Which areas you did or did not explore and why. * The time period you focused on (if applicable). * If extremely complex, explain your topic in lay terms, giving definitions where necessary. Note: This section is relatively short.
Description of Process	* Where and how you began. * Describe the finding tools used (catalogs, indexes, databases). * List the search terms used (subject headings, keywords, names) and where they led you. * Document the search techniques/strategies used and their usefulness.  * Modifications you made to your search terms, techniques and tools. * How the annotated bibliography was organized, what citation style was used and the rationale for both. * Include specific examples.
Evaluation of Process	* Specific stumbling blocks you encountered. Why they occurred and if they could have been avoided. * Describe search terms, techniques and tools that were most successful, ones that were not successful, and why. * Decision-making points; why you selected/rejected certain information sources, tools and techniques. * How you evaluated and selected sources for the annotated bibliography. * How well is the topic represented in print or electronic/internet resources?  * Would you go about this project differently knowing what you know now?  * How do your present research methods and concepts compare with those you had before? * What advice would you give to someone embarking on a similar research project? What are the most valuable concepts/techniques you learned? * The best information source for your annotated bibliography and the best finding tool used. Why? * What research strategies, techniques and tools will you use for future projects.
Appendix	* Photocopies of sources: For books, photocopy the title page only. Add NMSU call number when obtained from NMSU Library. For periodical articles, web sites, email, etc., photocopy or print out the first page only. For video/audio recordings, photocopy the video/cassette/cd box. For all other source types, please see instructor.