Social Networking Project  - Issue Position and Bibliography of Five Sources

This is the start of researching your topic, formulating a position and writing citations. This week you will write an Issue Position Statement and Bibliography with no annotations, and you can use all the steps listed below to guide your work. Click here to see how this week's assignment fits into your larger social networking project.

STEP 1: Choose a topic:

Possible topics: Please choose a topic relating to a ethical dilemma that has arisen due to technology changes. Click here for a list of possible topics. but please range further for a topic that interests you about the ethics involving social networking or technology.

STEP 2: Research using databases and other sources:

• Goal: Research to find at least 5 sources related to your topic.
  • Find at least 2 sources from a database: Click here for database suggestions.
  • Find at least 2 peer reviewed sources, usually also from a database
  • All sources must be credible.

Click here for help finding research material

Adelphi's library page doesn't always show the databases, so here are links to Adelphi's library database resources:

• Adelphi's Databases
• Adelphi's Database of journals inside databases

Click here

STEP 3: Write your Issue Position Statement:

• Write a position in the form of:
  • The issue is:
  • My position is:
  • 2 arguments for my position are: (This is high level so only one sentence each is fine. The arguments can be changed later.)
  • 2 arguments against my position are: (This is high level so only one sentence each is fine. The arguments can be changed later.)
    • If you cannot think of any arguments against your position, refine your position. Look at your arguments and see if they can guide you to a position that is better to research.

  Example:

  • The issue is:
    • There were active discontents in each North African nation involved in the Arab Spring. They used Social Networking to organize events that led to successful revolutions against many governments in North Africa.
  • My position is:
    • The availability of Social Networking was a requirement for turning the North African discontent into a rapid spread of revolution in North Africa.
  • 2 arguments for my position are:
    • Social Networking was available under the government's radar
    • Political organizers used social networking to gain support their message
    • Political organizers would not have been able to coordinate events quickly without it
  • 2 arguments against my position are:
    • The discontent and economic inequity was the driving force
    • Social networking is just a tool the political organizers used because it could communicate a message, just as pamphlets did in the past

• To see how to strengthen this position, watch this video

STEP 4: Write a Bibliography containing 5 of your sources :

• The bibliography can be in MLA or APA format (or ask me if you want to use a different format) but all citations must use the same style
  • Many databases have citation tools attached or have the citation at the end. Be sure to choose the correct format (APA or MLA). Also be consistent with either MLA version 7 or 8. (MLA version 7 uses "Web" and MLA version 8 does not.)
  • Use the Purdue Owl MLA Guide or Purdue Owl APA Guide to check your citations for formatting
  • For web sites that are not found in databases: place the root web site name after the citation. For example, put www.adelphi.edu/~pe16132 at the end of a citation on my site.
  • Citation Makers: A common issue with citation makers is not including both the title and journal for a journal article. It also commonly does not include the article title, site and publisher of a web site citation. For database articles, you will often have to add the database name yourself.
  • You may find this Citation writing powerpoint helfpul.

STEP 5: Alphabetize the citations and make each have a hanging indent

• Alphabetize the bibliography by the first word in the citation.
• Format each bibliography entry with a hanging indent

STEP 6: After each source, include answers to these questions:

• Please add the answers to these questions after each source citation:
  • Where you found it : Database, Web. If database, give the database name as well. If Web, give the web link (or just hyperlink the citation to the source)
  • Type of Source: scholarly, popular, trade, government ( See this description of scholarly vs popular vs trade )
  • Is it peer reviewed, referreed or a legal review? Here is a movie showing you how to determine if your source is peer reviewed. (Find out whether the journal is peer reviewed. Ulrich's Web lists whether a journal is peer reviewed or refereed. Also, some databases have a peer-reviewed filter that can prove the journal is peer reviewed. )
  • Are there citations inside the article? (Links to original sources do count.)
  • Bias Meter: Mention any signs of bias you found: (You can skip this section for peer reviewed articles.)
    • Does it use persuasive language?
    • Does it use sensational language (which is language meant to evoke feelings in the reader)?
    • Is it missing significant facts or viewpoints from other articles you found.
    • Is it in a publication or site meant to sell or advocate a certain viewpoint?
      • This may help you answer the question above: It is not biased to present a theory, discuss all relevant research that exists, and then show evidence to prove that theory. It is biased to present a theory and prove it withe only a few facts or personal stories that are meant to make the reader feel outraged. Here is an example for the theory that Chicago murder rates are out of control because of a weak police force. A biased story may just tell a few stories of people who died violently. An unbiased story will cite rates of murder over a period of time and compare it to rates in other cities with similar socio-economic conditions, and will explain any weaknesses in the measures it is using to analyze the data, and will need to have some data that isolates a weak police force as a factor instead of jumping from the high murder rate to the police as a cause.

See the sample bibliography for examples of how the source citations should look.

Grading Rubric:

Some questions you can ask yourself to be sure you have a good bibliography:

1) Do I have 5 sources?

2) Are all citations the same type, either APA or MLA? Look at the date placement to tell if they are the same format. (Remember that if they are APA, the date written will appear right after the author's names, but in MLA it will be more towards the end. )

3) Do any citations have email addresses in the author's name? (If they do, remove them. This is a problem some citation tools are creating.) 

4) Do I have 5 questions with answers after every citation? 

•      And do at least 2 of those answers have the database name
•      And are 2 of those answers indicating the source is peer reviewed (If you don't know what peer reviewed means or how to determine if something is peer reviewed, look here.)

5) Do I state a position on what I expect my research will prove? (If you think your position is too broad, unclear or weak view this for a discussion on making your position stronger.) 

6) Do I have 2 arguments supporting that position and 2 refuting it? 

7) Is everything in the third person - no "I", "we", "you", "us"?

8) Do my citations have a hanging indent (juts out to the left) and are in alphabetical order? (If you don't know how to make a hanging indent in word or open office, look here)