ENG 120 Cuyamaca College Food Insecurity in College Students Essay

Overview

• You will do some research to find two articles using the library database and at least one article using Google and incorporate information from these three sources into Essay 2.
• The directions for the assignment are posted near the bottom of this page.

Ideas for What to Research

1. Use your thesis as a guide to help you find more solutions to the problems you are writing about that could help you enhance the solutions you came up with yourself.
2. Statistics about food waste, food insecurity, or food deserts to help you add more logical appeals to your essay.
3. Some anecdotes about students suffering from food insecurity or people living in food deserts to help you add more emotional and ethical appeals in your writing.
4. More examples of food waste in stores, restaurants or homes that you could add to your essay to get readers to believe you.

Finding Credible Sources on the Library’s Database

• The library’s database (Links to an external site.) is a quick way to find credible sources, and it creates the Works Cited entries for you.
• The Week 11 Zoom Video shows you how to use the library’s database. This short video below also shows you:

Finding Credible Sources on Google

• Add site:edu, site:gov, or site:org after your search term to limit the types of websites that come up in your search.
• For example, if you’re researching restaurant waste, you could type in the following when you do a Google search: restaurant food waste site:edu. Then, only edu websites, which tend to be more credible, will appear in your list.

Evaluating Sources: the CRAAP Test

from Meriam Library @CSU Chico

When you search for information, you’re going to find lots of it, but is it good information? You will have to determine that for yourself, and the CRAAP Test can help. The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Different criteria will be more or less important depending on your situation or need.

Crap Test Criteria

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority: The source of the information.

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Purpose: The reason the information exists.

• What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Directions for the Research Assignment

• Use the CRAAP Test to help you locate credible research on your topic: at least two articles from Grossmont’s library database (Links to an external site.) and at least one article from Google.
• Read these articles, and as you read them, fill out the information below for each article you find in your research.
• Be sure to use in-text citations after the quotations.

Article #1 from the Library Database

1. Author:
2. Title:
3. Three quotations from the article that I might use in Essay 2 (quote and cite the quotations):

• a.
• b.
• c.

Article #2 from the Library Database

1. Author:
2. Title:
3. Three quotations from the article that I might use in Essay 2 (quote and cite the quotations):

• a.
• b.
• c.

Article #3 from Google

1. Author:
2. Title:
3. Three quotations from the article that I might use in Essay 2 (quote and cite the quotations):

• a.
• b.
• c.

Grading

You will earn fifteen points if you follow the directions and list the author, title, and three quotations related to your topic from each of the three articles.