Assignment Requirements

Based on the interview with the IT professional (client) to discuss his/her

information need related to the job, the (student) Consultant will search, locate,
and evaluate at least 10 reputable and relevant electronic information
sources that are varied (e.g., websites, journal articles, news stories, etc.) using
search engines and databases. At least TWO of the 10 sources must be obtained
using the Rutgers University Libraries databases (see below for a list of
"Rutgers University Libraries Research Resources" for the IC Project).

Important! Follow these guidelines:

● Search and locate at least 10 reputable, and relevant sources (that

meet the 7 evaluation criteria: accuracy, currency, authority/credibility,
quality, objectivity, coverage, relevance - more on this below) that are
varied (e.g., websites, journal articles, news stories, database articles,
etc.). The sources may not be from one predominant publication or
author.
● Use search techniques you've learned thus far (Boolean operators,
keywords, phrasing with quotes, parentheses, and/or ordering) to search
and locate your 10 information sources using search engines and
academic library databases.
● Including at least two sources from Rutgers Libraries databases (see
list of library databases below; Google Scholar should not be used as one
of the two library databases, but may be used as another type of
information source).
● All information sources (from search engines AND library academic
databases) must be obtained from "full-text articles" (not just article
"abstracts") so you can properly evaluate them.
● All information sources must be electronic sources (i.e., not print-based
or point to "books" found on the web unless the entire e-book is
available online for your IT client's review).
● Include only those information sources that you RECOMMEND for your IT
client's information need (do not include sources that you have evaluated
and have found to be lacking based on the evaluation criteria - see
below).
● Citations and annotations are to follow APA style/format (6th edition).
Provide URLs for all openly available online sources and names/titles of
databases. When using Rutgers Libraries databases, include the
name/title of the database at the end of the citation (Retrieved from
XXX database) - do not include the URL for the purposes of this
assignment. See below (Citing Sources in an Annotated Bibliography
using APA Guidelines) for assistance in proper style and formatting for
APA citations.
Please read the instructions below carefully, which will help you succeed in completing this
assignment.

Rutgers University Libraries Research Resources

In addition to using search engines (e.g., Google, Google Scholar, Yahoo, Bing, etc.), the
following resources are academic databases/indexes, search tools, and IT-related resources
through Rutgers University Libraries that can assist you in doing research to complete ICP
Assignment 3 (i.e., searching, locating, evaluating information sources for an information need,
and then preparing an Annotated Bibliography):

Specific Academic Databases: (*** use at least TWO databases below to find
at least TWO information sources ***)

○ Academic Search Premier

○ Links to an external site.
○
○ ACM Digital Library
○ Links to an external site.
○ (Association for Computing Machinery)
○ Business Source Premier
○ Links to an external site.
○
○ Compendex
○ Links to an external site.
○ (Engineering Village)
○ Library and Information Science Abstracts
○ Links to an external site.
○ (LISA/ProQuest)
○ Library Literature and Information Science Full Text
○ Links to an external site.
○ (H.W. Wilson)
○ Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
○ Links to an external site.
○ (LISTA)
Aggregated IT-Related Resources:

○ Rutgers University Libraries Articles

○ Links to an external site.
○ (Aggregator that searches multiple databases at once when you enter
search criteria)
○ Information Technology-Specific Databases/Indexes
○ Links to an external site.
○
○ Information Technology and Informatics (ITI) Library Tutorial
○ Links to an external site.
 ○ (for assistance in all aspects of research related to ITI)
○ Library and Information Science LibGuide
○ Links to an external site.
○
Note: Go to: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/indexes
Links to an external site.
to view a list of all Rutgers Libraries Indexes and Databases listed alphabetically.
These databases are restricted resources for Rutgers students, faculty, and staff
only (free-of-charge). Please be aware that if students want to access these
restricted resources off-campus, they must log-in
Links to an external site.
using their Rutgers NetID and Password.

After evaluating each electronic information source, students will make a

determination as to whether the source is to be recommended to the IT
Professional (based on the evaluation criteria) and included as one of the 10
sources in the Annotated Bibliography. See APA Resources below. Only those
information sources that you recommend should be included in your
Annotated Bibliography.

Writing an APA-Style Annotated Bibliography of Evaluating Electronic

Information Sources

After evaluating and selecting the 10 electronic information sources from "full-
text" articles that you are recommending to the IT Professional, students will
prepare/write an Annotated Bibliography (called a "Reference List") in a Word
document that is 5-7 pages in length, following APA style and guidelines (6th
edition) in alphabetical order by author’s last name and include the following:

● Introduction - At the beginning of the Annotated Bibliography, include:

(paragraphs; double-spaced)
○ Your IT client's name, position, and company or organization.
○ Brief description of your IT client's information need.
○ Brief description of the search strategies (search
techniques and queries), search engines, and
subscription databases (Rutgers Libraries) you used to
research and formulate your Annotated Bibliography, and a
statement as to whether you succeeded in locating the required
10 relevant and reputable information sources for the IT
professional's (client) information need pertaining to the job.
● EACH annotation entry is to include the following: (single-spaced with
APA citation format; skip a line between the citation and summary and
evaluation of each source - see SAMPLE ANNOTATION ENTRY below)
 ○ Source citation (as the heading of the annotation) following
the appropriate APA format for different types of sources (e.g.,
journal article from a subscription/library database, news article
from a website, online periodical from a website, etc.). Indent
the second line of the citation (as needed). Provide URLs for
all openly available online sources and the name of the
database for academic databases that you used (after the
"Retrieved from" at the end of the citation).
●

○ Descriptive Annotation about the information source: (in

paragraph form)

■ Summary of the article and author (one

paragraph)

■ Who wrote the article (person or

organization/site)
■ Summary of the article content
■ Purpose of the article
○

■ Your evaluation of the source (include the 7

criteria; one paragraph)
(Please "bold" each evaluation criterion as you
discuss in the paragraph - see sample below.
Example: "The article is of high quality because a
bibliography of sources is provided at the end." This
will help you make the connection between each
evaluation criterion and your explanation/rationale.)
■ Accuracy
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation: is
the information accurate? are there any
mistakes or contradictions in the content?)
■ Currency
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation: is
the information timely and current
especially important for technology topics?
does the site or article include the date it
was published and/or a date as to when it
was updated/revised?)
■ Authority/credibility
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation:
what are the author’s/editor’s credentials or
background and/or the organization’s/site's
purpose? Is the author or organization/site
a recognized, reputable, and reliable
authority in the field? Is the URL
 extension .edu (education), .org (non-
profit), .gov (government), or is it a .com or
.net (business)?
■ Quality
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation:
are the sources of the article documented in
footnotes or in-text citations and/or include
a bibliography at the end? is the information
based on evidence or research? Are there
links to more information and do the links
work?)
■ Objectivity
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation:
does the author or organization’s site or
article give a balanced viewpoint and/or
with multiple perspectives or is it biased
based on personal opinion)?
■ Coverage
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation: is
the information on the site or article
comprehensive enough (or contain key
information) for the information need? Does
the site or article cover too much or too
little generally? Is important information
missing?)
■ Relevance to the IT Professional’s topic or
information need
(Provide the rationale in your evaluation:
how is the information source directly
relevant, important, or useful to the IT
client’s topic and information need?)
■ Note: If you do not recommend the information
source for the IT client’s information need as a result
of your evaluation, then find a different
information source. All information sources in your
Annotated Bibliography are those that you
recommend and have “passed” your evaluation.