THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
School Information
INF 382L – Reader’s Advisory
GENRE AUTHOR PATHFINDER EVALUATION SHEET
5=excellent; 4=very good; 3=good; 2=weak; 1=poor;
HIGH MIDDLE
5 4
3 2
PART I: INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL
A. Is an acceptable author chosen? . . ____ ______
B. Is a biographical statement of the
author included? (1-2 paragraphs)
____ ______
C. Are the questions the patron might
want answered identified rather than
the sources that might provide info.?
(statement of information needs)
____ ______
D. Are the criteria used in selecting
sources listed? (Why include some
types of sources and not others.)
____ ______
E. Is it clear how sources were
selected: Is a chronology of steps
taken in locating sources provided? ____ ______
F. Are the subject headings used in the
search for sources listed? . . . . ____ ______
G. Does the intro. stay to 1-2 pages?
(double spaced; 250 words per page) ____ ______
H. Does the student avoid using right
justification? . . . . . . . . . .
____ ______
I. Writing style: clarity; choice of
words; punctuation; variety; word
usage; grammar; spelling; spell out
contractions; avoid weak connectives
like however . . . . . . . . . . . . ____ ______
J. Are statements supported by documentation, when needed? . . . . . . . . .____ ______
K. Do citations appear at the bottom of
the introduction? . . . . . . . . . .____ ______
PART II: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Is a style manual indicated and
correctly and completely cited? . . ____
B. Is a style manual for print sources
indicated and correctly and
completely cited? . . . . . . .
____
C. Is an adequate number of sources
included? (15 to 25) . . . . . . .
____
D. Are selections reasonable? . . . . . ____
E. Do selections represent an appropriate
variety of types of sources? . . .
____
0=no credit
LOW
TOTAL
1 0
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F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S.
T.
U.
HIGH MIDDLE LOW
5 4
3 2
1 0
Do the selections focus on major reference
sources rather than just a listing of
monographs and journal articles?
____ ______
Has complete bib. info. been given? ____ ______
Has good bib. form been used
consistently? . . . . . . . . . . . ____ ______
Are all the sources annotated? . . . ____ ______
Do annots. clearly describe the
subject and scope of the source?
____ ______
Do annots. indicate how the source
is related to the pathfinder topic? ____ ______
Do annots. point out why a patron
would find the source useful? . . . ____ ______
Do annots. indicate how to access
information in the source (e.g.,
appropriate subject terms to use)?
____ ______
Are annotations well written (sentence
clarity, variety, word usage, grammar,
punctuation, spelling)? . . . . . . ____ ______
If call numbers are given, are they
correct? . . . . . . . . . . . . .
____ ______
Are URLs complete and accurate? . . ____ ______
Are sources numbered? . . . . . .
____ ______
Are sources listed in the order in
which they appear on the pathfinder? ____ ______
Are sources not included on the
pathfinder listed at the end of the
bibliography under a caption? . . . ____ ______
Is numbering consecutive? . . . .
____ ______
Is this section within 4-8 pages?
(Can be single spaced) . . . . . .
____ ______
PART III: PATHFINDER
A. Is there a `scope note' or other
definition of the subject for the
patron? (may not be needed if the
title of the pathfinder is
descriptive) . . . . . . . . . . .
B. Is the purpose of the pathfinder
clear? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C. Have appropriate selections been
made from the bibliography? . . . .
D. Are all the sources included in the
bibliography? (NOTE: all sources in
the bibliography need not appear in
the pathfinder.) . . . . . . . . . .
TOTAL
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HIGH
5 4
E. Are sources arranged in a meaningful
way so the user understands the
concepts behind finding material on
the topic? . . . . . . . . . . . .
F. Are transitions used that lead the
patron through the pathfinder? . . .
G. Is the text library jargon-free?
H. Is there sufficient white-space to
make the text easy to read? . . . .
I. Originality . . . . . . . . . . . .
J. If call numbers are given, are they
correct? . . . . . . . . . . . . .
K. Does the pathfinder "save the time
of the client"? . . . . . . . . . .
L. Is this section within 2 pages?
(Can be single spaced) . . . . . . .
M. Is there an appropriate closure to
the pathfinder? . . . . . . . . . .
N. Writing style: clarity; choice of
words; punctuation; variety; word
usage; grammar; spelling; spell out
contractions; avoid weak connectives
like however . . . . . . . . . . . .
P. Does the student=s name also appear
on the pathfinder? . . . . . . . . .
Q. Is the pathfinder dated? . . . . . .
IS THE PATHFINDER TOPIC APPROPRIATE?
POINTS.
Scoring:
Part I:
____ X 5
____ X 4
____ X 3
____ X 2
____ X 1
____ X 0
=
=
=
=
=
=
Subtotal: _____/11
Part
____
____
____
____
____
____
II:
X 5
X 4
X 3
X 2
X 1
X 0
MIDDLE
3 2
LOW
1 0
TOTAL
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____ _____
____
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______
______
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IF NOT, DEDUCT 1-200
=
=
=
=
=
=
Subtotal: _____/21
Part III:
_____ X 5
_____ X 4
_____ X 3
_____ X 2
_____ X 1
_____ X 0
=
=
=
=
=
=
Subtotal: _____/17
Part I (_______) + Part II (_______) + Part III (_______)= ______
Total: _______/ 3 = ______%
% X 200 points = ________
Any deductions?=
1. Make sure you add a cover sheet or a deduction of -10.
2. Make sure that you indicate direct quotations if you draw five
or more words from a source. -5 points for each sentence not
attributed; -2.5 points if the source is not cited.
3. While you need to cite sources, your annotations in the
bibliography cannot be only a quoted passage. Deductions will
be made from annotations that are just pasted text.
4. Add +10 points for developing pathfinder for a client
5. Bibliography: inconsistent style and punctuation may result in
a greater deduction (up to -10 points). Note especially
capitalization within titles.
6. The pathfinder or last two pages must be limited to two pages.
Content over will result in deductions of -5 or greater.