Commonly Used Student Assignments
Discerning between Scholarly and Popular Literature
The scholarly versus popular assignments requires students to include some measure of
articles written by experts to other scholars, researchers and students in a given field. This
assignment encourages students to think critically about information and to choose peerreviewed articles that are accurate and lend credibility to their research.
Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 3
More information or samples on how to differentiate scholarly literature from a popular literature is
available at http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill20.html
Identify Primary Research
The primary research assignment requires students to identify and select research articles
that document an original project carried out by a researcher or scientist. This assignment
exposes students to how research studies are presented and gives them the scientific
framework on which to base their own original research.
Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 3
More information or samples on how to differentiate a primary research is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/~pjackso2/Primary%20Sources%20in%20the%20Sciences.htm
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html
http://www.sjsu.edu/~dwu/primary.doc
Annotated Bibliography
The annotated bibliography requires students to develop a topic, search for, evaluate, and
summarize relevant literature, and cite information in the proper format for the current field
of study.
Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
More information or sample on how to correctly build an annotated bibliography is available at
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnotatedBibliography.html
Literature Review
One step further than the annotated bibliography, the literature review assignment requires
students to critically interpret resources and see the relationship between concepts, fitting
together various ideas to build a comprehensive view of the topic under study.
Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
More information or sample on how to write a literature review is available at
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html
Journal or Log
Requiring students to keep an evaluative and reflective journal or log on course readings
and research can help them better understand the research process and evaluate their
success.
Incorporates ACRL Standards: 3, 4
More information or sample on how to keep a decent journal is available at
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/english/composition/students/journaling.html
Commonly Used Student Assignments
Research Paper
Depending on the guidelines, a research paper can conceivably incorporate each of the
assignments highlighted so far. Research papers require students to develop topics, find
information, and critically interpret resources to create a convincing and developed final
product.
Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
More information or samples on how to effectively write a research paper
in APA style is available at http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
in MLA style is available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html
in Chicago style is available at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools.html
"Commonly Used Assignments." 10 Oct 2006. SJLibrary.org. 14 Oct 2006
<http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/literacy/info_comp/common_assignments.htm>.