First, decide which species of organism you will choose for your Course Project topic. (Only one species!) Share your species’ correct scientific name.
This species will be the SAME TOPIC you will research throughout all your Course Project assignment steps through Week 8.
Next, select only ONE article from a source of information relevant to any of the topics and subtopics of your species (Physical Description, Life Cycle/Reproduction, Structure/Function, Energy Ecology, and Habitat) from the open web or the Trefry Library.
Note: Our Week 2 Discussion helps students kick off researching their selected species. I strongly advise you to review the Outline assignment instructions for more details.
Use the name of your article and its source as the title of your initial post (e.g., “Bare-nosed Wombat – Australian Museum.”) You cannot use a source that one of your classmates has already used, or you will not receive credit.
Recall that Wikipedia is not considered a credible source for our purposes and should not be used in class.
Evaluate your selected source and write it in APA reference list format:
1. Evaluate the source by explaining why it is or is not an academically and scientifically credible source of information. Do not summarize the article or focus your post on details about your organism! The focus of your post should be on identifying three pieces of evidence and explaining your rationale as to why each is evidence for or against credibility.
A. Provide a minimum of three pieces of evidence to support your thoughts and state if they are green or red flag examples.
Some evidence to consider is the credibility of the author as a subject matter expert, the quality of the reference sources included in the article or lack thereof, the credibility of the publisher or website, etc. Review the Source Evaluation Cheat Sheet and https://apus.libanswers.com/faq/2170 (Criteria to Determine Credibility).
Green-Flag evidence example:
Author is a subject-matter expert (e.g., “Dr. Mary Smith holds a Ph.D. in zoology.”)
Red-Flag evidence example:
Author is not a subject-matter expert and does not provide academically and scientifically credible reference sources. (e.g., “John Jones is a freelance writer with a journalism degree and did not include any credible reference sources.”)
B. Based on the evidence you have provided, state if you feel this source is an overall credible source.
Examples:
“All three pieces of evidence I found were green flags; therefore, I feel this is a credible source overall.”
“All three pieces of evidence I found were red flags; therefore, I feel this is not a credible source overall.”
“The evidence I found was a mix of red and green flags. Because Wikipedia was one of the sources noted in the article, I believe this is not a credible source overall.”
2. Provide a reference for your source in APA reference format (version 6 or 7).
Important Note: APUS discourages the use of auto-citation tools (e.g., citation generators) by students enrolled in 100- and 200-level courses because the University believes students need to learn and understand the reasons for citing sources used in their work, as well as how to cite sources correctly.
Use our Trefry Library APA Style resource: https://www.apus.edu/apus-library/resources-services/Writing/writing-center/apa-style-guide-info.html
And/or use the Owl at Purdue site for assistance with APA format: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Additional Resources: Access the Natural Sciences Program Guide from the Trefry Online Library at http://apus.libguides.com/natural_sciences/web. Select the “Websites” tab. Review the links in the “Internet Research: Tips for Science Students” box.