Students are required to find and use a minimum of 20 HIGH QUALITY resources. However many do not have the research evaluation/critical analysis skills necessary to do this. In addition, this assignment, if researched correctly, moves students away from the books/articles they would be most likely to have used, into the realms of primary resources, and particularly, statistical resources. Regardless of whether the class is online or on-campus, students need additional support/details. Thus was born, during the Fall 2011 semester, the Resource Quality Grid. The first version was used by the librarian but not seen by the students. Subsequent classes were given access to the Resource Quality Grid and were expected to use it throughout their research, with the understanding that the same grid would be used to evaluate and score their final References list.
The grid had its beginnings from looking at the final resources of many students' work. Certain problematic resource types or levels of quality or levels of primary-secondary-tertiary kept cropping up. As I looked for ways to explain 'degrees of quality', the concept of a rubric-like document spontaneously crept into my consciousness. It has thusfar stood the test of time; a few items have been added to the original document. While geared to this specific social-science-based project, it could be adapted to any discipline's needs. Permission is granted to borrow it in whole or in part for educational purposes.
