Scholarly Article Evaluation

Using the recommended library databases (MLA International Bibliography, Academic Search Complete) to research, find and read a scholarly article of approximately 12-15 pages from an academic journal or a book. The scholarly article must be on a topic directly related to one of the poems, stories, or authors we have read this semester. You must include a photocopy or PDF printout of at least the first ten pages of the article with this evaluation form. After reading the article, thoroughly answer the following questions in complete grammatical sentences (you may hand write or type your responses).

Name: ______________________________Score: _____/30

Please print (or type) neatly the full, correct, MLA formatted bibliographic entry for the scholarly article (i.e. the way it would look on a Works Cited page). (5 points)

What is the focus of the article? In other words, what stories, poems, or authors does the article focus on? (5 points)

What is the thesis statement of the article? If it is explicitly written in the article, quote it directly below and explain what paragraph you found it in; if it is left implicit, paraphrase it below in one or two sentences and explain what paragraph most closely reveals the thesis. (10 points)

What introductory strategies does it employ (such as a quotation, anecdote, etc.) and how effective are those used? (3 points)

What kinds of evidence (experiment results, logic, data, etc.) does the writer use to develop and support the thesis? Evaluate its effectiveness and persuasiveness. (3 points)

What does the essay leave the reader to think about in the conclusion? How does that connect to the overall point of the article? (2 points)

What can you add to the discussion? Do you agree with the thesis? Why or why not? (2 points)