Forthesummary,discussthesource,itscontent,andwhereitcomesfrom.

Iftheauthor
orpublicationisrelevant(anditshouldbe),discusswhy.Ifthesourceisimportant
becauseofthetimingofitspublication,discusswhy.Youraudienceshouldhavea
completeunderstandingofthesourcebeforeyoumoveontotheevaluation.

Fortheevaluation,tellusthestrengthsandweaknessesofthesourceasitappliestoa
researchproject.Doesthisinformationstandonitsownasavalidargumentativepoint?
Doesitallowyoutoentertheconversationitdiscussesinyourresearch?Howwelldoes
thewriter(orwriters)presenttheargument?Wouldthispiece,onitsown,standuptoa
strongcriticalevaluationfromanacademicstandpoint?

Finally,forthepurposeofuse,telluswhyandhowyouforeseethissourceenteringthe
essay.Howwillthissourcebecomeabuildingblockforyourargument?
YouneedtobegineachsourcediscussionwithanMLAformattedbibliographyentry.

Eachentryshouldbeabout250words
(inorderforyoutocovereachindetail).You
willalphabetizebythefirstletterofthefirstwordineachcitation.

Source#1:

Brickner,Michael,andShakyraDiaz."PrisonsForProfitIncarcerationForSale."
HumanRights
38.3(2011):1417.
AcademicSearchPremier
.Web.25Feb.2016.

Thesourceisanexcerptfrom
HumanRightsVolume38Issue3
andwaswrittenbyMichael
Brickner,andShakryaDiaz.Thearticleismainlyabouthowmoreandmorestatesareusing
privateprisonsanditsincreasedpopularity.Thepaperalsofocusesontheriseofprivate
prisons,thepowertheprivateprisonlobbyhaswiththegovernment,andabouthowprivate
prisonsaffectoursociety.Thecontentcomesfromresearchandobservationsmadebythe
writersonthetopic.Thepublicationisrelevantbecausebothofthewritersareapartofthe
AmericanCivilLibertiesUnionofOhio.AccordingACLUswebsite,MichaelBricknerisa
nationallyrecognizedexpertonprisonprivatization.Theotherauthor,ShakyraDiaz,hasalso
writtenmultiplepublicationsandgraduatedcollegewithaconcentrationofsocialinequality.

Thestrengthsthatthesourcegivestothepaperisitsuseofinformationandstatisticsthatit
givessupportsthegoalofthepaper,whichistoinform.Theweaknessesthatthesourcegives
isthatitisasecondarysource.Thepaperisalsowrittenaboutacontroversialtopicsoithas
somebiastoit.Ibelievethatyestheinformationcanstandonitsownasavalidargumentative
pointbecauseitdirectlyaddressesthemainpointsoftheissue.thepaperwouldstanduponits
owntoastrongcriticalevaluationfromanacademicstandpoint

Iseethissourceenteringtheessaybygivingfactsandstatisticstoinformtheaudienceabout
theincreaseintheprivatizationofprisons,aswellasexplaininghowsometheprivateprison

systemoperates.Itwouldbeabuildingblocktotheessaybyhelpingsettheaudienceupfor
moredetailedinformationlateroninthepaper.

Source2:

Sanburn,Josh."PrivatelyRunPrisonsHoldInmatesLonger,StudyFinds."
Time
19June
2015:Print.

Thissourceisanarticlefrom
Time
Magazine.ItiswrittenbyauthorJoshSanburnonastudy
donebytheWisconsinSchoolofBusinesssassistantprofessorAnitaMukherjee.The

publicationisrelevantbecause
Time
Magazineisahugeandwellrespectedmagazine.

Thestrengthsofthecontentisitgivesprovennumberstohelpthereadertounderstand

somefactsaboutprivateprisonsvspublicfundedprisons.Thissourcewillbegreattouseto
comparethedifferencebetweenpublicandprivateprisons.Theweaknessesofthissourceis
thatalthoughthepublicationiswellrespected,itisstillasecondarysource.Theprimarysource
wouldbetheactualstudythattheassistantprofessorAnitaMukherjee.Thisstillworksasa
source,butitmakesitlessbeneficialthanifIhadtheprimarysource.Theinformationdoes
standonitsownasavalidargumentbecauseitisgivingfacts.Althoughthesourceinherently
takesabias,itsnotdirectlyexpressed.Ibelievethatthesourcewillallowmetoentera
conversationbecauseitopensupthetopicofcomparingthetwodifferentprisons.Ithinkthis
willbeverybeneficialformebecauseitwillgivethereadersamoreunbiasedviewofthetopic
IseethissourceasenteringtheessayinaparagraphwhereIamcomparingprivate
prisonsandpublicfundedprisons.Thesourcewillbecomeabuildingblockformyargument
becauseitwillhelpillustratethedifferencesbetweenthetwotypesofprisonstothereaders.

Source3:
"ConflictofInterest."Editorial.
America
07Jan.2013:Print.

Thissourceisaneditorialfromthe
America
Magazine.Thesourcegivesgreatinformationon

thecurrentprivateprisonsourceandsomeoftheconflictofintereststhatisinvolvedandmake
theprivateprisonsystemaspopularasitistoday.Thesourceisrelevantbecauseitisfroma
semipopularmagazineandisalsointhe
AcademicPremier
database.

Thestrengthsofthesourceisthatitgivesanindepthviewofthecurrentprivateprison

systemandgivessomeofthereasonsonwhytheprivateprisonsystemhasbecomeas
popularasitis.Itgivesexcellentpointsonsomeoftheproblemsthatprivateprisonsfaceand

howgovernmentcorruptionisalsolinkedtoprivateprisons.Someoftheweaknessesofthe
sourceisthereisnoauthorstatedsoitshardtoknowexactlywhowroteitandwhetherthey
arereliableornot.Thissourcedoesagreatjobofallowingmetointroducetothereadersthe
waythattheprivateprisonsystemoperatesandtogivesomeinsighttotheconnectionwith
governmentcorruption.Ifeelasifthereadersaregoingtomakeaneducationalopiniononthe
topic,thantheyshouldbefullyinformedonhowthewholeprivateprisonsystemoperates,as
wellassomeofthedownsidesofprivateprisons.
Iseemyselfusingthissourceasanintroductionintothetopicofgovernmentcorruption
andthecorrelationwithprivateprisons.Thesourcewillbecomeabuildingblockinmyargument
bystatingsomenotwellknownfactsabouthowtheprivateprisonsystemworks.Thiswill
becomecrucialforthereaderssothattheycanresponsiblymaketheirownopiniononthetopic.

Source4:
Dolovich,Sharon.StatePunishmentandPrivatePrisons.
DukeLawJournal
55.3(2005):437546.Print.

Thissourceispartofanarticlewritteninthe
DukeLawJournal,
whichisaveryprestigiousand
wellrespectedlawjournal.TheauthorofthearticleisSharonDolovich,whoisaprofessorat
UCLAwithaPh.D.inPoliticalTheoryfromCambridgeUniversity.Thismakesthesourcetobe
extremelyrelevantandmeansthesourceisalsoanacademicsource.
Thestrengthsofthesourceisthatithelpexplainsthecurrentprivateprisonv.
publicfundedprisondebate.Itgoesintodetailaboutwhatthemainpointsofthedebateare,as
wellasshowingwhateachsidebelieves.Thesourcealsogoesontoexplainthehistoryand
emergenceofprivateprisonsandalsoaddressessomeofthemoralfactorsofprivatizing
prisons.Theweaknessesofthesourceisthatitalsoisbiasinalotofways.Theproblemwith
researchingsuchacontroversialtopicisthatnearlyeverysourcethatyoufindwillendupbeing
somewhatbias.Theinformationstandsonitsownasavalidargumentativepointbecauseof
theinformationthatisgivenaswellaswhereitwaspublished(
DukeLawJournal
)andbecause
anacademicprofessorisstatingtheinformation.Theinformationallowsmetoentermany
differenttypesofconversationbecausethesourcecoverssuchawiderangeoftopics.Icould
enterintoaconversationabouttheemergenceofprivateprisons,themoralfactorsofprivatizing
prisons,oraboutthemaindebatepoints.
Icouldseethissourcegoingintomyessayinafewdifferentplaces.Icoulduseit
throughoutmostoftheessaytotouchuponcertaintopics.Thesourcewillbecomeabuilding
blockformyargumentbecauseitisareliableacademicsource,whichhasmuchmore
credibilitythanothersourcesmayhave.

Source5:

Perrone,Dina,andTravisC.Pratt."Comparingthequalityofconfinementandcosteffectivenessofpublic
versusprivateprisons:Whatweknow,whywedonotknowmore,andwheretogofromhere."
ThePrison

Journal
83.3(2003):301322.

Thissourcecomesfrom

ThePrisonJournal
andiswrittenbytwoprofessors.Thefirst

authorisDinaPerrone,whoisaprofessoratRutgersUniversity.ThesecondauthorisTravisC.
Pratt,whoisaprofessoratWashingtonStateUniversity.Sincethetwoauthorsareboth
professors,thismakesthesourceveryrelevantandreliable.
Thestrengthsofthissourceisthatitiswrittenbytwoacademicprofessorsandis
publishedinPrisonindustryjournal.Anotherstrengthisthatthissourcehasalsobeencitedby
manyotherprofessorsinvariousotherresearchpapers/journals.Oneofthemainweaknesses
ofusingthissourceisthatthesourcematerialisverylong.Readerswhomaywanttocheckthe
sourcesmaybecomeboredtryingtoreadthewholepaper.Theinformationdoesstandonits
ownasavalidargumentativepointbecausemostofthepaperisstatisticsonprivateprisons
andpublicfundedprisonsandwhetherthereisanoticeablecostbenefit.Thissourceworks
greatinmypaperbecauseitallowsmetogivestatisticsaboutprivateprisonsandaswellas
statisticsforpublicfundedprisons.Ibelievethatthissourcewouldstanduponitsownduringa
strongacademicevaluationbecauseitprovenstatistics,andiswrittenbytwouniversity
professors.
IseethissourceinmypaperwhenIamcomparingprivateprisonswithpublicfunded
prisons.Itwillworkwelltogivetheaudienceacleardepictionofthedifferencebetweenthetwo
andwhetherornotthereisacostbenefitforusingprivateprisons.Thesourcewillbecomea
buildingblockformyargumentbygivingmynumbers,whichareusuallymoreeffectiveat
showingapointthanjustwords.Thiswillmakeiteasierfortheaudiencetounderstandthe
informationbeinggiventothem.