Subject Guides: BIO 4615 Bioethics: Get Started

Assignment

Writing a Case Study Analysis

Similar to an argumentative essay, in a case study analysis you research and investigate an issue, examine the possible solutions, and propose the most effective solution using evidence to support your position. In addition to Dr. Tenlen's assignment and rubric, this Case Study Analysis (PDF) information from UNB Writing Centre might give some strategies for approaching this assignment.

Choosing a topic - getting a topic that is not too broad or too narrow, and allows you to take a position based on research

Resources that will help you select and refine your topic (and get a good foundation for your topic):

Textbooks and Encyclopedias:
- Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics (2008)
- Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics (3 vol. Encyclopedia, 2016)
- Bioethics (6 vol. Encyclopedia, 2014)
- Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics (4 vol. Encyclopedia, 2012)
- Encyclopedia of Bioethics (5 vol. Encyclopedia, 2004)
Bioethics Centers' Websites and Bibliographies
Current ethical issues sources:
- CQ Researcher - in-depth reports on current topics, including bioethical issues
- Medscape's Ethical Hot topics - responds to recent Medical ethics issues in the news (you will need to make a free account to see these articles)
- Medline Plus - Bioethics Topics - see list of Bioethics topics covered by Medline Plus

Ideas for broadening and narrowing research topics:

Biology Databases at SPU

MEDLINE
MEDLINE covers all areas of healthcare, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, psychiatry, and nutrition.
JSTOR
offers digitized versions of core scholarly journals in many disciplines.
Google Scholar
This search engine searches for scholarly research across many disciplines and sources. By starting your Google search from the SPU pages, the results will link to SPU-owned full-text.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 8,500 journals, including nearly 7,300 peer-reviewed titles. Its coverage ranges back as far as 1887 for some titles.

Newspapers

Newspaper Source
provides full text for more than 40 U.S. & international newspapers. The database also contains selective full text for 389 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television and radio news transcripts are also provided.

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

Working on the annotated bibliography assignment will require you to read your sources carefully, summarize them, evaluate them, and explain how they will fit into your assignment.

"Writing an Annotated Bibliography" Video from Carleton University Library 2:44

Evaluating a Source

Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers
This book describes an source evaluation method that is more like what news fact checkers use. This process may feel more natural and quicker than traditional library source evaluation tools, it also works partiuclarly well for evaluating social media, popular, and popular science sources.

1. Investigate the source
- "Check for previous work" Make use of existing fact checking sources like Snopes, FactCheck.org, etc. for news, or, for scholarly research, check for additional background information in encyclopedias, books, or journal articles.
- "Go upstream" find the original source by using references (or a google search) to link back to the primary source.
- "Read laterally" by searching for what other sources have to say about the same topic
- Circle back, using what you have learned, take a more informed path through the fact checking process
2. Trade up to more credible sources
- Circle back to a previous stage of the fact checking process
SIFT (The Four Moves) - Clark College guide
more detail than the above description on checking information like a fact-checker
Evaluating Sources Rhetorically & BEAM Model
another framework for evaluating sources & use of the BEAM Model for evaluating how a source might be used in your paper.
PARCA Test - York University (pdf)
framework for critically evaluating a resource.
CRAAP test - USC Chico (pdf)
framework for critically evaluating a resource

BIO 4615 Bioethics

Subject Librarian

Example and Tools for Annotating Articles you read

Reading Scientific Articles

Case Study Analysis

Assignment

Biology Databases at SPU

Newspapers

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

Evaluating a Source