Information Literacy Assignment 4: Integrating Quotations

Instructions

Part 1:
Go to the library and physically borrow or check out an electronic book relevant to your research
project. Read the introduction, conclusion, and at least one chapter from the book. Using your Everyday
Writer, cite the book in MLA 8 in the space provided. Select three sections of text from your reading
that accurately, thoroughly, and ethically represent the argument of the source. Using these sections of
text, create several quotations and write a 250-word paragraph explaining the books argument. Make
sure to properly use and integrate your quotes into the 250-word paragraph.

Part 2:
Complete each category in the space provided.
Authority: How does the author assure the reader that the information presented is accurate and
complete? Click through links, look up citations, or verify important facts in the book through a
web search. Are the links, citations, or facts presented accurate and relevant? Look up other
sources written by the same author or biographical information about the author. What are their
credentials?
Bias: Explain the commitments of the author. What do they stand to gain from writing this
source? Who is their audience, and how can you tell? What kinds of organizations, ideas, or
beliefs do they associate themselves with? How do you know? Are multiple viewpoints
presented and addressed, or only the viewpoints of the author?
Context: Examine the website, journal, or other context in which the article is written. Is this
context credible? How does this context assure the reader that the content it publishes is accurate
and well-researched? What sort of sources does this context generally use (i.e., scholarly
journals, popular press, twitter, etc.)? How do these factors shape your view of this context?
Date: What is the date in which the book was published, and how much does this matter for
your subject? Explain your reasoning.

Part 3:
Answer each reflection section in complete sentences in the space provided. You will need to look at
your ILP 1 and 2 in order to answer some questions.
Part 1: Citation & Summary
Citation:
Voss, Karsten, and Eike Musall. Net zero energy buildings: international projects of carbon neutrality in buildings.
Munchen, Institut fur internationale Architektur-Dokumentation, 2013,
eds.b.ebscohost.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzY0MjEwNl9fQU41?sid=13edba49-
d521-41f7-abef-71f90f7459b5@sessionmgr102&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1.
Summary (250 words max. including quotations): The introduction of the book begins by acknowledging that energy
efficient practices have already been created and that the net zero energy and plus energy buildings dealt with in this
book go further than these concepts. They indicate how an equalized annual energy balance can be achieved by bringing
together architectural design, energy efficiency and the local use of renewables. This is the general thesis of the book as
it then goes on to describe scenarios where these practices were used. The first section discusses Residential homes
discussing who the developers were, their motivation, the typical characteristics of residential homes, the characteristics
of the particular home being discussed, and finally the lessons learned from it. The first residential home was a success
not only in reaching net-zero but also for comfortability in living. The authors noted in respect to its success, After
living in the house for two years, the client evaluated it positively in all respectsNo major alterations in lifestyle or
energy consumption were necessary to generate more energy than is consumed. The rest of the sections include housing
complexes, commercial building, educational buildings, cities, and experimental buildings. The rest of the experiments
mentioned follow similar patterns. The experiments take part in different locations around the world, including Madrid,
Berlin, Virginia, all proving that energy efficiency is possible in any place and under any conditions.

Part 2: Source Analysis (200 words max.)

Authority: The authors use scientific studies to create credibility. They use facts and testimonies
from real people who lived in and used the buildings. They also include diagrams and
exact logistics for the each of the buildings. The facts all seem to be reported
accurately. The authors have written several published pieces regarding energy
efficiency. Karsten Voss and Eike Musall are both architects, adding to their
credibility.
Bias: The author is clearly committed to achieving net-zero and from the sections I read, all
of the experiments discussed do achieve energy efficiency, but there could be the
question of whether the authors purposefully chose experiments that were successfully
and not the ones that were unsuccessful. The audience is anybody interested in building
efficient homes. The language is definitely geared towards people knowledgeable in
construction and therefore would most likely be for the average joe. There are multiple
viewpoints because tenants are cited for their experiences while living in the buildings.
The only thing the authors stand to gain is a cleaner and more efficient world by
convincing others to build energy efficient buildings.
Context: This source was published by a well-known academic database. The fact that it is
sponsored by high schools and colleges shows that it is well trusted. It is full of peer-
reviewed journals which assures the reader that it is accurate information.
Date: This was published in 2013. Although this is four years old, the construction industry is
slow to change and to build and monitor a structure long enough to analyze the results
would take many years making this still relevant.

Part 3: Research Reflection (300 words max.)

 1. What steps did you go through to locate this book? What kind of source is it (i.e., more
informative or opinionated)? What databases or search engines did you use? Was searching for
this source easier or more difficult than locating sources for ILP 1 & 2? Explain.
Response: To locate this book I used the USC librarys website. I went to the database tab and found it
through EBSCO. I used the keyword of Net-Zero to ensure it related to my paper topic and set a filter
for books only. This was a more informative source as it described experiments and their results. I think
finding this source was easier than in the first two ILAs because in those two I was searching more for
the data than for the topic.
2. What knowledge have you gained from reading this source compared to the sources you looked
at in ILP 1 & 2, and has this knowledge affected your beliefs? Explain.

Response: My source from ILA 1 was about how a typical home distributes its energy use among
various electronical things. ILA 2 was formed from data given to me about computer purchasing habits
which has basically nothing to do with my topic. This source is much more tuned in to the specifics of
my paper. It relates directly to the construction and outcomes of various net-zero projects in residential,
commercial, and educational construction. This source confirms my beliefs that net-zero is possible
because these buildings were able to do it.
3. How can you use this source in your project? Which parts of the source are most useful for
your project and why? How does this source relate to the sources you found in ILP 1 & 2?

Response: All of this source could be used in my paper. Each of the sections describe a different
experiment where net-zero practices were used in construction. The different sections include
Residential building, housing developments, cities, commercial buildings, educational buildings, and
experimental buildings. I can use this as proof that achieving net-zero is possible in many different
situations and as an example for what practices to use in order to achieve net-zero. This source does
relate to ILA 1 because they are both about energy use in construction, but this source goes further to
describe other types of buildings and how to achieve net-zero. This source does not relate to ILA 2, as
that was about the different buying habits between males and females.