The 'adopt-a-plant' project entails selecting a plant, researching its biology, and preparing an annotated bibliography listing 10 interesting facts, their relevance, and reliable citations. Students must ensure proper citation formats, avoid plagiarism, and engage with peer-reviewed sources. Evaluation criteria include the quality of references, mechanical accuracy, and adherence to project guidelines.

1. Adopt-a-Plant Project guidelines
Overview:
The purpose of this project is for you to choose a plant, conduct
online research into the biology of the plant, and communicate
what you have learned. You will be preparing an annotated
bibliography on the plant you choose. The entire project is
worth 50 points
Annotated Bibliography (50 points)
You will prepare an annotated bibliography with a list of the top
10 most interesting facts about your plant.
· Each fact should be paraphrased (i.e. written in your own
words, no quotations allowed).
· Then tell me why this is interesting to you – make connections
to your life or to currents issues in our world.
· Finally, give a full citation and tell me why you think this is a
reliable, trustworthy source. Use this libguide to help you come
up with reasons why your source is trustworthy.
· At least one of your sources should be from a peer-reviewed,
science journal article.
Here is an example:
Fact 1: Taxol is a chemotherapy agent derived from the bark of
the Pacific Yew Tree. The chemical itself is derived from a
fungal endophtye within the bark. I thought this was very
interesting, because the Pacific Yew tree is native to the state of
Washington, and my aunt Jane received Taxol while undergoing
chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. I also thought it was
interesting because of the mutualistic relationship between the
plant and the fungus.Citation: Plant natural products from
cultured multipotent cells
Roberts, Susan; Kolewe, Martin. Nature Biotechnology28.11

2. (Nov 2010): 1175-6.
This is a reliable source because it is published in a peer-
reviewed science journal article, written by two PhDs that are
providing a review of the current literature on the topic
To complete the assignment, you should first choose a plant,
gather articles discussing your plant, read the articles
sufficiently enough to discuss the plant, and finally write the
annotated bibliography. You are expected to produce original
work, and any plagiarism will receive a zero. The paper should
be double-spaced, and typed in 12 point font size, with normal
margins. The instructions for how to properly cite your sources
are at the end of this handout.
*** Reminder: The scientific name of a plant should always be
typed in italics, with the first letter of the Genus capitalized.
For ex.: Digitalis lanata. When you search for information on
your plant online, make sure to use the scientific name, which
will bring back a wider variety of results
The bibliography is worth 50 points and will be graded on:
1. Effort
• Quality of references
•Depth/breadth/quality of material covered
2. Following directions/ requirements
I will use the following rubric to grade your bibliography:
Research, Critical Reading and Documentation
Balanced, authoritative sources; correctly cited sources;
effectively integrated outside sources. Most sources from
science journals
10 pts

3. Effective sources, correctly cited, Could have a few more from
science journals
8 pts
Sufficient sources appropriately used for assignment; cited
sources
6 pts
Insufficient sources; missing sources; improper citations,
inappropriate or biased sources, or no science journal article
used in the paper
4 pts
plagiarism
0 pts
10 pts
Mechanics
No noticeable errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, or
sentence construction
10 pts
Minimal mechanical errors that do not interfere with reader’s
understanding
8 pts
Some minor mechanical errors; errors may interfere with
readers’ understanding
6 pts
Obvious mechanical errors interfere with meaning
4 pts
10 pts
Content
provides accurate and complete explanations of key concepts,

4. drawing upon relevant literature. Applications are included to
illuminate issues. All 10 facts are present, all content complete
20 pts
For the most part, explanations of concepts are accurate and
complete. Some interesting applications are included. All ten
facts are included, all content complete
15 pts
Explanations of concepts are inaccurate or incomplete or
confusing, or one fact is missing
10 pts
Exaplanations are inaccurate or incomplete or show a lack of
interest or depth, or more than one fact is missing
5 pts
20 pts
Following directions
Paper is double-spaced, 12-pt font, normal margins, citations
are complete and in the correct format, science journal article
was attached or handed in
10 pts
Missing 1-2 items from this list
8 pts
Missing 3-5 items from this list
6 pts
Missing more than 5 items from this list
4 pts
10 pts
Total Points: 50
Collecting your articles/references

5. **Articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals are best.
Primary source articles are even better! A primary source
article is one in which the article describes the author’s own
experimental results. Where do I get these articles?
1. In order to find your article, you should go to our library
website and click on "advanced search" and then type in the
scientific name of your plant (ex. Taxus brevifolia), Then there
are a bunch of box options to check. Follow the picture below
to know which boxes to check
2. If you choose an article that is not available in full text, click
on “find a copy” to see if it is in the TCC library. If it is, take
the full citation to the librarian and ask her to help you find the
article.
3. If the article is not available at TCC, you may obtain it
through interlibrary loan. Ask a librarian for an interlibrary
loan form. WARNING: Interlibrary loan usually only takes a
few days, but may take up to two weeks!
**If you cannot find any articles on your topic in these
databases, try using https://scholar.google.com/. Once you find
articles there, check to see if they are available online or at
TCC. If they are not, request the article through interlibrary
loan.
**When using the internet, assess the quality of the website.
Did someone make this website in their free time? Who made
the website – do they have an advanced degree in their field? Is
the website sponsored by federal or private research institute?
Read each article you have collected and take notes only on
your particular topic. Focus on things that are interesting and
understandable. When taking notes, write down the exact words
of the author, and make sure to write down the source and page
number the quote came from. This way, when you go to write
your bibliography, it will be easier to paraphrase properly.
Citations

6. Underline journal and book titles, but not the titles of individual
articles in journals or edited (multi-authored) books. Use the
following as examples for citing various kinds of sources (with
thanks to M. Weis):
Citing Journal and Magazine Articles
· Format
Author(s). Publication year. Article title. Journal title
volume: pages.
· Examples
Smith, D.C. and J. Van Buskirk. 1995. Phenotypic design,
plasticity and
ecological performance in two tadpole species. American
Naturalist 145: 211-233.
Ahlberg, P.E. 1990. Glimpsing the hidden majority.
Nature 344: 23.
Epel, D. and R. Steinhardt. 1974. Activation of sea-urchin
eggs by a calcium
ionophore. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 71: 1915-1919.
Citing Sites on the Internet
Often electronic sources are a challenge to cite because
they often lack critical information. You should do your best to
provide as much of the following as possible. The complete web
address should be presented so that anyone else could easily
visit the same website.
Attempt to include the following elements (not all
elements appear on all Web pages):
1. author(s) (last name, first initial)
2. date created or updated
3. title of the page
4. title of the complete web site (if different from the page)
5. URL (full web address)
6. the date accessed.

7. · Format
Author's last name, First initial. (date created or updated).
Title of the page. Title
of the complete site. [Online]. Available:
http://full.web.address. [Date accessed].
· Example
Hammett, P. (1997). Evaluating web resources. Ruben
Salazar Library, Sonoma
State University. [Online]. Available:
http://libweb.sonoma.edu/Resources/eval.html. [March 29,
1997].
Citing Books
· Format
Author(s). Publication year. Book Title, edition if known.
Publisher, Place
of publication, number of pages.
· Example
Purves, W.K., G.H. Orians and H.C. Heller. 1995. Life:
The Science of
Biology, 4th edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland,
MA, 1195 pp.
Citing Book Chapters
· Format
Author(s). Publication year. Chapter title. In: Book title
(Author(s)/editors, first
name first) Place of publication, pages.
· Example
Jones, C.G. and J.S. Coleman. 1991. Plant stress and insect
herbivory:
Toward an integrated perspective. In: Responses of Plants
to Multiple Stresses
(H.A. Mooney,W.E. Winner & E.J. Pell, editors),
Academic Press, San Diego, pp.

8. 249-280.
Citing Newspaper Articles
· Format
Author(s). Date (Year/Month/Day). Article title.
Newspaper title Section: Page:
Column.
· Example
Bishop, J. E. 1982 November 4. Do flies spread ills or is
that claim merely a
bugaboo? The Wall Street Journal 1: 1: 4.
Williams, M. 1997 January 5. Teaching the net. Seattle
Times C: 1: 2.
Citing Newspaper Articles with no Identifiable Author
· Format
Anonymous. Date (Year/Month/Day). Article title.
Newspaper title Section: page:
column.
· Example
Anonymous. 1977 September 6. Puffin, a rare seabird,
returns to where many were
killed. The New York Times 3:28:1.
Citing a Video
· Format
Title of video (videocassette). editor or director. Producer’s
name, producer.
[Location of Production]: Organization responsible for
production, Year.
· Example
New horizons in esthetic dentistry (videocassette). Wood, R.
M., editor.
Visualeyes Productions, producer. [Chicago] : Chicago
Dental Society, 1989.

9. Citing a Government report
· Format
Author/Agency (if no author). Publication year. Title.
Publisher, Place of
publication, number of pages.
· Example
Mitchell, R.G., N.E. Johnson and K.H. Wright. 1974.
Susceptibility of 10 spruce
species and hybrids to the white pine weevil (= Sitka
spruce weevil) in the Pacific
Northwest. PNW-225. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service,
Washington, D.C., 8 pp.
University of Alberta Libraries
Evaluating Internet Resources
The Internet has made it possible to obtain information from
around the world with just a few clicks of the mouse. But how
do we evaluate the quality, authority, and accuracy of that
information? The following criteria are a good starting point:
Remember that quality control does not exist
The beauty of the Internet is that anyone can be a publisher. The
bane of the Internet is that
anyone can be a publisher. When searching on the Web, keep in
mind that there is no quality control, not everything found on
the Internet is true, and that not all information is published on
the Web.
Research Needs
Before searching the Web, knowing the kind of information you

10. are interested in will help you to evaluate the hits you receive.
For example, if you type the search term “death penalty” into a
search engine, you will receive thousands of hits. But do you
need personal opinion, historical research, government
information or data, or research articles? Knowing what
information you need assists in the research process.
Authorship
Who wrote this? Is it a university professor? A researcher? A
hate group? Are they affiliated with any institution or
organization? If so, which one? Is the author an authority or
expert on the topic? Look for an e-mail link, address or
telephone number, and check links to other sites.
Point of View or Bias
Statistics and cited literature are used to support a point of
view. It is good practice to discern the author’s point-of-view or
bias. Check URLs and remember that corporations and
sociopolitical organizations will present themselves in the best
light possible.
Currency
Check to see if the document has a date posted stating when the
web site was created and when it was last updated. Updates
indicate that the researcher continually revises their work as
new information becomes available or that they have re-
evaluated the information they are presenting.
Content
Figure out if the content on the site is satirical, scholarly,
infotainment, or the presentation of research. Does the web site
quote reliable, well-known sources like The New York Times or
other more scholarly journals, books, and newspapers? Look for
the same things you would in a research paper like a
bibliography and proper use of citations.

11. Comparability
Check other web sites to see if the views portrayed on a certain
web site are supported by other reputable authors and
organizations.
University of Alberta Libraries
Common Knowledge and Quotations
Common Knowledge can be defined as facts known by a large
number of people. The following statement is an example of
common knowledge:
Sir John A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada.
A large number of people know this fact and consequently the
above example does not need to be cited. However, if you state
anything not considered common knowledge, or make any
statement that is an interpretation of the facts, you will have to
cite your source. (The following examples are based on MLA
format.) For example, the following statement would have to be
cited:
Sir John A. Macdonald did more to consolidate and define the
Dominion of Canada than any other leading politician of his day
(Bliss 4).
There are two reasons why the above example should be cited:
1) The thought and idea was found in Bliss’ book Right
Honourable Men.
2) Bliss interprets the role that Sir John A. Macdonald and
others played in the political life of Canada.
A quotation is any phrase or statement that is someone else’s
exact words. To cite a quotation, simply put quotation marks

12. around the statement in question and document the source using
an appropriate style guide.
Michael Bliss writes, “As Macdonald grew old in power,
becoming something of a national institution, opinion was
equally divided on whether his scheming and manipulation had
been noble or cynical” (5).
OR
“As Macdonald grew old in power, becoming something of a
national institution, opinion was equally divided on whether his
scheming and manipulation had been noble or cynical” (Bliss
5).
* You must always cite the author and the page number when
using a quotation.
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