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Now that you've located sources, developed a working
bibliography and also a working thesis, it is time to really take a look at
the sources that you think you might use in your paper. You already
know that you must have a minimum of three sources documented in your paper
and that you cannot use just web sites (library databases are not considered
web sites). However, you also need to examine your sources to make
sure they are appropriate for a research paper. What do you need to
examine?
-
Publisher / Producer: WHO is responsible for
having created the information source? Is that
individual, those individuals, or that
organization WELL-RESPECTED, or at least
academically REPUTABLE? Is there an "agenda"
that renders a source less than objective?
-
Level
/ Quality: Does the source present
information clearly? Does it target a
college-level audience? Is it "peer reviewed",
indicating high academic quality?
 |
A
"peer reviewed" article is one that
has been carefully screened for
accuracy, objectivity, scholarliness,
etc., by subject experts and an
editorial review board. Only after
meeting high standards does a "peer
reviewed" article get published in a
scholarly journal. Therefore, any "peer
reviewed" article you use in your paper
will be of virtually unquestionable
academic quality. |
-
Author: What are the author's credentials?
Has she published previously on the topic? Are
there other indicators that this author is a
subject expert?
-
Date
of Publication: Are there indicators that
the source contains current information? Or
indicators that an older source has been
updated.
-
Source: Is the source unbiased,
non-judgmental, objective? Does it reflect a
political or commercial "agenda" that renders it
biased? Is it devoid of opinion in favor of
academically desirable fact?
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The following criteria is important when evaluating web
sites that you may want to use in your paper:
-
Purpose of the site: Has the site been developed
for commercial reasons? Is the domain (end of url) a .com or
.net? While some reliable information can come from these
sites you will need to verify the information from a more credible
resource--one that is research based and not trying to sell a product.
.COM'S and .NET'S SHOULD NOT BE DOCUMENTED IN YOUR
PAPER UNLESS THE INFORMATION COMES FROM A LIBRARY DATABASE, such as
Encyclopedia Britannica or Academic Search Premier.
-
.Org's need to be examined for bias, however,
many are research-based and provide reliable information. .edu's
can also be reliable sources but need to be examined to make sure that
the information you want to cite in your paper is not student work
posted on a college or university web site.
-
Is the site being maintained? Has it been updated
recently? Do all the links work? Are there misspelled words?
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When you use books and videos from the Library
collection, these sources have already been deemed credible sources by
the librarians who purchase the materials. Similarly, the
databases subscribed to by the Library have editorial boards who check
articles for accuracy and credibility. When you choose to use
information out on the web you do so with you
as the only evaluator. There are no publication standards for the
Internet as there are for books and journals.
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Here is a quick quiz to measure your knowledge of selecting
appropriate sources for college-level assignments. Print off your
score and submit it to your instructor.
END OF PART 4
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