|
Introduction to Library
Research
Welcome
Library Orientation
Chesnutt Library
About Chesnutt Library
Reference Department
Circulation Department
Library Home
Page
Resources Supported by FSU
Web for Students
What is Web for Students?
What can I do on Web for Students?
How do I use Web for Students?
Blackboard
What is Blackboard?
What can I do in Blackboard?
How do I login to Blackboard?
What if I have a question or need help?
Services Provided by Chesnutt Library
My Library Record
What is My Library Record?
What can I do in My Library Record?
How do I login to My Library Record?
What is my PIN?
What if I have a question or need help?
Off Campus Access
What is Off Campus Access?
Who has Off Campus Access?
What can I do with Off Campus Access?
How do I get Off Campus Access?
What is my PIN?
What if I have a question or need help?
Interlibrary
Loan
What is Interlibrary Loan?
How do I use Interlibrary Loan?
What if I have questions or need help?
Library Guide to Starting Research
Developing a
Research Topic
Generate Topic Ideas
Define Your Topic
Construct the Research Question
Select Keywords to Use as Search Terms
Keep Track of Sources
Collecting Background Information
Why start with reference sources?
Types of Reference Sources
How to find Reference Sources
Identifying Types of
Information Sources
Introduction
Primary and Secondary Sources
Scholarly and
Popular Sources
The Web and
Library Databases
Evaluating Information Sources
Introduction
Guidelines for
Selecting Sources
Caution! Web
Sources
Checklist for Evaluation
Information
Citing Information
Citing Sources
and Plagiarism
Citation Styles
Style Manuals
Available at Chesnutt Library
Searching for Materials at Chesnutt Library
Searching the Chesnutt Library Online Catalog
What will I find in the Chesnutt Library online catalog?
How do I find books in the Chesnutt Library Online catalog?
How do I find the book or item?
Searching for journal articles, book reviews, etc.
How do I find journal
articles, book reviews, etc.?
Search for your topic and
create a list of article citations.
Searching for Journal Titles
How do I find journal titles in the Chesnutt Library online
catalog?
|
Introduction
Quantity
isn’t everything. In addition to finding the right amount of information
for your paper you need to evaluate the quality of the information you
have found. Is it relevant to your topic? If not, then it is not a
quality resource for you even if it is great source of information. Is
the information reliable? You are writing this paper and need to be able
to stand behind your sources; the last thing you want is inaccurate
information!
Taking the
time to properly evaluate your resources ensures you use only the most
relevant and reliable scholarly materials.
Guidelines for Selecting Sources
Relevance
Are your
searches not retrieving the kind of information you need? Here is some
troubleshooting advice:
Use the best
database for your subject
Ø
Use “Browse the Subject List of Databases: in Database
Finder to select an appropriate database
Ø
Refer to the Subject Guide for your topic to see a list of
relevant databases
Ø
Ask a reference librarian for help
Examine some
of the irrelevant records and try to determine which of your search terms
retrieved it. It may help you decide which of the search terms are not
working and need to be changed.
Reliability
It is a good
idea to critically evaluate any source you use, print or web-based, and be
careful about using information you cannot verify.
Scholarly
journals, peer-reviewed journal articles, and databases that index only
scholarly journals have already screened information for reliability.
These sources go through a rigorous review process before even being
published.
Popular
journals, magazines, and web sites must be reviewed for reliability by
you. This is especially important for internet sources. Anyone can
publish anything be it true, false, or deliberately misleading on the web.
How do I
review an information source for reliability?
Author
Ø
Is the author identified?
Ø
What are the author qualifications and affiliations (where
does he/she work)?
Ø
Sometimes the author’s information is available in the
source. Or you may need to look the author up in a biographical resource
like Biography Index, Biography and General Master Index, or a Who’s
Who publication.
Ø
Is the author or organization an
expert in the field?
Ø
What else has the author or
organization published?
Publisher
Ø
Who published the book?
Ø
A university press tends to be scholarly, as well as a
variety of well-known publishers.
Current
Ø
When was the information published? Is it up to date?
Ø
Has it been revised or updated?
Bias
Ø
Does the book present information in an objective manner?
Ø
Is more than one viewpoint of an issue represented?
Ø
If only one side is presented can you determine the bias?
*Try to
gather information from a variety of sources and viewpoints in order to
avoid bias!
Documentation
Ø
Does the author clearly cite sources?
Ø
In a reliable information source you should be able to use
the citations to find the sources the author used.
Audience
Ø
Who is the intended audience?
Adults, children, public, academic?
Ø
Is it trying to persuade the
reader or simply inform?
Ø
Does it use emotional language or
neutral language?
Caution! Web Sources
Web sources
need to be approached with caution because:
- Web
pages can be put up by anyone
- Site
come and go
-
There is no official organization or group that oversees the organization,
cataloging and evaluation of sources found on web pages
When
evaluating a web source use all of the guidelines listed above. In
addition you need to ask these questions for web pages:
Author
Ø
Has he/she published scholarly
books and articles as well as popular articles or websites?
Association
Ø
Is the site a government or
university site?
Ø
Government and university sites
are often better maintained and of higher quality (but not always, take
time to review the web page!)
Current
Ø
Is the information current?
Ø
Does your topic require up-to-the
minute research?
Ø
When was the site last updated and
are its links active?
Checklist
for Evaluation Information
Previous <<
Evaluating Information >>
Next
Return to Introduction to Library Research Page
Return to
Subject Guides Home Page
Return to
Reference Department Home Page
Return to Chesnutt Library's Home Page
Return to Fayetteville State University's
Home Page
Charles W. Chesnutt Library,
Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, N.C. 28301
Page Maintained By: Laura Bell Wright
lwright@uncfsu.edu
Last Updated: 8/31/04
|
