Looking for information? Where do you usually search for information? What’s your favourite search engine? How do you decide if a website contains ‘good’ information? How did you decide whether to use a site or not?

Currency : the timeliness of the information The C.R.A.P. Test Currency : the timeliness of the information Reliability : the accuracy and correctness Authority : the sources of information Purpose : the reason the web site exists

Currency How recent is the information? When was the information posted/published? Has it been revised or updated recently? Is the information current? Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work? Are the links functional?

Reliability What kind of information is included in the website? Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence? Do the contents match what you already know about the subject? Is the content fact or opinion? Is the information balanced or biased? Does the site provide references to the sources of its information?

Authority Who is the author/creator of the site? Is the author an authority in the subject? What are their credentials (education, qualifications, experience)? Can you contact them? Who is the publisher/sponsor of the site? Does the URL of the site determine the nature of the site? e.g. .edu, .ac.uk, .org, .gov, .com, .co.uk

Purpose/Point of View What is the intent of the site? Is it to persuade, sell, entertain, inform, or teach? Is there advertising on the site? Is the author presenting fact or opinion? Is the information objective and free from bias? What is the domain (.edu, .org, .gov, etc.) and how does this influence the purpose/point of view?

What is scholarly information? Different from most information on the web Written by subject experts Vetted before you see it Peer reviewed – read, evaluated and agreed upon by panel of experts Accurate, valid and correct In most cases – unbiased, free of commercial, political, social and personal bias Important to understand that the information sources you use are appropriate to the level of work you are undertaking. At this level you must be using scholarly information. Anyone can post on the web, may not be fact checked. May be correct, may be full of errors

What does scholarly information look like online? 2. The name of the publisher may be in the url 3. Click on the title of the journal to find out more 1. Look for the logo or name of the publisher

What does scholarly information look like online? 2. The Editorial board will give us more information 1. This journal is peer reviewed

What does scholarly information look like online? Names of Editors and their institutions suggests that this journal is scholarly.

What does scholarly information look like online? 1. It is often in PDF format 2. Find out about the Author’s credentials 3. Look for references

What does scholarly information look like online? Scholarly information will always contain references

Scholarly Information How do you find it online? Online library databases E-library Directory of Open Access Journals SpringerOpen Journals University Repositories Google Scholar Databases – best place to start – high quality, vetted and already evaluated Google Scholar

Examples http://iopscience.iop.org/2043-6262 http://irishgothichorrorjournal.homestead.com/ http://www.doaj.org/ 2 very different looking sites, both scholarly and peer reviewed. Discovery via DOAJ – news bulletin – how many sites added and how many removed as not up to scholarly standard. Can’t rely on design but look at clues in content Name of publisher – logo – url Title of journal – usually got journal in it More info about journal – link to journal or about journal peer reviewed, editorial board, credentials of authors, names of scholars Link to PDF or full text – not always in PDF format Skim item – substantive, not brief Bibliographies/reference list – scholarly info always cites sources