Fantastic Sources And Where to Find Them

Why does it matter? Any information on the web, or even in books, is going to have some amount of bias The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic Fox News has a more conservative bias CNN has a more liberal bias This bias will spin the information in a light that benefits that cause Something causes the rare death of ONLY one person, versus causing the tragic death of one poor, lost soul

What does that have to do with current issues? Everyone sees events in history and different issues differently Think of the Civil War Northern fighters may have claimed they were fighting for the freedom of the slaves Southern fighters may have claimed they were fighting to keep the government out of their business You need to find credible sources that show both sides of these issues in an unbiased way Or as close to it as possible!

How do I find credible sources? Think of CRAP!

C is for Currency How recent is your info? When was the last time the article was updated? When was it first published? Even if you’re looking up something that happened 200 years ago, more current resources are important! Technology is advancing constantly, and information that was thought to be true a year ago may now have been proven to be false since then

R is for Reliability What kind of information can you find in this resource? Is it specific to one topic, or does it have a little bit about a lot of topics? Is the resource mostly fact based or opinions based on facts? Find primary sources and draw your own conclusions Are there references or sources for given data or quotations? Can you find this info elsewhere online to support its validity?

A is for Authority Who wrote the source? What are their credentials? What makes them an expert? Who sponsored the study or article? Do they have any bias that may affect the information? Do they have anything to gain from publishing this info? Is this website supported by ads? Do they have anything to gain from this info?

P is for Purpose What is the author’s purpose in publishing this info? Are they trying to get you to agree with their views? Are they simply trying to entertain you? Is the author providing an objective view of a topic? Is this website something that can be considered a forum or collaborative site? Who is the audience for the site? A site designed for 4th graders may have correct info but may simplify it and unknowingly corrupt the data

Where do I start? Your library intranet!

Databases are super useful! Issues & Controversies Asks questions about hundreds of current event issues Shows both sides of the issue Cites their sources for you to find pgahs / cardinals