1. INTD 150 Library and Internet Research

2. Evaluating Sources and Relevance
Source Authority
Source Bias
Currency
Relevance of information

3. Radio performances of “War of the Worlds” have sparked “mass panic”
Reaction to original performance by Orsen Welles mostly exaggerated
But it did cause mass panic…
…in 1949 in Ecuador
…in 1944 in Chile
…and in 1968 in Buffalo, NY
Why?

4. Common Hoaxes appear on Facebook and elsewhere
Snopes.com – internet rumors
TruthorFiction.com – hoaxes
FactCheck.org – political rumors

5. Source Evaluation should occur twice
Before Research:
Where should I look for sources?
What will I accept as authoritative?
During & After Research:
Are these sources authoritative?
Do these sources provide needed
information?

6. Most non-academic sources contain Bias: religious, ideological, and/or political
Everyone has an angle or reason for publishing – you need to determine what that angle/reason is.
Academic and scientific research should be published for the purpose of furthering the field (aka neutral bias) – not for trying to convince others of a particular or subjective viewpoint.

7. Scholarly research requires neutral point of view
Example: A religious source discussing a scientific breakthrough.
Good source for examining science in the religious community
Poor source of objective information regarding a particular scientific idea

8. Read a website’s “About” page or do some background research
Wikipedia often contains such information
AllSides.com tells you the bias of the article for popular news topics

9. Fakenewswatch.com identifies fake news sources
Beware Fake news sites
Fakenewswatch.com identifies fake news sources

10. Scholarly, Trade & General sources: Choosing the right tool for the job
Difference depends on audience and subject matter:
Academic Research: Scholarly
Ex: For History, use Historical Abstracts database
Casual Research: General
Professional/Specialized Research: Trade

11. Scholarly sources are informative
Purpose: to further the goal of research
Audience: Academics and Researchers
Tone: Highly technical, formal review process, provide references
Subject Coverage: Detailed and narrow focus

12. Trade Sources are field-specific
Purpose: to provide specialized information and sell related products
Audience: Professionals and Experts in that field
Tone: Highly technical, may or may not have formal review process and references
Subject Coverage: Detailed and narrow focus

13. General Sources are aimed at public
Purpose: to entertain and provide advertising revenue
Audience: General Public
Tone: Casual, no formal review process, few or no references
Subject Coverage: Brief and broad

14. Authority of a source depends on the discipline

15. Universities, Research hospitals, and Government agencies are authoritative for disciplines in: Science/Medicine/Statistics/Social Sciences
Website Extensions
.edu .org .gov

16. Humanities (Art, Music, History, English, etc.)
Universities, Museums, and Government agencies are authoritative for disciplines in the
Humanities (Art, Music, History, English, etc.)
Website Extensions
.edu .org .gov

17. Domain Extensions mostly indicate a source’s authoritativeness
Mainly Authoritative
.gov – Government
.mil – US Military
.edu – Educational/University (with one exception)
.org – Not-for-profit Organization (check affiliation)
Not necessarily authoritative
.com – Company; most common website; can be used for personal websites of professionals (important to look at the author biography and/or “about” page to determine authority)
.net – Older, originally designated networks
.org – Check for organizational bias
Can be conservative, liberal, religious, affiliated with other, disreputable organizations vs
(For why domain extensions are important…)

18. .edu sources may be student work
Some students host their papers on class websites – these are not authoritative
Be careful of inadvertently using student homework assignments from .edu sources

19. Currency is important for research
Limit results to the past 10 years for most academic research
Websites should have recent timestamps/copyright notices
Primary sources are an exception
(also some historical or obscure sources)

20. Copyright date can indicate authority
Which NY City travel guide would you trust in 2017?

21. Author biographies can indicate authority
Who would you trust regarding physics?
Who would you trust regarding engineering?

22. Layout and Advertisements can indicate authority (or lack thereof)
Websites should have minimal ads
General rule of thumb: If it looks like it’s from a 12 year old…it probably is.

23. Some sources are automatically authoritative
Encyclopedias and other reference sources
Any peer-reviewed journal
Government websites and documents
Academic library collections (except for popular material collections)
Note: Not everything in a PUBLIC library is authoritative for ACADEMIC research – many popular items (though it would be authoritative for personal research in many circumstances)

24. Biographical and Publishing information can determine print source authority
Self-Publishing: Frowned upon in academic research (no peer-review process)
Self-publishing ≠ “Vanity Press”
(A quick search can tell you if the publisher is either of these)
There are exceptions: Your textbook is self-published, but do a bit of research on Badke and you’ll find he’s a noted expert in his field, well-respected, and a bona fide librarian.

25. Relevance of information retrieved depends on your needs

26. Checking the subject headings may provide more information
Subject headings clarify the subject matter
Subject headings reinforce the title

27. “Times Cited” can indicate importance of research
NOTE: Excessive self-referencing (cited by its own author) is frowned upon – only appropriate in limited amounts