1. Reliable research
The key to reliable research is finding reliable sources

2. Herbert Hoover 31st President of the US Born 1874, died 1964 Republican Wife: lou Home state: Iowa College :Stanford
Jot down the facts above about President Hoover
This man was the president during the initial stages of the Great Depression, and the approximate time period in which To Kill a Mockingbird is set.
Say I wanted to learn more about Mr. Hoover. How would I evaluate information from the internet regarding his life and presidency?

3. 2 2 1 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760615.html INFOPLEASE .COM
Surely you recognize this guy…
1. Check the information you see against what you already know (red arrow #1)
Does seem reliable? Why?
2. What factors decrease the reliability of this site?
3. Does this source include primary sources? If so, what are they? 2 2 1

4. Here’s the bottom of the same page from this website.
3A. What else (besides the things you’ve already mentioned) do you notice that decrease s the reliability of this site? ( 1 main thing)

5. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/herberthoover 5 5 4 5
The White House .gov
4. What about this site’s information? Reliable? Why?
5. Name 3 things that, upon first glance, make this site seem more reliable?
6. Are there primary sources? If so, what? 5 4 5

6. This is the bottom of the same webpage at The White House.gov .
7. What information included here makes this site seem more reliable? 7 7

7. Presidents USA.net http://www.presidentsusa.net/hoover.html
This site is composed of links to other sites.
Beware of sites like these as some links might be reliable and some not.
What -at first glance- causes you to question this site’s reliability?
Does this site include any primary sources? If so what are they? 8 8 8 8

8. Below is a link from Presidents USA. net
Below is a link from Presidents USA.net. It leads to the page at the right Why would This be an unacceptable source? 10 9 10

9. 11 11 11 11
This website is part of the US Congress’ website on Inaugurations.
11. Describe the primary sources on this website.
12. What makes this source reliable or not reliable? 11 11

10. Think about why this would be considered to be a reliable source…
13. Discuss 3 reasons why this would be a reliable source.
14. Which of the 5 sources we evaluated would be the most acceptable and reliable for student research?
Bonus –
How old was Hoover when he died?
What were the ads advertising on the infoplease website? 13 13
Source Citation Burner, David. "Hoover, Herbert." Presidents: A Reference History. Ed. Henry F. Graff. 3rd ed. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, U.S. History In Context. Web. 19 Mar 13

11. This is another part of the article from Gale Group
Note boxed sections with the in-depth information on Hoover’s parents’ deaths and his reminiscences of his childhood spent in the Iowa wilderness.
15. Explain why you think that sort of information improves a source’s reliability.