Evaluating Sources A guide to your paper

Purpose – T/P/S. First, the purpose of this paper… why are you doing it? If you understand the PURPOSE… it might help you see WHY we are so picky. What are your fears?

Sources Primary Source: Firsthand accounts like an interview or documentary. “You heard it here first.” You listen to a recorded speech by JFK. Secondary Source: newspaper, magazine, journals – any article ABOUT something or someone else is a secondary source. You read a magazine article about JFK.

Is this a good source? NO encyclopedias or blogs – online or regular. These are for GENERAL information about a topic. You are doing research to present an argument – a valid, researched opinion. Wikipedia, et al. are good when, I was reading a book and thought “what’s that?”

Online sources… SOME online sources are okay – if they are newspaper articles, magazine articles..Com websites are the ones you DO NOT use unless they are a news source (verified, legit!)..Edu or.Gov websites will often give accurate information, but be sure it’s NOT a student project. Professors = ok!

Even then… Some newspapers/outlets are better than others (see my handout). Chances are, if it’s not ACTUALLY printed news (online only), it’s NOT the best newspaper or magazine (i.e. Huffington Post, about.com, etc.) VARIETY of sources if very important in your paper. MUST have 1 primary!

Underutilized sources Documentaries TV shows Interviews This is where the web is an AMAZING place as you can see past speeches, interviews, programs, etc.

How do I know if it’s reliable? For instance, I Googled Walt Whitman. I found a.org website where at the bottom is says “© Walt Whitman Archive. Ed Folsom & Kenneth Price, editors. The Walt Whitman Archive is freely distributed by the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln.”org website This is a GOOD source because – it has editors or authors and it tells the name of the company AND the university it’s affiliated with. If I ask “who is ‘behind’ the page.. Could you tell me?

Next.. I went to the 3 rd hit on Google: Already I see an issue – what is with the sci fi? Whitman has NOTHING to do with Sci Fi. Upon further investigation, there was LOTS of info on Whitman, but no author, no company, no information that validates this source. I would not use it.

THE BOTTOM LINE If you can’t justify a source and say “Here is why this is good)?? DO NOT USE IT!!

If you can’t find it… don’t use it. Rule 1: Avoid opinions like EDITORIALS – go for balanced articles that provide INFORMATION. Use that information to back- up YOUR argument. You WILL find EDITORIALS in great sources!! Just be careful.

Rule 2: LOOK and investigate the source: Start with the websites from the media center. This is where you should do ALL of your research online. You should only use the internet as a backup. FIND an author’s website!media center Verify his/her credentials Is the writer published in a scholarly journal? Is the writer employed by a research institution or university?

Rule 3 – How old is it? How timely is the source? Sources should be as recent as you can find (usually within 5 years). Who cares about a study done in 1982 when more research is available NOW.

Bad choices: Some guy’s rant on a website Opinion articles (editorials) Encyclopedias Anything without an author or unverifiable. For your paper in my class, if there is no author, YOU CAN NOT USE IT. You must get the source approved from me if there is no author.

Today and tomorrow… You will be starting the research for your paper tomorrow Let’s see the handout…

The “P” Word… Plagiarism is indefensible. Queen & David Bowie vs. Vanilla Ice YouTube: Under Pressure Vanilla Ice