Mosaics: Reading and Writing Essays Sixth Edition by Kim Flachmann Chapter Twenty: Finding Sources PowerPoint by Lauren Martinez California State University, Bakersfield Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter Twenty Finding Sources In this chapter, you will learn how to  evaluate the credibility of sources  consult academic databases  search for Web sites  use the library Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

When you are looking for information to use in your documented essays, you must be careful about what you choose. Your sources must be Relevant, Reliable, and Recent. This “three Rs” approach to finding sources will help you locate convincing evidence to support your arguments. Goal One Evaluate the Credibility of Sources Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Relevant Does the source focus on your subject? Does the source deal in depth with the topic? Reliable What is the origin of the source? Is the author an expert in the field? Is the author biased? Does the source represent all sides of an issue? Are the author’s claims well supported Recent Is the source current enough for your subject and your purpose? Goal One Evaluate the Credibility of Sources Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

To use the Web sites intelligently in your documented essays follow these four guidelines: Check the end of a Web URL address. (.com stands for “commercial” and may be less reliable than Web sites ending in.edu,.gov, or.org.) Pay attention to the argument a site makes. Make sure the site is providing facts and not just opinions. Check that the site furnishes information about the other side of the argument. Goal One Evaluate the Credibility of Sources Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Two Consult Academic Databases The best places to begin searching for sources are academic databases. You should have access to these services through your library’s home page or from a computer in your library. You may need a reference librarian to help you to find these for the first time. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Two Consult Academic Databases Academic databases can direct you to an incredible number of books and journals on a wide range of subjects. The following are some examples of academic databases. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Two Consult Academic Databases Biological and Agricultural Index Business Full Text Education Full Text General Science Full Text Humanities Full Text OmniFile Full text Readers’ Guild Full Text Social Sciences Full Text ABI Inform Dow Jones EBSCOhost Expanded Academic ASAP HRAF Lexis-Nexus Wilson Web Academic Press’s IDEAL American Chemical Society's Web Editions American Mathematical Journals JSTOR Project Muse Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Two Consult Academic Databases The Boolean connectors or operators used in a search are AND, OR, and NOT. By using these words, you can limit the search and find information directly related to your topic. Most databases no longer require that you type in the Boolean operators manually. They provide multiple search boxes, normally separated by a default AND. You would type each searchable term, and then separate them by the Boolean connectors. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Two Consult Academic Databases Once you type your topic into the search function of a database, the computer will display the number of articles and books it has found in a “results list.” Notice that all of the information you need for citing these works in your text and at the end of your paper will be available once you click on any of the results in the list. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Three Search for Web Sites To find a Web site related to your topic, go to the Internet through whichever browser you have (for example, Firefox or Microsoft Explorer, etc.), and choose a search engine (such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing). When you access a search engine, it will search millions of Web sites. Using the advanced search options can allow you to narrow or expand your search. When the search is complete, the search engine will list the different Web sites in the order of most to least probable relevance to you. It will also briefly describe each Web site. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal Four Use the Library Once you have compiled a list of books and journals from academic databases or from Web sites, you should use your library to check out books or copy journal articles that are not available online. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

First access your library’s online catalogue to see if your library has the book you want. If you have difficulty locating a book using the catalogue, ask a librarian for help. You can search for authors and subjects through your library’s catalogue in much the same way you would search online databases. But because you have already done the preliminary research, all you have to do is search for the specific books and journals you need. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Goal Four Use the Library

If you are searching for a chapter or an essay contained in a book, be sure to type in the main book title. For example, if you searched for “I Just Wanna Be Average” (by Mike Rose), your library computer will tell you that the library does not carry it. You must type in the tittle of the book it came from, Lives on the Boundary, to find the essay. Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Goal Four Use the Library

Review Questions Chapter Twenty: Finding Source Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Goal One: Evaluate the Credibility of Your Sources Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What is the “three Rs” approach to finding credible sources?

Goal One: Evaluate the Credibility of Your Sources Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What is the “three Rs” approach to finding credible sources? Using the “three Rs” approach means looking for sources that are relevant, reliable, and recent.

List some academic databases that you can use to search for sources. Goal Two: Consult Academic Databases Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

List some academic databases that you can use to search for sources. Answers will vary. Goal Two: Consult Academic Databases Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

What are the Boolean connectors (or operators) and why do you use them? Goal Two: Consult Academic Databases Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

What are the Boolean connectors (or operators) and why do you use them? Boolean connectors or operators are AND, OR, and NOT, and you use them in searches to help refine your results. Goal Two: Consult Academic Databases Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

List some search engines that you can use to search the Internet for sources. Goal Three: Search for Websites Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

List some search engines that you can use to search the Internet for sources. Answers will vary. Goal Three: Search for Websites Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

What should you do if you have found books and journals that you are interested in using, but you can’t locate them online? Goal Four: Use the Library Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

What should you do if you have found books and journals that you are interested in using, but you can’t locate them online? You should visit your library to locate them in print. Goal Four: Use the Library Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

How do you search for a chapter or an essay that is contained within a book? Goal Four: Use the Library Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

How do you search for a chapter or an essay that is contained within a book? To find a chapter or an essay that is contained within a book, you must search for the book title, not the chapter or essay title. Goal Four: Use the Library Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008, by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.