Finding SourcesValidity, Reliability, & BiasBooks, Databases, & Websites

Is my source legit???

Legitimate sources—must be analyzed for…

Reliability

Validity

Bias

Definitions

Validity =

Reasonable to believe info is accurate or true because…

▪ Source is professional and associated with a major organization, institution, or respected group

▪ producers of source known to have credentials or expertise

▪ Info is logical; makes sense based on your background knowledge or understandings

▪ Info is consistent with other sources

Definitions

Reliability=

It is a source that you can trust to consistently provide accurate information

You trust accuracy based on the background, history, developers, creators of source

▪ Have to be careful for bias, though! Just because you can trust them, doesn’t mean the info isn’t skewed.

Definitions

Bias=

What is in the background of the source that might make it have a skewed perspective

▪ Is the source trying to persuade you of something?

▪ Does the source have an alternative agenda?

▪ What is the sources larger purpose/goal?

▪ Why does the source exist?

Examples

Research topic: What is the effect of Jon Stewart and the Stephen Colbert Reports on political elections?

Sources: NBC Nightly News The Wall Street Journal The Journal of Modern Broadcasting John McCain’s Senate Website The National Rifle Association website Google Consumer Surveys

Source Considerations

**Remember, nearly everything is a business!!!

Multitude of Source Types Good ol’ books! (consider author & publisher!) Academic Journals (i.e. Journal of Modern Science) Universities (i.e. published studies, items by professors) News sources (i.e. CNN, MSNBC, etc.) Newspapers & Magazines (i.e. Time, National Geographic) Gov’t & Political sources (i.e. politician or gov’t. sponsored) Non-profits (i.e. Greenpeace, RedCross, United Way, PBS) Traditional Businesses (i.e. restaurants, products, etc.) Religious Organizations (i.e. official church websites)

Finding Books

#1 best type of source to use!!!!

RBHS Media Center MC Catalogue

Boone Library www.dbrl.org

University of Missouri www.missouri.edu Libraries & Museums

MERLIN catalogue advanced search

Get the CALL NUMBER (ex. 887.59 HAC)

Using Books

How do I find information in a book?

Look at the table of contents What sections of the book apply to you?

Look at the index at the back of the book Look up subjects and listings of page

#s?

Do consider author & publisher….

Databases

What is a database? Online collection (& search engine) of

newspapers, magazines, and journals, and other news sources

2nd best type of source you can use!! Can trust DB sources to be valid and

reliable So many scholarly sources your brain will

explode Provides a great variety of sources Saves you the leg work of the olden days

Examples of Database Sources Newspapers

New York Times, Washington Post Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, and even small town newspapers!

Magazines Time, National Geographic Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and

even slug like People Magazine!

Scholarly Journals English Journal, Journal of Pediatric Medicine, Journal of

Modern Broadcasting, etc.

How to find Database articles? From school go to the Media Center page From home RBHS website, MC page, “Home Access

to DBs”

Username & password

Databases to use1) Gale Databases & Ebsco 2) JSTOR 3) Opposing Viewpoints4) Biography Resource Center Others provided through DBRL!

How to find Database articles?

Special Notes:

How are sources sorted? Relevance or publication date?

Make sure that your search is not too specific!

Record bibliography info immediately!!!

Save the article as a PDF whenever possible Only print once you are sure! (Article can be lengthy…)

To print print preview on the article page Can copy text from here if there is no PDF option

Google Scholar—a type of database

Scholar.google.com Journal articles, ebooks May not have full access—sometimes just

abstract Will count as database source not internet

Websites

Use websites when you can’t find the equivalent in print form…print is always preferred!

Try to limit to…▪ Government websites▪ Scholastic based websites (universities, etc.)▪ Select non-profits and select news sources

Boolean Search Method

Uses symbols and word combos to help you search your topic + symbol Australian + Aborigines * symbol Colonization* + Aborigines “quotes” “Australian natives” groups words

t/g AND/ NOT Australia + England NOT Spain

Australia + England AND Colonization Search a variety of topics!!1) European Colonization + Population 4)Australian Colonization + laws2)Population change + Diseases AND Causes 5)Europe + Australia AND

Effect3) Australian + Colonization AND Consequences* 6)Aboriginal + Colonize

+Treatment

URLs 101

This is just the basics…URLs are expanding everyday!

.gov/.mil/.us—Run by a government agency, including city, state, or national levels. Sometimes includes state abbreviations (such as .mo)

.edu – Run by an education institution, such as a university or public school district.

.org — Run by a non-profit organization

.com — Run by an company or business. These sites can be reliable (ex. www.thehistorychannel.com) but be wary of businesses trying to sell a product.

.net — The site is run by a network or organization, usually reliable, unless the organization is a profitable company. Similar to .com sites.

“SIGNS” of a trustworthy site

Avoid if lots of symbols in URL or really long URL % # * _ + ~

Who is the author and/or publisher? If not listed…ask why??? Click the hyperlink @ bottom to read about them Google the author and publisher

Dates—be wary if this is lacking! Published date? Copyright date?

“SIGNS” of a trustworthy site Sources cited? good sources publish

bibliography Shows people where the info comes from.

What links does it suggest to you? Are there other links? Do they work? Where do they go?

Who links to it? “Links to” shows you other sites that link to your

website. Go to Google and enter “link:” before URL in search bar

Only use first 2-3 pages of a search result.

A Few Key RULES

1. No Wikipedia for serious research sources! Often great sources in the bibliography @ bottom…

2. Always do a quick Google search on the author or publisher

3. Never use sites such as… blogs, FAQ sites, About.com, Buzzle.com, ehow.com, etc.

4. Never use any site that allows “just anyone” to add information/ideas