Finding reliable informationon the Internet and through the

Library website

-presented by Terry Donovan, Public Services Librarian

Writing a paper

• What is the purpose of the written assignment?• A successfully written essay demonstrates your

ability to: • find information, • evaluate those sources, • understand their content and • write a synthesis of that understanding in your

own words.

Four kinds of sources

• Scholarly (peer-reviewed)• Substantive• Popular• Sensational

Evidence-based research

• Evidence-based medicine (EBM) or evidence-based practice (EBP) aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making.

Academic Fraud

• Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent.

Using search engines

• Other search engines:• Yahoo • Bing• WebCrawler and Dogpile search Google,

Yahoo and Bing• Duckduckgo

Finding peer-reviewed literature

• In A comprehensive guide to intellectual and developmental disabilities by Ivan Brown, I see a reference to:

• Brown, I. (1999). Embracing quality of life in times of spending restraint. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 24(4), 299-308.

• Let’s try finding that online.

Finding peer-reviewed literature

• Now let’s try finding that through the Library’s website.

• http://www.portagecollege.ca/

Off-site authentication

Finding peer-reviewed literature

• The Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA) requires "free online public access" to a very large swath of publicly-funded research in the United States. It strengthens the open access (OA) mandate at the NIH by reducing the maximum embargo period from 12 months to six months, and extends the strengthened policy to all the major agencies of the federal government.

Internet hazards

• Anyone who has the equipment and the know-how can publish on the Internet.

• You need to be especially critical in evaluating Internet resources because they have by-passed the traditional publishing process.

Critical thinking

• Critical thinking• Identified by employers surveyed as the top

area of improvement for Portage College graduates.

• Can you review information and come to your own conclusions?

Bias

Beware of agenda sites

• Martin Luther King Jr. A True Historical Examination

Wikipedia

• A false Wikipedia 'biography'• Editorial row engulfs Wikipedia

A final word about Wikipedia

Evaluating Internet sources

• Snopes.com Urban Legend Reference Page

Authority:

• Is the author an expert in the field you are researching?

• Is the author associated with a reputable organization?

• Does the author provide details of his qualifications/contact details?

• Is there any obvious bias? • Look especially for URLs ending in .edu for

educational sites, or .gov or .gov.ca for government sites.

Authority

Author expertise

Author affiliation

Relevance

• What subject or topic is covered? • What is the purpose of the site?

Currency

• When was the site created? • When was it last revised? • How up-to-date are the facts?

Where’s the evidence?

• Are sources of specific information supplied?• Are the sources reputable?

Use Smarthinking on Moodle

Link to Smarthinking