Sources

Sources…for academic research

Click for next slide

Old Habits…

When you need to look something up quickly, what do you usually do?


If you are like most people, your first thought is


Old habits…

Many students do “research” by using a general search engine such as Google or Yahoo.

I hope I find something useful!


Old habits…

However, this type of search is a habit that does not work well when doing college research.

No Google?? What else is there?


What’s wrong with using

?or


Why not Google or Yahoo?

No selection process: •Documents do not undergo any selection process but rather are placed randomly.



No standards: •Random organization. •Often, commercial

sites or sites soliciting donations dominate search results.



No validation: • No one reviews sites for

accuracy. • The internet is filled with

hoaxes, scams, parodies, and hate speech disguised as “fact.”


Besides Google, what else should college students avoid?


Avoid Relying upon Wikipedia


Wikipedia

To be fair, Wikipedia is good for personal research or to find quick information about something.

However, Wikipedia is not good for academic research or for citing in research papers.


Q: If you wanted to learn about Old Dominion University, which would provide the most complete, accurate information?

Reading about ODU on Wikipedia

Visiting the ODU website yourself and reading the information directly from ODU.


Use Original Sources

The original source is always better than Wikipedia for academic writing.


The information in Wikipedia is largely copied and pasted from other sources.

Why settle for a copy of a source

when you can use the original source?


Wikipedia

Anyone can contribute to or edit Wikipedia.

Sometimes, the information may be inaccurate or incomplete.

Someone tried a bit too hard!


Which sounds better?

“I found my information in the New England Journal of Medicine.”

“I found my information on Wikipedia.”

or


Original is always better!


However, Wikipedia can help you find good, original sources!

Scroll down to the “Notes and References” section

You can begin with Wikipedia, but always move to original sources. Click for next slide

Wikipedia

Wikipedia can be a great place to start, but always use original sources in your writing.


Wikipedia

Wikipedia should not appear in your Works Cited or anywhere else in your essays.

Use original sources!


Where can college students find reliable, scholarly sources?


Some Good News:

Your tuition dollars pay for access to huge databases filled with accurate, scholarly sources.


Even Better News:

All of these wonderful sources are right at your fingertips, accessible from your home PC!


Sources

It is important to know how to use the TCC Databases for academic research.

Therefore, ALL sources for the final essay must come from the TCC Databases. No other sources will be accepted.


For detailed information about how to find sources, please view the lecture notes on the Annotated Bibliography.


SourcesThe purpose of the SASE assignment is

to practice using the TCC Library databases.

3 sources are required. Each source = 10 points. • *Missing one source = minus 10 points. • **Missing 2 sources = minus 20 points. • ***Missing 3 sources = minus 30 points. TCC database sources ONLY—no other

sources allowed. Click for next slide

Final Notes…

Your Handbook (Chapter 36) contains MLA style documentation.

You may also explore the TCC-Library website for MLA help:

http://www.tcc.edu/lrc/guides/research.htm


Final Notes…

Free, friendly, & candid advice:Want to impress your future

professors? Mention enthusiastically how you

have so many ideas and sources from your research that you’re trying to decide which angle to take on the topic.


Final Notes…

Free, friendly, & candid advice:

Want to irritate your future professors?

Complain that you cannot find any sources on your topic, despite the huge databases of articles available via TCC (and most college libraries).


Review

When writing academic research essays…

Avoid general searches such as Google or Yahoo.

Do not use Wikipedia as a source.

Use database articles from the TCC Library online


End of Presentation