February 2010 HIST ON11

Where the Wild Things Are:Online Research & Finding the Good

Stuff

Secondary SourcesHow to find the ‘good stuff’?How to be sure they are “scholarly” &

appropriate?

Popular / ? / Scholarly

Characteristics of …Popular articles (Magazines)

Often slick and attractive appearanceDo not cite sources in a bibliographyUsually very short and written in simple language.Reviewed by the publication’s editorsPurpose: entertain the reader, sell products, or promote a viewpoint.

Characteristics of …Substantive News/ General Interest

Publications:

Geared to any educated audience. Published by commercial enterprises

or professional organizations.Purpose: provide information to a

broad audience of concerned citizens.

Characteristics of …Scholarly articles (Journals)

a.k.a. academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed journals.

AbstractSober and serious appearance Written by scholars in the fieldSpecialized vocabularyBibliographyPeer reviewedPurpose: report on original research

But what about the Internet?

VS.VS.

Distinguish between online library resources and the Internet.

But what about the Internet?

Criteria to Consider• Your professor’s instructions• How did you end up on this site? What can the URL tell

you?• Author/ authority: What are their credentials? Contact

information?• Currency: Is it dated?• Is information cited?• What's the bias? Advertising?

Your mission:

In groups of 3-4, analyze the three information sources. Use the handout or other online guides to help you.

Answer the questions:• Is this source popular/ scholarly/ somewhere

in between?• Could you use it in your history paper?

**There’s no need to READ the articles**

Report back in 10-15 minutes.

Feel free to ask us for help!

To wrap things up:

Searching for secondary sources:

ie/ Databases > America History and LifeInformation up on Sakai > “Library Research Help”

Thank you.

Contact:

Monica RettigLiaison Librarian

mrettig@brocku.ca