Using Wikipedia to Begin Research

Christina Janiczek

LIS 764: Fall 2011

Instruction Session

Agenda

Look at Wikipedia article about a fictional hero

Use the citations & references to find resources

Evaluate resources using the CRAP test

Class activity - Apply the CRAP test to a website

Citations & References Wikipedia and beyond

You can use this research strategy for just about any source in which information is cited: Scholarly articles Your textbook Websites, etc.

Looking at reference lists and bibliographies is an easy way to start exploring the existing literature on a topic.

Batman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources

Extremely important step!

Make sure the information you use is credible and appropriate for your project/paper.

Especially important with online sources Highly changeable - information could be here today, gone

tomorrow Unidentified authors make it difficult to determine authority &

purpose

Evaluating Sources

Apply the CRAP test:

C is for…

R is for…

A is for…

P is for…

Currency

Reliability

Authority

Purpose/Point of View

Adapted from Ken Orenic, Dominican University, http://loex2008collaborate.pbworks.com/w/page/18686701/The%20CRAP%20Test

Now it’s your turn!

Let’s say our topic is the transformations of Batman over time.

Apply the CRAP test to the article we looked at earlier from The Guardian.

Take a minute to skim the article on your own.

Currencyo How recent is the information?

o How recently has the website been updated?

o Is it current enough for your topic?

Reliabilityo Is content primarily fact or opinion? o If there are opinions, are they balanced?o Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

Authority o Who is the creator or author, and what are their credentials? o Who is the publisher or sponsor? Are they reputable? o What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information? o Are there advertisements on the website?

Purpose/Point of Viewo Is this fact or opinion?o Is it biased?o Is the creator/author trying to sell you something?

Discussion

Would you include this resource in the annotated bibliography?

Why or why not?