Where to Start?
Not sure where to begin?
We recognize that many students will begin their search by performing an internet search for their topic. So, let's learn how to determine if the information you find on the web is appropriate to use in your research.
Is the resource you've found on the web a good resource? How can we tell?
Click on the links below to learn more:
Why might an Internet search be a good place to start? Discovery
Let this be a beginning step in your research, not the only step.
- Learn the basics about your topic
- Use what you have learned to inform your research.
- Create a list of keywords related to your topic.
- Develop your keywords in relation to what you want to learn about your topic.
- Use the library's databases to provide direct access to academic, peer-reviewed materials.
Evaluation Criteria
To verify the reliability of your sources, ask yourself the following questions:
How?
How does this apply to your research?
Relevance
Does the work address your specific research question?
Scope
Does the work provide sufficient content?
Who?
Who is the author?
Why?
Why does this person have the authority to speak about this topic?
What?
What is the intention of this source? Is the author trying to persuade you or is the author presenting factual research?
When?
When was this piece written? Does the age of the source impact its relevancy to your topic?
Evaluation Criteria Tutorial
What is Peer Reviewed?
Determining the Reliability of a Resource
What makes a good resource?
Relevancy - Does this source deal specifically with your topic?
Scope - Does this source only mention your topic briefly or does a substantial portion of the resource discuss your topic?
Currency (as applicable to the topic) - When was this piece written? Does the age of the source affect its relevancy to your topic?
Credibility/Reliability - Who is the author? Do they have the authority to speak about this topic? What are the author’s credentials? Has this resource been reviewed by other experts in this field of study?
Purpose - Informative vs. Persuasive. What is the intention of this source? Is the author trying to persuade you or is the author presenting information? Is there a bias you should be mindful of?
Primary vs. Secondary Resources
Sources are divided into two main groups; primary and secondary.
Primary sources provide a firsthand account or insider's look at a specific person, a specific time period, or a specific event. If a primary source could speak to us it would say, “I was there; this is my experience or my experiment.” Examples of primary sources include diaries, personal journals, autobiographies, memoirs, personal correspondence, interviews, speeches, newspaper articles or news footage from a specific time in history, official records, original photographs, creative works such as plays, poetry, music, or art, and also original research data. Primary sources can be documents, photographs, film or video footage, and objects/artifacts. Please note that primary source does not necessarily equal factual source. Primary sources provide firsthand accounts of an event, experience, or experiment. It is up to you, the researcher, to evaluate each of those accounts individually to build an informed, knowledgeable, and well-rounded assertion about your topic.
A secondary source is an interpretation or analysis of one or more primary sources. If a secondary source could speak to us it would say, “I wasn’t there but I have researched, studied, and analyzed this topic and these are my thoughts on the matter.” Examples of secondary resources include such publications as biographies, commentaries, criticisms, textbooks, articles, and critical essays.
Example:
The first book on the left, I am Not Spock, was written by Leonard Nimoy and is his personal account of his experiences of portraying the character of Spock in the television series Star Trek. The next book, Star Trek: Movie Memories, was written by William Shatner who portrayed the character of Captain James T. Kirk and discusses his experiences during the creation of the Star Trek films. Each of these sources says to us, "I was there; this is my experience." These are primary sources.
The last book, Star Trek as Myth, is a collection of essays about Star Trek. This book is comprised of the different authors' interpretations and analysis of the mythology of the television series and films. This book says to us, “I wasn’t there but I have researched, studied, and analyzed this topic and these are my thoughts on the matter.” This book is a secondary resource.