SEARCHING & EVALUATING RESOURCES

Rhetoric 1302 Spring 2010

Matt Makowka, Reference Librarian

THINK ON THIS … “The Internet is like one of those

garbage dumps outside of Bombay. There are people, most unfortunate, crawling all over it, and maybe they find a bit of aluminum, or perhaps something they can sell. But mainly it’s garbage.”

~ Joseph Weizenbaum ~

“Between Tech Fans and Naysayers, Scholarly Skeptics,”

1999

WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY? The Library Catalog – more than just for books Databases

What are they?Why would I need them? (And why should I care?)

Periodicals: Popular Magazines vs. Academic Journals

Getting to the databases and selecting them Searching – tips & tricks Citing Sources & Paper Help Evaluating Information Need more help? Where to go …

WWW.UTDALLAS.EDU/LIBRARY/

LIBRARY CATALOG – NOT JUST FOR BOOKS

Use the catalog to find books on a topic, locate a journal (best when you already know the name of the article), search DVDs, look up a database, and more.

If you have an article citation, start with the catalog. You will first search by the journal title, then seek the article from there. Article titles won’t work in the catalog.

All formats are listed: paper, electronic and microform. The catalog doesn’t discriminate. While the catalog is good for books, remember that you

can use it to find many other things for your research!

DATABASES – WHAT ARE THEY?

Well organized search engines (“indexes”) for journal articles, books, newspaper articles, dissertations (material originally appearing in print) and more.

Cover a variety of topics; some are subject specific, e.g., ERIC for education; others are general, e.g., Academic Search Complete.

Some are full-text. Many will link to full text.

Provide quality research whose authenticity and authority leave little to doubt.

When you are looking for articles on a topic

start here.

DATABASES - WHY USE THEM?

Need to research articles from journals, esp. scholarly.

Greater concern for authoritative sources.

More powerful “advanced” searching, filters, and refining tools.

Focused searching on a specific subject (the “no junk”/”no duplicates” factor).

Need newspaper, book or journal archives/backfiles.

POPULAR MAGAZINES & SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

What’s the difference?

What are peer-

reviewed journals anyway?

POPULAR VS. SCHOLARLY PERIODICALS

Popular Magazines

Intended for a general audience

Articles written by journalists who may or may not have special training

Articles do not have footnotes

Magazines have advertising, photographs, and glossy pages (unsubstantial “fluff”)

For Profit Not Peer-reviewed

Scholarly Journals

Intended for an audience knowledgeable in the field

Articles are written by scholars, whose names are listed along with credentials

Articles are footnoted and list sources used

No advertising, few photographs, and usually printed on plain paper

Usually not for profit Peer-reviewed

HOW DO I FIND PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES AND

JOURNALS? Use a scholarly database rather

than a general database (MEDLINE vs. Newspaper Abstracts).

When available, limit to scholarly/peer-reviewed journals when you search your database.

Check in Ulrichsweb (database) to see if the journal in question is peer-reviewed.

SELECTING YOUR DATABASE(S)

Choose by subject http://www.utdallas.edu/library/resources/databases/dbases.htm

Or from the Alphabetical List (descriptions given for databases in both subject and alphabetical lists).

Ask a Reference Librarian – we know what’s best and can save you time!

Available from home using your UTD-ID number and last name.

DEVELOPING A SEARCH STRATEGY

Select a topic. Identify keywords. Identify synonyms. Group concepts and add connectors

(Boolean). Use truncation and/or wildcard keys if

available.

CITING YOUR SOURCES MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style, and other citation

manuals available at the Reference Desk.

Copies may be available in the Main Stacks or online through the library catalog.

(on Library Homepage) can help you manage citations and create your Works Cited page.

Need help citing? The Writing Center (CN 1.302) can help.

Links for citing documents in various styles (APA, MLA, etc.) : http://www.utdallas.edu/library/resources/hot.htm#citations

EVALUATING SOURCES (ABC’S) –EXERCISING INFORMATION SKEPTICISM

Authority Audience Bias Currency Scope

AUTHORITY

Does the author’s name appear on the Web page?

What are his/her credentials? Does the author provide contact

information?

AUDIENCE What age group/education level/political

affiliation/etc. is the audience? Is this for a person with in-depth

knowledge or a layperson?

BIAS AND CURRENCY What is the

purpose of the source?

Is the source objective?

Could the writer or the organization’s affiliation put a different spin on the information presented?

When was the work published?

How old are the sources or items in the bibliography?

If a Web page, do the links work? When was it last updated?

SCOPE What does/doesn’t the work cover? Is it an in-depth study (many pages) or

superficial (one page)? Are sources and statistics cited? If a Web site, does it offer unique info not

found in any other source?

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Appointment with a Reference Librarian

Contact Loreen Phillipsloreen.phillips@utdallas.edu

OrStop by the Reference Desk

and ask

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