1. Evaluating Sources
for Research
First Year Undergraduate Class
Melanie Parlette-Stewart, Librarian
Twitter: @melanie_sarah_
melanie.parlettestewart@gmail.com
2. Why am I here?
My name is Melanie Parlette-Stewart and I’m from the Library.
I’m here to help.
Your assignment requires you to do research.
Evaluating your sources is key to completing your assignment successfully.
I’m going to show you:
How to evaluate resources
Tools to help with this
Where you can get more help
5. Which site would you use?
You are writing a research paper about the influence
of Facebook on Academic Performance.
Which of the following sources would be a better
choice?
A. Do Facebook & MySpace Affect Children’s Grades
http://www.ehow.com/info_8705144_do-myspace-affect-childrens-
grades.html
B. Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between
multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance
http://reyjunco.com/wordpress/pdf/JuncoCHBFacebookGrades.pdf
C. Both choices are equally good.
D. Neither choice appears reliable.
Activity – Which source would you use?
6. B. Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple
indices of Facebook use and academic performance
http://reyjunco.com/wordpress/pdf/JuncoCHBFacebookGrades.pdf
7. B. Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple
indices of Facebook use and academic performance
http://reyjunco.com/wordpress/pdf/JuncoCHBFacebookGrades.pdf
8. Which site would you use?
You are writing a research paper about affect of wind
turbines on health. Which of the following sources
would be the better choice?
A. My next door neighbour is a wind turbine
http://mywinddiary.blogspot.ca/
B. Wind Victims Ontario
http://windvictimsontario.com/victim-statements.html
C. Both choices are equally good.
D. Neither choice appears reliable.
Activity – Which source would you use?
9. A. My next door neighbour is a wind turbine
http://mywinddiary.blogspot.ca/
10. B. Wind Victims Ontario
http://windvictimsontario.com/victim-statements.html
11. Today we:
- Discovered and used the 5 criteria to evaluate information
and its sources critically
- Practiced applying the criteria in different situations
For more help . . . .
The library is a great place to start when you are looking for
academic sources. You can find books, journal articles and
more. Come see us in person or visit our website.
Summary
You have an assignment coming up that requires you to do research and using quality resources is key to completing this successfullyIt is recommended that you evaluate the sources that you want to use to assure that you are choosing the best onesMy name is Melanie Parlette-Stewart and I work in the library and have education and training in Research and Libraries and it’s my job to help you make the most of the Library’s resourcesBy learning how to evaluate resources you will be better able to source appropriate resources in your assignmentWe’re going to go over how to evaluate resources. I’m going to provide you with some tools on this and we’re going to practice as a groupToday we will cover why you need to evaluate resources, how we can do this and where you can get help
We are surrounded by information every dayOften it’s just a quick google search awayThis can be overwhelming when we are trying to choose the best resources to include in our assignments and essaysWeb content is not monitored or checked for accuracy in all casesPeople publish content online with many different goalsIt’s really important that you develop your critical thinking skills
Introduce VideoAvailable online for your viewing, can pause / watch over
* It might not be possible to apply every question, to every source, every time. It might depend on the type of source you are looking at.
* It might not be possible to apply every question, to every source, every time. It might depend on the type of source you are looking at.
