CAP 074 - College & Academic Prep (Ford): Home

By the end of today's session, students will be able to:

• name four criteria for identifying quality information
• list two or three reasons to use subject encyclopedias
• identify a library database for finding articles in subject encyclopedias
• identify a library database that provides access to articles in newspapers, magazines and journals

Is a source worth your time and energy? Is it appropriate for your needs? Here is a way to evaluate all types of sources.

• Author: Look for the author’s name(s), credentials, expertise, and reputation. How many other works have they authored on this subject?
• Sources: Look for a bibliography, works cited, or other list of sources the author used
• Age: Look for the publication or copyright date. Is it current enough for your topic? When researching subjects related to science, (like Biology) and Medicine, (such as Dental Hygiene or Nursing), it is often more appropriate if the information is from the last five years.
• Publisher: Look for the name of the publisher (or parent website). What other kinds of sources does this publisher provide? What does a Google or Wikipedia search for this publisher say?