legitimate sources—must be analyzed for… reliability validity bias
TRANSCRIPT
Finding SourcesValidity, Reliability, & BiasBooks, Databases, & Websites
Is my source legit???
Legitimate sources—must be analyzed for…
Reliability
Validity
Bias
Definitions
Validity =
Reasonable to believe info is accurate or true because…
▪ Source is professional and associated with a major organization, institution, or respected group
▪ producers of source known to have credentials or expertise
▪ Info is logical; makes sense based on your background knowledge or understandings
▪ Info is consistent with other sources
Definitions
Reliability=
It is a source that you can trust to consistently provide accurate information
You trust accuracy based on the background, history, developers, creators of source
▪ Have to be careful for bias, though! Just because you can trust them, doesn’t mean the info isn’t skewed.
Definitions
Bias=
What is in the background of the source that might make it have a skewed perspective
▪ Is the source trying to persuade you of something?
▪ Does the source have an alternative agenda?
▪ What is the sources larger purpose/goal?
▪ Why does the source exist?
Examples
Research topic: What is the effect of Jon Stewart and the Stephen Colbert Reports on political elections?
Sources: NBC Nightly News The Wall Street Journal The Journal of Modern Broadcasting John McCain’s Senate Website The National Rifle Association website Google Consumer Surveys
Source Considerations
**Remember, nearly everything is a business!!!
Multitude of Source Types Good ol’ books! (consider author & publisher!) Academic Journals (i.e. Journal of Modern Science) Universities (i.e. published studies, items by professors) News sources (i.e. CNN, MSNBC, etc.) Newspapers & Magazines (i.e. Time, National Geographic) Gov’t & Political sources (i.e. politician or gov’t. sponsored) Non-profits (i.e. Greenpeace, RedCross, United Way, PBS) Traditional Businesses (i.e. restaurants, products, etc.) Religious Organizations (i.e. official church websites)
Finding Books
#1 best type of source to use!!!!
RBHS Media Center MC Catalogue
Boone Library www.dbrl.org
University of Missouri www.missouri.edu Libraries & Museums
MERLIN catalogue advanced search
Get the CALL NUMBER (ex. 887.59 HAC)
Using Books
How do I find information in a book?
Look at the table of contents What sections of the book apply to you?
Look at the index at the back of the book Look up subjects and listings of page
#s?
Do consider author & publisher….
Databases
What is a database? Online collection (& search engine) of
newspapers, magazines, and journals, and other news sources
2nd best type of source you can use!! Can trust DB sources to be valid and
reliable So many scholarly sources your brain will
explode Provides a great variety of sources Saves you the leg work of the olden days
Examples of Database Sources Newspapers
New York Times, Washington Post Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, and even small town newspapers!
Magazines Time, National Geographic Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and
even slug like People Magazine!
Scholarly Journals English Journal, Journal of Pediatric Medicine, Journal of
Modern Broadcasting, etc.
How to find Database articles? From school go to the Media Center page From home RBHS website, MC page, “Home Access
to DBs”
Username & password
Databases to use1) Gale Databases & Ebsco 2) JSTOR 3) Opposing Viewpoints4) Biography Resource Center Others provided through DBRL!
How to find Database articles?
Special Notes:
How are sources sorted? Relevance or publication date?
Make sure that your search is not too specific!
Record bibliography info immediately!!!
Save the article as a PDF whenever possible Only print once you are sure! (Article can be lengthy…)
To print print preview on the article page Can copy text from here if there is no PDF option
Google Scholar—a type of database
Scholar.google.com Journal articles, ebooks May not have full access—sometimes just
abstract Will count as database source not internet
Websites
Use websites when you can’t find the equivalent in print form…print is always preferred!
Try to limit to…▪ Government websites▪ Scholastic based websites (universities, etc.)▪ Select non-profits and select news sources
Boolean Search Method
Uses symbols and word combos to help you search your topic + symbol Australian + Aborigines * symbol Colonization* + Aborigines “quotes” “Australian natives” groups words
t/g AND/ NOT Australia + England NOT Spain
Australia + England AND Colonization Search a variety of topics!!1) European Colonization + Population 4)Australian Colonization + laws2)Population change + Diseases AND Causes 5)Europe + Australia AND
Effect3) Australian + Colonization AND Consequences* 6)Aboriginal + Colonize
+Treatment
URLs 101
This is just the basics…URLs are expanding everyday!
.gov/.mil/.us—Run by a government agency, including city, state, or national levels. Sometimes includes state abbreviations (such as .mo)
.edu – Run by an education institution, such as a university or public school district.
.org — Run by a non-profit organization
.com — Run by an company or business. These sites can be reliable (ex. www.thehistorychannel.com) but be wary of businesses trying to sell a product.
.net — The site is run by a network or organization, usually reliable, unless the organization is a profitable company. Similar to .com sites.
“SIGNS” of a trustworthy site
Avoid if lots of symbols in URL or really long URL % # * _ + ~
Who is the author and/or publisher? If not listed…ask why??? Click the hyperlink @ bottom to read about them Google the author and publisher
Dates—be wary if this is lacking! Published date? Copyright date?
“SIGNS” of a trustworthy site Sources cited? good sources publish
bibliography Shows people where the info comes from.
What links does it suggest to you? Are there other links? Do they work? Where do they go?
Who links to it? “Links to” shows you other sites that link to your
website. Go to Google and enter “link:” before URL in search bar
Only use first 2-3 pages of a search result.
A Few Key RULES
1. No Wikipedia for serious research sources! Often great sources in the bibliography @ bottom…
2. Always do a quick Google search on the author or publisher
3. Never use sites such as… blogs, FAQ sites, About.com, Buzzle.com, ehow.com, etc.
4. Never use any site that allows “just anyone” to add information/ideas