Library  Research Orientation

 Select Tools |  Research Articles |  E-Journals | Books/Ebooks 
 Web Sites | Evaluation of Web Sites |  Citing Sources

Starting Research Select Your Research Tools

Look for reliability, thoroughness in research resources.  Using web sites alone may give incorrect or slanted information. Library article and ebooks are easy to use and offer credibility and authority.  Consider these qualities when researching:

Resource  Reliability for Research
Books
  • Content rich -- lots of information and facts
  • Editorial process offers authority
  • Footnotes/ Works Cited offer better scholarship/reliability
  • Published studies generally scientifically conducted
  • Not always current
Journal Articles
  • Usually very current research
  • More scholarly journals & professional publications offer:
    • Editorial process for better authority
    • Footnotes/ Works Cited for scholarship/reliability
    • Published studies are scientifically conducted
    • Content rich -- lots of information and facts
Web Sites
  • Excellent to Poor -- Varies drastically
  • Problems
    • Content varies - some content poor (very little information)
    • Authority varies drastically - some web sites are personal and have incorrect or misleading information; others (.gov, .edu) can provide excellent information
    • Point of views not always balanced.  Some personal, business & organizational sites are biased or inaccurate
  • Benefits:
    • There are many excellent government and industry sites that do provide highly reliable information

 Books (Online and Library)

Online Books

  • See All Subjects - Ebooks & Media
  • Select Netlibrary, Greenwood or Gale Virtual Library (for business plans)
  • Search  keyword
  • Select from displayed titles

Passwords: ANGEL Course pages or ASKALibrarian.

SPC Library Catalog. Also check the SPC Library Research Collections.

 Journal Articles from Databases

Library Online Article Databases.  journals, magazines and newspapers using online library databases.

  • Hundreds of thousands of full text articles from thousands of journal titles. 
  • Easy to Search
  • Publications are selected for content and offer a wide scope of opinion and current information. 
Article Databases:
  • See Business section and Select among these databases;
    • Academic Search Complete
    • Business Source Completes
    • Computer

  • Type in keywords – Make sure to check box  [x]  for Full-text. Search examples – you can use these keywords combinations :

    • E-business and law

    • email marketing

  • Click on article to view, print, email or download
    Passwords: available from your ANGEL course, your instructor, SPC libraries or you can contact ASKALibrarian.

    •


  E-Journals - Individual Publication & News Web Sites. Less comprehensive than databases, you can search individual publications or news sites:

  • Disadvantages:
    • You have to search each journal issue
    • There may be a fee or membership
    • Passwords may be required
  • Advantages
    • Content will match journal
  • Recommendation
    • Try library article databases listed above for easy cross title searching

 

 Internet Web Sites

The Internet

A wide range of information is represented on the Internet. Many government, educational and organizational sites offer good information. However, there are also a disproportionate number of commercial and personal web sites which are self-published and do not offer a means of judging reliability of content.

Search Tools allow researchers to access web sites through keyword and subject searches. Use the "Search" button at the top of your web browser screen for a variety of search tools.

Search Engines

No one search engine indexes all information available through the Internet.  For example, Google does not search for very large files.  Use more than one engine in your search.

Single Search Engines

MetaSearch Engines (don't always display return results from some engines. For good search, use individual search engines)

 

Web Site Evaluation Criteria
 
The variety of information on the Internet and the lack of monitoring of this information make it difficult to evaluate Internet sources for research.  Any individual or organization can put up web site information, which may or may not be correct.  It is up to a researcher to judge the reliability of web site information.  Several criteria need to be examined to help ascertain this:
 
Authority and Reliability:
Look for information about organizations or individuals sponsoring the web site and their purpose. This information is usually listed (or linked) somewhere on the front-page.  Also, look for information about authors of individual articles or reports and see if the articles were published elsewhere. It is optimum if authors are considered experts in their subjects or the articles come from (or are also published) in respected sources.  Web site contact information should also be provided on the site.  It is also helpful to know if the web site is recommended by trustworthy sources (listed on other reliable sites, recommended by instructors, etc.).
 
For further information, look at the URL of the web site address. The domain (last part of URL) indicates what type of sponsor the web site has and may help indicate authority:
                                              
Domain Type Example
.com Commercial/business
Personal		  http://www.nike.com
 http://www.geocities.com
                                                
.gov Government http://www.fedworld.gov
.edu Education http://www.spcollege.edu
org Organization http://www.madd.org
.net Network related (business,  education or organization) http://www.educationamerica.net/
.mil   http://www.navy.mil
     

                                                       
Government, education and some professional or organization sponsored sites are generally considered reliable.
 
Currency:                                              
Web sites must be updated regularly to reflect currency and accuracy.  To find the latest update, check at bottom of the front page.  Also look for dates on individual articles you are using for research.                                         
 
Scope of Coverage:
An informational web site should have thorough and in-depth articles and information. Additional web links should be relevant to the subject.                     
 
Objectivity:
Web site sponsors and purpose should be clearly identified.  If an organization’s purpose is advocacy of specific issues (pro animal rights, against death penalty, etc) this may affect the information presented.  The web site should present all points of view on an issue.  It should not take sides or show bias on issues. The tone and presentation of the site should be professional.            
 As more informational resources become available on the web, it will become increasingly important to be knowledgeable about the reliability of web site resources.  Becoming familiar with the accepted Internet web sites and resources in one’s professional field will become essential.

Other Sites for Evaluating Web Sites for Reliability

Finding out about web sites  (who they are, etc.)

 
  Citing Resources. .
APA Style (American Psychological Association)