Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

Evaluating Websites

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about using Google for your research. Of course, NOVA Libraries has access to thousands of newspaper, magazine, and journal articles through the library databases. But that doesn’t mean that there’s not good and useful information out on the web as well.  You just need to be critical.

So how can you decide if a website has good information that would be appropriate to use in your assignments? You’ve heard of the 5 W’s, right? Well, they can also be applied to evaluating information, on the web and elsewhere. 

WHO – Who wrote or published the information? Is it someone you have heard of? Is it an

organization that you are familiar with?

WHAT – What are the author’s credentials? Are they clear about their experience in the subject

and how they relates to the topic they are writing on?

WHEN – When was the information published? Is it the type of information that changes over

time (Think: Medical Information)? Or is it the type of information that stays the same (Think:

History)?

WHERE – Where did the author get their information? Are they properly citing their sources?

Are they clear on where their facts, statistics, graphs, etc. are coming from?

WHY – Why are they publishing this information? What is the author’s motivation? Are they

showing a bias?

Take a look at the NOVA Libraries’ 5 W’s to Determine Good Information for more tips! And as always, if you’re not sure about a website, ask us! ELI-Library@nvcc.edu

Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library Staff

Finding Articles in Library Databases

Did you know that NOVA Libraries gives you access to thousands of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles that are housed in over 100 databases? The good news is it's pretty likely that we have information on the subject you are researching. The bad news? I could be a little overwhelming.

This short 5 minute video will introduce you to library databases and give you some search tips.

http://youtu.be/9aScFPAN7FE

And, as always, if you need help finding information or using any library resources, we're here to help. E-mail your ELI Library staff at ELI-Library@nvcc.edu.

Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

To Google or Not to Google? And “My professor told us we can’t use Wikipedia.”

Google is your key to all information, right? Google can connect you to anything on the internet, right? Well, not really. There is a lot of information, and some that you might really need, hiding behind passwords in what is called the “deep web.” If you are looking for journal articles, for example, you won’t find most of them by searching Google. Even if you find them using Scholar Google, which searches academic literature, you will often be asked to pay before you can access the article.  Luckily, NOVA Libraries has already paid for access to thousands and thousands of articles and other resources. And often, these resources will have higher quality information that what you can find searching Google.

This is not to discount web sources altogether. Much government information is freely available on the web. And many organizations, such as news organizations and non-profits, put out some great information on the web. Take a look at the 5 W’s to Determine Good Information for ideas on how to evaluate information you find on the web.

And when searching Google, try out their Advanced Search which gives you more control over your search.

What about Wikipedia? The short answer: DO use Wikipedia to get ideas for a research topic or to give yourself some background information on the topic you have chosen. DO NOT use Wikipedia as a source in your research papers and assignments.  Wikipedia should not appear in your Works Cited page. Look for more reliable sources, some of which you could even find in the “References” section at the end of a Wikipedia entry.

Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

What is Peer Review?

Cann, A.J. (2008, May 23). Peer Review. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/47353092@N00/6735929719/

An important feature of scholarly journals is that they are written by experts in their field--scholars, professors, and researchers.  Most importantly, the articles in scholarly journals are peer reviewed.  Peer review is a process by which other experts will review the journal article before it can be published.  They are making sure that the research is sound and that the idea presented is original.

Watch this video from North Carolina State University Libraries to learn more.

For more on Peer Review and how to find peer reviewed journal articles, take a look at this NOVA Guide: How to...Find and Identify Peer Reviewed Journals.