Research Finding good information How do you search for information? Internet Wikipedia Print resources (books, magazines, encyclopedias, etc.) Databases Interviews How can I persuade my teachers to allow me to use Wikipedia as a legitimate research source? I would agree with your teachers that that isn't the right way to use Wikipedia. The site is a wonderful starting point for research. But it's only a starting point because there's always a chance that there's something wrong, and you should check your sources if you are writing a paper. -Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia Read more:ess/article/0,8599, ,00. html#ixzz0gEXVHup9ess/article/0,8599, ,00. html#ixzz0gEXVHup9 I would agree with your teachers that that isn't the right way to use Wikipedia. The site is a wonderful starting point for research. But it's only a starting point because there's always a chance that there's something wrong, and you should check your sources if you are writing a paper. -Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia Read more:ess/article/0,8599, ,00. html#ixzz0gEXVHup9ess/article/0,8599, ,00. html#ixzz0gEXVHup9 Time Magazine Need more convincing? Livestrong Wristband Wikipedia, 2010 So how do I find good information? Evaluate your sources for: Authority Content Layout Authority Who wrote the information and why should you trust what he or she has to say? In a print resource, read the authors bio and determine what sources were used for research. In an online resource: find out who wrote the information and whether they are qualified to do so (*Hint* Look for an About Us or Contact Us link.) look at the sites domain (.com,.org,.gov,.edu, etc.) If you cannot find out who wrote the information, DO NOT USE IT! If you cannot find any information about the authors expertise, DO NOT USE IT! Content For any source of information: What information is included? Where did it come from? Did the author(s) cite their sources? Is the information objective or does it only provide one side of the issue (bias)? When was it written? *Hint* Look for bibliographies, citations, footnotes, or linked keywords. Also look for copyright dates or when websites were last updated. o Has the site been updated recently? Layout Is the information easy to read? Does it look professional? For online resources: Are there lots of ads? Does the page contain links to related sites? Do they work? Databases What is a database? Collection of articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, and books that you need a subscription to read. We pay for a subscription to databases so you have access to thousands of articles for free. Information comes from reliable sources that are intended for educational use. Accessing the databases From school AND from home: Go toClick on Online Resources Click on EBSCOHost Type in your passwords Choose a database Go to Click on EBSCOHost Log In your library Choose your databases Start your search Create an account so you can access your saved articles from anywhere! Narrow your search Choose the date range Choose the kind of source Narrow your subject Read the article HTML just has plain text, no pictures PDFs are scanned from the actual source Hover over the magnifying glass to read a summary of the article The citation contains all of the information you need for your works cited Save to fileSave to folder The abstract is a summary of the article. Add notes Still have questions? Ask your librarians for help. Thats what were here for!