After exploring some of the foraging tools and tips on this page, you will be better able to evaluate the information retrieved by
- distinguishing between popular and scholarly sources;
- assessing the currency, authority, and reliability of the information retrieved;
- evaluating an author's expertise, authority, and credibility;
- recognizing an author's point of view (prejudices, loyalties, etc.).
Your trail of resources includes . . .
Services & ContactsService Desk / Reference & Information Services, Offering Appointments with Librarians for One-on-one Consultation Sign up with a librarian and learn about some tools that can help you to better distinguish the good sources from the not-so-good sources you have found.
Find Resources By... Have you discovered the most current, authoritative research? Evaluate the materials you have found by repeating your search in more specialized databases in your subject area. Ask us to show you how to compare search results and pick out the best materials.
Guides & ToolsDoing Library Research Have you overlooked a resource? Now that you have found a few items, return to this guide to see if there are additional places to hunt for information.
Course Guides Now that you have some materials in hand, do they discuss all aspects of your topic? A course guide for your class will help you rethink the resource selections you have made so far and give you ideas for filling in the gaps.
E-Journal Finder How old are the articles you want to locate? If they're recently published, perhaps you can find the journal source you need online.
Searching IUCAT Tutorial Will this book work for my research paper? This tutorial offers a closer look at interpreting IUCAT records.
Finding Articles Tutorial Explore this tutorial and gain pointers on how to distinguish between popular and scholarly sources.
Environments & BehaviorsSubject Pathfinders Check to see if one of these tools exist for your subject. The most useful reference books point you to the experts on your subject.
Judging Sources: Is Your Article from a Popular, Scholarly, or Trade Publication? (PDF) Still unsure how to tell a scholarly journal from a general-interest magazine from a trade or professional periodical? Get some helpful tips here.
Is Your Web Site Credible? Some people think that one Web site is as good as another. Think again! Learn what to look for to distinguish the authoritative sites from the less-than-reliable ones.
IIFE Insights
IIFE Insight #5: Just because it's published or posted on the Internet doesn't mean that the information is worthwhile. How can you tell what's reliable and what's not? Be wary and learn to sniff out the cues. Can you confirm the author's credentials and perspective, the publishing outlet's value, or the currency of the information? Let us give you some pointers.
 Let's continue on with #6 Organize What I Select
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