Reliable and UNRELIABLE Sources

1. Reliable and UNRELIABLE Sources Can YOU tell the difference??

2. RELIABLE • When researching, you always need to be sure that you are getting your information from reliable sources. • Some sources are considered to be “reliable” because they have been written by people who are experts in the field. • These are the sources you can

3. UNRELIABLE • On the other hand, some sources, such as Wikipedia, are not reliable because the authors may not have a thorough knowledge or full understanding of a topic. • Remember: anyone can post information on the internet, and we need to be CRITICAL READERS in order to determine what to believe!

4. POSSIBLE Reliable Sources • While you still need to read critically, here is a list of the types of sources that are often reliable and would be good places to start research: • Books—authored, edited and published • Newspapers and magazines • Peer reviewed journals • Peer reviewed articles • PhD or MBA dissertations and research • Public library • Scholarly articles • Isolated studies or academic research • Educational institutions and their websites

5. How will I KNOW if its RELIABLE?? • To determine reliability of online sites and organizations, look at the URL’s ending: • If the site ends in .edu, it is most likely an educational institution. Be aware, however, of political bias. • If the site ends in .gov, it is most likely a reliable government website. These sites usually provide good sources for statistics and objective reports. • If the site ends in .org, it is usually a non-profit organization. • These sources vary in being good or poor sources of information and you will still need to research their possible agendas and biases, if they exist • Online journals and magazines: • Reliable journals and magazines should contain a bibliography for every article • Lists sources within that bibliography that can be extensive and should include scholarly, and non-Internet sources • THINK: do these sources (evidence) support the articles’ focus/main idea? • News sources: • Every television and print news source has a website • Beware! Sometimes their focus is to entertain rather than inform • Think of these sources as a stepping stone to more reliable sources

6. Credible Internet Sources • It is easy to contact the owners of the website for more information or to ask questions • The site is up to date • Information from 1991 is not listed as “recent” • There are no errors • The site uses proper spelling and grammar • The website is appropriate • There is no inappropriate language, graphics, or photos

7. Credible Internet Sources • These guidelines are not 100% • When in doubt, ask for help from a teacher or librarian • If you’re still not sure, DON’T use it • Be careful with .com sites • All .com sites are trying to sell something, which means they are all biased in some way • Sites with lots of advertisements are usually less credible • Make sure if used that it is a magazine or newspaper based site.

8. How will I KNOW if its UNRELIABLE?? • The following are unreliable sources because they require confirmation with a reliable source: • Wikipedia: although this is a good starting point for finding initial ideas about a topic, some of their information and attached resources may not be reliable • Blogs, tweets • Personal websites • Forums • Sites created by organizations that may have political or biased agendas • Sites that provide biased information • Self-published sources • Opinionated articles such as editorials • Online sources with an URL that ends in html, which is the basic building blocks of web pages • Some online sources with an URL that end in .com are unreliable: • Sites of companies that conduct their business over the internet. Some of these sites are unreliable because they have hidden agendas. • THINK: are they trying to sell me something? A product? An idea?

9. Citing Sources With MLA It’s not as hard as it used to be.

10. Citing Works in Research Papers • If you use ANY information from a source in your paper, you must CITE it. • Works Cited Page • In-Text Citations • If you didn’t say it yourself and you don’t cite it, it is plagiarism. • Plagiarism can result in: • A zero for the assignment • A requirement to redo the entire assignment • In college, plagiarism may fail you for an entire course • In college, plagiarism may result in expulsion, with no tuition refund

11. Plagiarism • Is much easier to spot than it used to be • Doesn’t take very long for a teacher to check • A teacher can type 10 words of your paper into a search engine, and within seconds, compare it to tens of thousands of other papers that have already been written • In high school, many teachers believe that you are guilty until proven innocent of plagiarism • Is easy to avoid • Citation makers • MLA style sheets

12. How to Cite Sources • Citation makers will write your works cited page for you if you have the right information on your sources • Books, articles, and websites are all cited differently • The more information you have, the better • When you find a source that you think you can use, you need to make sure you have several things

13. Making Citations • Your checklist: • Author • Title • Publication company • Publication location • Publication date • Page numbers • Date accessed online • Editor • ENTIRE web address • You might not always be able to find all of this information, but get as much as you can.

14. Citation Maker • Go to easybib.org • Click on “MLA” • Paste the URL of source • Fill in additional information for your source. • Click “Submit”. Voila!  Your citation is written.

15. Citations Information for this Power Point provided by Wikipedia. ;) Just Kiddin’ Here’s the REAL Reliable Source: (note that the site is .edu) Austin Peay State University Academic Support Center Writing Lab“Reliable and Unreliable Sources” Oct 29 2012 http://www.apsu.edu/sites/apsu.edu/files/academic-support-center/Reliable_and_Unreliable_Sources.pdf

16. Today’s objective… • Distinguish between primary (i.e., interviews, letters, diaries, newspapers, personal narratives) and secondary (i.e., reference books, periodicals, Internet, biographies) • Identify levels of reliability among resources (e.g., eyewitness account, newspaper account, supermarket tabloid account, Internet source).

17. EXIT TICKET • List two reliable resources you could use when researching a famous person involved in the civil rights movement. • What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?