14. Sourcing for Research Articles

Objectives

When you have finished this section, you will be able to

§    evaluate the credibility of online sources;

§  search for relevant research materials through online search engines and online library systems.

Resource List

1)      Helpful Hints to Help You Evaluate the Credibility of Web Resources: http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm

2)      Purdue OWL: Establishing Arguments: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/02/

3)      Finding Sources: http://www8.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/4a5f614398c8d98f852569c300673443?OpenDocument

Key Concepts

§  Evaluation of Sources

§  Online Research

Procedure

A.     Before Class

1.    Survey the websites and/or pdf files provided in the Resource List above.

2.    Read through your essay assignment prompt to prepare for the in-class activities.

         *You will need your laptops and Internet connection for this tutorial.

B.     In Class

1.    Evaluating Web Resources

       Complete Task A with a partner or in a small group. Be prepared to share your

       answers with the rest of the class.

2.    Sourcing for Online Research Articles

        In response to the essay prompt, source for your own online research articles.

        Please refer to the guidelines that follow.

(a)  Analyse the prompt and decide on the keywords you should use in your search.

(b)  Start with a simple search. Search engines such as Google or Yahoo! are great places to start when you’re first reading up on the assigned writing topic.

(c)   Expand your search. Online scholarly databases are another great place to source articles. You may start by accessing the NUS library portal at http://libportal.nus.edu.sg/frontend/index.

(d)  Visit other online databases. They include:

·         InfoTrac: Full-text databases of content from academic journals and magazines

·         DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals

·         ProQuest: A collection of many academic and business databases

·         JSTOR: More than a thousand academic journals and over a million images.

·         Newspapers and magazines can provide a great supplement to online scholarly sources as well as bring your research up to speed on what is current and in the news. Make sure to choose from those that are known to be objective, reputable and of high quality.

o   Newspapers to start with: The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal

o   Magazines to start with: TIME, Newsweek, The New Yorker, U.S. News & World Report, Harper’s, The Economist

C.      After Class

1.    Continue with your research for information that you may wish to include in your

       essay.

2.   For Week 8 Tutorial 1, using the APA Style Guide, create a reference list for all the

       resources (articles and/or videos) related to your essay topic. Be prepared to share

       that list during Week 8 Tutorial 1.

Tasks

A.   Evaluation and Discussion

Read through the information on ‘Digital Divide’ at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide and answer the following questions.

(a)  Is the information given on this site credible?

(b)  Should you cite the information from this cite in your academic essay?

(c)   How can the information from this site be useful in your academic research?

(d)  What are some negative points of this site?

Reference: Some information has been adapted from: http://www.eliteediting.com/blog/post.aspx?id=26