Ohlone College LRC — English 101A

Professor J. Hurley / Spring 2010

Schedule a One-on-One or Small Group Research Assistance Appointment:
Phone: 510) 742-3128 / Email: librarians@ohlone.edu / Drop by the NC-LRC Cranium Café!
For online Reference Assistance: Ask a Librarian

It is ALWAYS your job to think critically about the information you find, regardless of the
source, but Web sources present a special challenge. Why?
 The materials found on the Web are not “selected” as in a library collection
 No standards or guidelines exist for inclusion on the free Internet.

Give every website the Reliability Test:

 Consult multiple sources to verify information.
 Beware of sites that seem biased or push a specific agenda if searching for “facts”.
 Pay attention to URL suffixes. U.S. sites are assigned a suffix according to the groups or
individuals who own them.
o Commercial: http://www.livescience.com/
o Advocacy: http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/
o U.S. Government: http://www.epa.gov/ow/
o Educational Institutions: http://forces.si.edu/arctic/

Comprehensive Guide to Evaluating Web resources on LRC Website!!

Watch & Learn: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1FF4014845486B31
Read & Learn: http://www2.ohlone.edu/org/library/webeval.html

What’s the word on Wikipedia?? Use it (since you’re going to anyway), but proceed with
CAUTION!
Never cite a Wikipedia article as a source in an academic paper unless the paper is ABOUT
Wikipedia!
So what’s it good for?
Accessible, non-threatening introduction to a topic
Source of keywords for more advanced re-searching
Exposure to more reliable published sources on a topic in various formats, click on the
References link in this article on Atrazine
 Web Directories are your Friends! Directories organize web sources making it easier to locate
sources on your subject. But you must still evaluate for authority, purpose, objectivity &
currency!
ipl2: Subject-classified links, annotated by librarians.
DocuTicker: Reports from government agencies, NGO’s, think tanks
Open Directory: Maintained by a global community of volunteer editors.

Library Databases
If searching from home, enter your Ohlone College Student ID and last name at the log-in
proxy page to be granted access to the specific subscription databases.

Electronic Books (eBooks)

 Watch & learn! How to Search for & Access eBooks
 Gale Virtual Reference Library Contains over 200 full- text e-book encyclopedias &
specialized reference sources. A great place to start your research!
o Enter search a term, for instance: drought.
o Explore choices in drop-down menu under Narrow Results on left-hand side bar. Select,
for instance, Subjects. Notice how results get bundled by subject sub-headings.
 ABC-CLIO Over 6,000 encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and guides offering high-
quality, authoritative, scholarly information.
o Enter specific search terms or Browse titles by clicking Subject Category link.
o Try an Advanced Search, enter the term climate change in first line. Limit by: Science,
Technology and Environment.

Periodical Databases
Watch & Learn! What’s the difference between Scholarly & Popular Sources?

SIRS Knowledge Source (Also listed as SIRS Researcher & SIRS Renaissance on database page)
 What is it?
o Full-text articles on social issues and topics in the arts and humanities. An excellent
source for substantive news, periodical, reference and reliable WWW sources; though
not a source for scholarly journals. See Academic Search Premier (EbscoHost) database
for peer-reviewed resources.
o Bundles information into distinct & useful categories
 Search Tips:
o Start with a Quick Search, which defaults to a Subject Headings search
o Review Summary of articles on Results List
o Click on links to related Subjects at the bottom of Summary
 o OR Find Your Top 10 Pro Vs. Con box at right of page
o Click on the More Issues… link (bottom right of Pro Vs. Con box)

Academic Search Premier

 What is it?
o Database containing both full-text and citation/abstract only articles
o Scholarly, peer-reviewed, academic journal articles AND popular magazine article
 Search Tips:
o Narrow down results by suggested subject headings (left-margin)
o Limit search results to just full-text, to peer-reviewed, to specific date range, etc.
o Use citation generator -- with caution!

LexisNexis Academic
 What is it?
o A selection of full-text publications including newspapers, magazines, wire services,
federal and state court opinions, federal and state statutes, federal regulations, and SEC
filings.
o Includes the full-text of the New York Times back to June 1, 1980.
 Search Tips:
o Begin your search by selecting a research category: News, Business, Legal Research,
Medical or Reference

Any Questions?
Ask a Librarian