What a wide range of information sources we have accessible! Having completed years of school prior to this program, I must admit, I never wandered far from the class textbooks and articles I found on JSTOR and Google Scholar labeled as a “scholarly article.” Also, an interesting point I noticed through the learning activities we completed this week was the emphasis on currency. When I studied English literature, I found there was less of an urgency in finding current articles that date no later than 10 years. We read articles from writers throughout time, and were encouraged to engage with these writers’ ideas proposed years, possibly hundreds of years, ago. This week has surely changed my perspective in gauging what a reliable and credible source is, and opened my eyes to the bewildering amount and styles of texts available to everyone at anytime.
While I will continue to use databases such as JSTOR and Google Scholar, I plan to add EBSCO to my resource list. I foresee many hours of reading and searching as I continue to learn how to use the databases effectively with my newly learnt knowledge of how to search using AND, OR, and NOT, limiters, and my search history (I could have saved hours of my time by utilizing these to my advantage in my past schooling). While I plan to use articles as I have in the past, I am excited to explore the world of EBooks and research.
Another interesting source I previously dismissed from my resource list is Google. After learning the need to find reliable sources in school, I was taught to use databases and books instead. After watching the Assessing Online Resources tutorial, I realized there are definitely appropriate occasions to use search engines such as Google. As I plan to look into Canada’s homelessness and addictions situation, there are credible government resources published publicly online. I plan to utilize these resources well.
Fully aware and weary of sources I find online, and also on databases, I know I must evaluate the source as scholarly without relying on the sole assumption it is appropriate by the “scholarly article” tag the text may have. I will use the six-considerations I learnt to evaluate each text, and measure the text’s credibility by its: 1) authority, 2) currency, 3) purpose, 4) content, 5) publication type, and 6) bias and special interests. Examining the writers’ credibility, references, purpose, content, and biases will help me select reliable sources to enhance my writing.
Blog Question Found Here: https://create.twu.ca/ldrs591-sp18/unit-2-notes/
Hi Leona,
I am glad that you have found the learning activities this week helpful in broadening your perspective on what information is available and also how to access it!
Dr. Strong