Identifying and Evaluating Online Sources

This document will help orient you to the different types of information and sources you will encounter in online research. Citations For most searches in the research databases, your search results will be a list of citations. These citations are the same as citations you would include in a bibliography 1: short entries that give the basic information about a document: title, author, date. They will also show you the source of the information, such as whether its an article from an e-journal, an e-book or e-book chapter, an independently published report, or another type of document. Depending on the database and the type of search, the citation may be followed by links to more informationcommonly either an abstract or the full text of the document. However, it is possible that the citation is the full search result. If you dont see any links to abstracts or full text, then that information is not available in the database you are using. Abstracts It is very common for databases to provide the abstracts for documents in their collections. You may see a link to the abstract along with the citation in the search result. Abstracts provide a useful summary of an articles (or other documents) contents. Often, abstracts are included with search results to help researchers identify relevant articles without having to read the full text. Be aware that databases may provide the abstract of a document and not provide the full text. Some abstracts can be very long and may look like the start of the full-text article; however, anything labeled Abstract will not be the full text of a document. If there is no link to the full-text document, then the full text is not available in that database. Full Text Full text is more of a description than a strict document type. A full text source is simply one that will let you read an entire document. It is relatively easy to recognize full text documents in the library databases. In nearly every one of Walden databases, you will see a specific link to Full Text in
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Citations you see in database search results are not in correct APA format.

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the search results if the full text is available. Common texts for these links are HTML Full Text, Full Text (PDF), Ovid Full Text, or Linked Full Text Note that the full text link is always specifically marked.2 Again, if you do not see a link to full text, then the full text is not available in that database. The Searching and Retrieving Information from the Databases study notes will have more information on finding full text. E-journals and Articles Most of Waldens research databases offer e-journals as part of their collection. For the most part, these are digitized versions of journals that also exist in print. However, the term can also apply to journals that are completely digital. Databases that contain e-journals search at the article level by default. What that means is that when you run a search, each of the citations that appear in your results list will be for an individual article. E-books and Book Chapters Many of Waldens databases contain e-books, which are usually digitized versions of print books. Some of the databasessuch as ebrary, PsycBOOKS, and Safari Tech Booksonly contain e-books. Other databases will offer ebooks along with journal articles and other documents. It is important to know that databases can handle e-books differently. Some databases will return citations for and links to entire books in your search results. Other databases may break up e-books into chapters or sections. When searching in these databases, e-book chapters will have separate citations in the results list. The citations will show the e-book from which the chapter was taken. Dissertations E-versions of dissertations and theses are also common documents in the library databases. The Dissertations and Theses Full Text database contains only these types of documents. Dissertations can appear in other databases, and they are clearly identified by the citation information.

There are two exceptions to this as of January 2008. In the ebrary e-book database you can either click directly on the book title or use the links that say view. In PolicyFile you can click on the title and then the Document URL or simply click on the PDF file icon in the search results. These exceptions occur because every document in these databases is a full text document.

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Other Documents Be aware that the databases contain a variety of other documents. These can include conference proceedings, trade publications, reports from professional organizations, and even news items and articles from popular magazines. Careful reading of the citations that appear in your results list will help you identify documents. Scholarly Resources: Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles Throughout your program you will hear your professor emphasize the importance of consulting scholarly resources, especially peer-reviewed journals. Peer-reviewed (or refereed) journals are a special type of publication. They are the medium by which scholars and researchers share new research with each other. Articles (or papers) published in these journals are subject to several rules. Scholarly articles must be presented in a scholarly format. This means that articles must feature specific content such as a clear explanation of the purpose of the research, exact information on the methodology of the research, and careful and specific identification of all sources of data presented in the paper. Articles submitted to scholarly journals are not just reviewed by one editor. Instead they undergo a peer-review process in which the article is read by several members of a review board. These reviewers are respected experts in the field: professors, researchers, etc. The quality and accuracy of the article must be approved by a number of other scholars before being accepted for publication. This is why peer-reviewed articles are recommended in your university program the high standards for thorough research, in-depth presentation of information and the endorsement of other experts in the field make peer-reviewed journal articles authoritative sources. There are several ways to identify peer-reviewed articles. This guide lists identifying features of peer-reviewed publications in comparison with other sources: http://training.proquest.com/trc/training/en/peervsscholarly.pdf The library databases make it easy for you to find peer-reviewed material. You can usually use limiters on your searches to make sure only scholarly articles appear in your results list. You can usually get more information about specific articles; many databases let you click on a citation to get more detailed information which can include peer-review information. very citation will include the name of the journal that published the article and often include links to more information about the entire journal.

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Other Scholarly Sources While some research projects may require that you consult a number of peerreviewed articles, there are other reliable, scholarly sources of information that can also supply data for your research. One example is a doctoral dissertation. Dissertations do not go through the same peer-review process as journal articles; however, they are incredibly detailed research projects that are scrutinized by other PhDs, professors, and experts before they are passed and allowed in to publication. Other possible sources are reports from respected research institutions such as the National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci) or the Pew Research Center (http://pewresearch.org/about/). Again, information like this does not undergo the exact peer-review process of journal articles. However, the research is undertaken, endorsed, and published by teams of experts in the field. Consider documents such as a U.S. Supreme Court decision or a congressional report. The United States government is the largest publisher in the world and is considered a reliable source for statistics, technical research reports, and investigative research in many fields. Many U.S. documents are considered primary sources of information. Primary v. Secondary Sources A primary resource is an original work created during the time period being studied. These may be letters, diaries, laws, manuscripts, patents, novels, or official records. Examples of primary sources are the United States Constitution, Mozarts letters, the Diary of Anne Frank, or the transcript of a court case. Journal articles that contain new findings are also considered primary sources. A secondary resource is one about primary resources and offers an analysis or interpretation. These may include review articles, bibliographies, textbooks, commentaries, literary criticism, or histories. Journal articles that review or represent information, almanacs, encyclopedias, and literature reviews are all considered secondary sources. Evaluating Sources There are many information resources you may consult in your research. The bottom line is making sure to evaluate your sources and confirm that you have reliable information. Take some time to read this guide to evaluating sources: http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm This guide provides a checklist of questions to ask about information you encounter. It covers the major points that determine the quality of a source which

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include: whether information is produced by credible sources (experts or respected research institutions), whether there is convincing support to prove the accuracy of the information, and whether there may be a bias or slant that diminishes the sources objective reliability.

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