Use the research databases listed here to find articles and other information from sources like newspapers, magazines, and reference materials. See the in-class learning objectives.
Search tip On the results screen, click the All filters button to access filtering options (date, type of sources, etc.).
Credo contains an excellent collection of topic overviews that can be very helpful in the early stages of a research project. It's also a top-notch reference collection for fact-checking. Check out the plagiarism search for example results. Watch our Credo video!
A great collection for current events topics. Includes topic overviews, viewpoint articles, statistics, primary documents, links to web sites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles. Check out the plagiarism and artificial intelligence topics for possible resources.
Explore in-depth and objective articles on controversial issues and topics. See some sample search results for plagiarism and for artificial intelligence.
Excellent for general interest magazines, news, primary source documents, and images.
An online "works cited" and "reference list" tool for both MLA and APA citation styles. This tool walks students through the process of documenting elements of a citation and allows students to generate MLA and APA bibliographies. Students can create folders and store citations for multiple projects. Provided by NoodleTools. PDF Guide Watch our Noodletools tips on YouTube
The official MLA Style site from the Modern Language Association. Take a look at "Works Cited: A Quick Guide".
View several sample papers on the MLA site to examine layout, formatting, and use of in-text citations.
Ultimately, it's your responsibility to evaluate the quality of any information before using it it a paper, presentation, or another project.
The steps of the SIFT model* described below can be used to help researchers identify key elements to be on the lookout for when assessing a source. Check out the explanations and questions for each section and start using them to evaluate sources such as books, articles, and websites.
Before using or sharing a source (website, article, book, etc.), do a quick evaluation of it
to ensure it's legitimate and reliable.
Next steps
Take a few minutes to quickly examine a source's author/publisher before using it to help
you avoid inaccurate or misleading information. Google and Wikipedia can be great tools for
this step.
Next steps
Most topics are usually well-covered by multiple sources, which means you don't have to rely
on the first source that you find. A better quality source is likely available to confirm
any claims in any questionable sources you may have encountered.
Next steps
Information can be distorted or misinterpreted when it is shared outside of
its original context. If you encounter quotes, statistics, or other information that is
attributed to another source, finding the original source of that information will allow you
to verify its accuracy.
Next steps
*Adapted from Caulfield, Mike. "SIFT (The Four Moves)." Hapgood, 19 June 2019. CC-BY. Also see this online mini-course on SIFT by the same author for additional detail and examples.
