Use the resources on this page to (a) identify a famous trial and (b) conduct research to gather more information about the trial for your presentation. The research tools listed below can help you find articles from sources like newspapers, magazines, and reference materials. See the in-class learning objectives.

Getting Started - Identifying a Case

Famous Trials

The Famous Trials site offers background information and details on many notable court cases. It's written by a law school professor and can be a useful tool for selecting a case to research.

Find books, articles, videos, and more from a single search box.

Advanced Search

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window

If you know which case you're going to research, Credo is a great place to start your research. Show me how
Biography In Context This link opens in a new window
Includes reference content, periodicals and multimedia allowing users to search for people based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender as well as keyword and full text.
Show me how

Criteria for Evaluating

Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to evaluate the quality of any information before using it it a paper, presentation, or some other project.

As a starting point, consider evaluating the authority, objectivity, and currency of sources. Look at the items below for more details and example questions that you can ask when evaluating sources such as books, articles, and websites.

Expertise

What should you ask yourself when trying to determine the expertise level of the person who created the information?

Who created the information?
What kind of education or experience does the author have?
Is contact information available to verify the author's credentials?
Is the author part of a university or some other reputable organization?
Was the information published by a reputable source?
Does the author quote and cite reliable sources?
Is the information posted on a reliable site like a scholarly journal or someplace less reliable like Facebook?

Objectivity

What should you ask when trying to determine the objectivity of a piece of information?

You can describe a source as being objective if it fairly represents various sides of an argument or issue. A source that promotes or favors one side of an argument can be described as biased or an opinionated work.

What’s the purpose of this information?
Is the author trying to sell a product or service?
Is the author trying to persuade you on a controversial topic?
Is the author trying to explain various sides of an issue?
Is the author sharing the results of research on the topic?

Currency

What should you ask yourself when evaluating a piece of information for currency?

When was the information published?
How old is the content of the source?
Does my topic need current information to be accurate or will older information be OK?
Does my assignment require sources that were published within a certain timeframe?

Looking for more information on evaluating sources? Visit our evaluating module in our CORI tutorial.

NoodleTools This link opens in a new window
See our Getting started with NoodleTools playlist on YouTube
This citation management tool can help students generate precise citations and create properly-formatted bibliographies in MLA and APA styles. Students can create an unlimited number of projects to keep different research assignments separate and organized. Provided by NoodleTools. PDF Guide

Reference librarians are available at each campus library to help you take advantage of the broad array of print and electronic resources available to you through the CCAC Libraries. For example, a librarian can help you:

Select and focus a research topic.
Devise an effective research strategy.
Locate relevant books, articles, and other information sources.
Evaluate the quality of resources.
Use research tools such as the library catalog and our many periodical databases.
Obtain materials not available on-campus.
Cite and document resources using a style guide like MLA or APA.

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Chat with one of our librarians to get library and research help. Our chat service is typically available during regular business hours.

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Schedule an online appointment with a librarian for a personalized research session. Select a date & time that works for you and we will schedule your Zoom session!

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We can also be reached through email. Send your questions to library@ccac.edu

Questions will be answered within 24 hours, Monday - Friday.

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Search our frequently asked questions (FAQ) page to see if your question is covered. If it's not, get in touch with us using one of the options found on this page.

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