Guides: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe: Find Internet Sources

PLEASE NOTE:

Professor Cotton requires seven scholarly sources for your research paper. A maximum of two sources can be from the open Internet. Choose wisely.

Please use the databases listed in the "Find Articles" tab to find peer-reviewed scholarly sources for this assignment. Google scholar can also be used to find scholarly articles. Link to Lone Star College Library to see full-text options.

Best of the Web

The Carson McCullers Project
This site has a great list of links to McCullers' works and a bibliography of critical writings.
Google Scholar Search Results
The use of Google Scholar will eliminate many of the useless pages for the research paper. Critical articles are available on the open web. This link requires off-campus login using the barcode number from your LSCS ID and look for links to "TexShare EBSCOhost" to find full-text in LSCS Libraries' databases.
The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians
Biographical information. Visit the Center's home page for more southern writers.

Think Like a Librarian: Evaluating Internet Resources

The Internet can be a wonderful source of original or primary sources. Browse the sites we have suggested below. If you do your own searching, determine if it is a credible source by critically applying these criteria:

Accuracy - The information should be researched and show proof that it has been.
Source - Who wrote the information? Look at the domain. .edu .gov. org .net are valid research sources.
Authority - What are the author's credentials? (Don't quote from another college freshman's paper.)
Coverage - Does the page have the information you need for your research?
Objectivity - If a work is biased, use it - just make sure your professor knows YOU know. And offer both sides of issues, where applicable.

Does your source have CAPOW?

Currency

What is the publication date or last date updated?
Is the content timely, useful, and valid for your information need?

Authorship

Who wrote the content?
What makes that individual author or organization qualified to write it? What other information about the author is included?
Who sponsored the content?

Purpose

Is the purpose of the content to inform, to entertain, or to promote a product or service?
Who is the intended audience?
Does the information seem credible? If so, can you check the information against another resource (i.e. book, journal article, newspaper, etc.) for credibility?

Objectivity

Is content biased?
Are opinions balanced or does the author have an agenda?
How does the bias influence the information?

Writing Style

Does the information contain a bibliography, references, or a comprehensive list of sources supporting its theme, topic, or agenda?
Is content presented at an appropriate level for an academic research paper?
Does the supporting information fit your research need?
Is the work complete, or is it a summary of other work?

CAPOW Handout