Research and Reference Sources

Which of the following websites is the MOST reliable?

• www.nys.org

• www.nys.net

• www.nys.com

• www.nys.gov

Which of the following is an example of information from an objective, balanced source?

• Politicians are destroying our country. They are liars.

• Video games are terrible because they make children lazy.

• According to some scientists, drinking water may benefit memory. Other scientists point out that the study linking water and memory is inconclusive.

• Winter is the best season of the year because I love skiing. Summer is the worst because I don’t get to see my classmates that often.

Which of the following BEST helps you evaluate a source?

• an author’s academic credentials

• an author's age

• an author's sense of humor

• an author's use of charts, graphs, and other images

What’s the BEST way to confirm the accuracy of a piece of information?

• look to see what else the author has written

• check if the author cited their sources

• look at the date that it was published

• find out if the source was published in print as well as online

Fatima needs to use one PRIMARY source for her project on politics and culture in the US in the 1980s. Which would her teacher accept?

• a novel of historical fiction set in 1985

• an article about Ronald Reagan written in 2004

• a diary entry written by Madonna in 1988

• an essay about how art of the 1980s influenced later decades

Why is Wikipedia not a strong research source?

• Wikipedia authors try to trick people with incorrect information.

• Anyone can edit a Wikipedia entry, so information can be wrong or incomplete.

• Wikipedia never contains citations.

• Wikipedia contains too many details and doesn’t give a good overview.

The suffix .org is used for domain names of what type of organizations?

• internet service providers

• non-profit groups

• online stores

• schools and colleges

If an article is biased, it shows _____________.

• an unfair preference for or dislike of something

• a lack of education on the part of the writer

• a lack of seriousness on the part of the writer

• poor research or writing skills

Alex wants to learn about dog care. Which source is most likely to have credible information for his report?

• Get Smart with Pet Mart, www.PetMart.com/tips: Delicious and nutritious, we offer a wide range of products for any breed of dog.

• Helen Miller Canine Advice, www.helensway.com/dog-care: When you bring a puppy into your life, you take on responsibility for its care. Helen Miller offers dog training classes.

• Debi's Doggy Dream, www.Debi'sDoggyDream.net: I have owned dogs for over 25 years. Visit my blog to learn about what the pooches in my care are up to day in and day out.

• American Society for Caring for Animals: www.ASCA.org: ASCA veterinarians and behaviorists offer these guidelines regarding your dog's health and daily activities.

Which source shows the least bias?

• Bill Clinton was clearly a terrible president. In fact, he may have been the worst president ever. Our country's lack of credibility among the rest of the world is all his fault.

• Historians are divided on the legacy of Clinton's presidency. Some say his economic policies were successful, but others challenge his personal integrity.

• Bill Clinton has gotten a bad rap. Criticism of his personal integrity may be valid, but what about his economic policies? He was the last president to have a surplus in the fed budget.

• I think that Bill Clinton was a great president. The problem was Congress at the time. Right-wing conservatives spent too much time focusing on his personal behavior and not enough on moving our country forward.