Try our tutorial on Evaluating Information & Fake News.
Ask your professor what citation style to use. Students in Literature courses typically use the MLA (Modern Language Association) Citation Style for citing sources. For examples of MLA:
For other Citation Methods:
Sometimes you may be researching a topic about which the library does not have a lot of resources. Or maybe there is a specific question you are researching that you cannot find an answer to in any of our books or databases. The internet at large may have some resources to help you, but you must be cautious when using the internet for research. There are sites with good, reliable information, but there are also many sites the are not reliable, are satirical, or even have misleading information.
To help you determine whether a source of information is reliable or not, use the CRAAP test, seen below. Evaluating a web site by considering each of these five criteria will help you determine whether the information you have found is trustworthy enough to be used in your academic research. Think critically! The CRAAP test seen below will help you slow down and evaluate each web site you visit.
What is the CRAAP test?
The CRAAP test is a set of criteria designed by California State University, Chico to help you find the best sources for your school work. It is a good starting point for evaluating sources for academic purposes like papers, reports, and speeches. Use the following rubric to determine if the source you chose passes the test!
Created by Austin Community College Library Services
Wikipedia may be able to answer some of your questions, but professors rarely like students to use it as a source, since it can be edited by anyone. Pay attention to what site you are looking at, and try to find out who they are, and if they have a specific agenda other than providing information about the work you are researching. What is Uffizi.it? What about ItalianRenaissance.org? Are either of these reliable sources?
