l though you may have seen this presentation before in another topic, it is worth watching and listening to again as the lessons are important for all aspects of college writing and academic research. This presentation discusses two evaluation and organizing concepts you can use when you start to research in ENG 1201 online. Both of these methods involve choosing and categorizing sources. The accuracy and depth of your research writing depend on how well you use these methods. The presentation that follows will walk you through both methods. Click on the following link to view a video on Academic writers use sources to enlarge and refine their ideas and to support and validate their claims. These sources can include facts, opinions, the ideas of others, and they can be found in print or digitally, in the form of books, articles, lectures, reports, reviews, and interviews. Most of the research you will be using for your research paper for this course will be found in the library databases that you learned about earlier in this course. However, you might also be tempted to use Google or another search engine to look for websites you can use for your research project. While there is much worth knowing that you might access via the internet, there is even more information that is not worth the pixels used to post it. Below you will find two videos that review what you learned watching the CRAAP and BEAM presentations and take those concepts a bit farther. Click on the links below to access two videos and the CRAAP Test Worksheet. . Each video provides unique information that will help you choose the best sources for your research. When you feel that you understand the concepts for evaluating websites, do the following: Help each other identify valid sources by confirming or questioning information that is posted about the sites. Here is a sample of what I will be expecting to see in the . My research topic is protecting endangered species. I found two websites on the topic that I think are interesting. The first website is not suitable for research: Website #1: Although the site appears to provide information about the endangered Tree Octopus and seems to be up to date, i.e. the last update was in March of this year, there are several signs of trouble if you are considering using this for academic research. First, there is no author listed. The only indication of a sponsor is a denial of any sponsor. Second, after a quick perusal of the site, it becomes obvious that the site is actually a joke and that it is making fun of anyone who would use it for research. Third, the organization that sponsors the site is part of the joke. Finally, the site does not ask for donations, but it does say that if you want to send them, you can. It is selling t-shirts and other paraphernalia related to the tree octopus. Under the tab for Frequently Asked Questions, rather than listing questions related to the websites purported purpose, one finds information on how to pronounce octopus in different languages and a question about whether or not it should be called the Northwestern Tree Octopus or the Northwest Tree Octopus. Obviously, that is not important when discussing the topic of Endangered Species. Website #2: This website is suitable for research. The information was last updated last month. The author and sponsor for the site is the United States Fish & Wildlife Service which is a governmental organization whose sole purpose is to study and preserve endangered species. There are no advertisements and the site does not request donations. All of the information that is posted on this website is cited. The sources include articles from professional, scholarly journals. The purpose of the website it to provide information on the Endangered Species Act, what it is and what it does. The website also provides lists of endangered species and articles discussing controversy surrounding this issue.
