While students often fear that they will not find enough information for their paper, too often students become overwhelmed by too much information. Students wonder: Do I have to read this entire book? Will I need to look at all 1576 web sites this search found? How do I weed out the good from the bad and the ugly?
As mentioned, when researching Quality Control is important.
You must be smart consumers. The quickest find isn't always the best
deal. Writer's Inc. offers some suggestions for Quality Control
that apply to all forms of information.
| Is the information
current?
Think about it! If your paper is on teens and drinking, statistics and facts from the 1970s may not be helpful unless you are comparing those numbers to today's facts. So, an article published in 1972--while it may have great information--may not be accurate to today's world. |
|
| Is the information
complete?
In other words, who is telling the story? Are you getting the whole picture? This can be particularly important to consider when dealing with Internet sources. |
|
| Is the information accurate?
If the information contradicts everything else you have read, you may want to rethink using it as a source. A document written before Columbus sailed, would still say that the earth is flat. You might want to question the accuracy of that one! |
|
| Is the source an expert?
Again, this one really applies to the Internet. Who created or wrote this information? Are they reliable? Knowledgeable? Miss Smith's first grade class might not be the most reliable source for information on the world--at least the world outside of first grade. |
|
| Is the source biased?
Look at the creators of this information. Would they have a reason to slant the information to present a one-sided or more favorable view? |
In addition to quality control, sometimes one just needs to see if the text they found really has the information they are looking for. You know, you can't judge a book by its cover.
When dealing with books, it is important to look at these features. First, check out the table of contents in the beginning. Do any of the topics addressed apply? If so, read those sections. Next, look at the index in the back. Do you see relevant names and terms. Jot down those page numbers. Check these out. Search through the appendix and glossary. Look for charts, graphs, maps, tables, and definitions that could be useful. Finally, check out the bibliography (if there is one); it may offer you great clues to other helpful books and resources.
Because of today's technology, periodicals are easier to check. If you are using an on-line database, you will see at the top of the entry the bibliographic information and an abstract. An abstract is a fancy word for a brief summary of the article. Often you will see other key words or descriptors highlighted. Clicking on these will take you to additional lists of other possibly related materials. By reading these abstracts, you can usually ascertain if the article will be helpful.
Writers Inc: Write for College |
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| Taking Notes: | p. 289-290 | Write for College | p. 284-443 |
| Working Bibliography: | p. 300-360 | Sample MLA | p. 362-371 |
| Quality Control: | p. 455 | Sample APA | p. 433-443 |
| Searching: | p. 444-455 | Read Writing Responsibly | p. 294-299 |
| Thesis: | p. 287 | Outlining | p.116 |
| Topic: | p. 286-287 | Structure | p. 290-293 |