Reliability of Sources
Evaluate your sources based on the following criteria:


 
Authority
Accuracy
Currency
What are the authors qualifications? 
How reputable is the publisher?
How reliable is the information? 
Are there editors and fact checkers?
Is the content of the work up-to-date?
What does the date on the web page mean, 1st created, last revised? 
Objectivity
Coverage
 Is the information presented with a minimum of bias?
Are the goals/aim of the web site clearly stated?
What topics are included in the work?
To what depth are topics explored?
Often hard to determine extent of coverage on web sites.

Use the links below to find sources that will help you determine the reliability (authority, accuracy...) of the sources you want to use.
 

   About the Author     About Periodicals     About Books About Web Sites

About the Author

Look in our Library Catalog to see what books we have by or about this person.

WorldCat.  Do an author search to see what other books the author has written.
        On the Web through FirstSearch

Dissertation Abstracts.  Do an author search to see topic of dissertation, when and where
    the doctorate was given.
        On the Web through FirstSearch

Biography and Genealogy Master Index.  An index to the various biographical dictionaries such as Who's Who, Who's Who in America, Directory of American Scholars, and hundreds of others.
 

Other reference sources for biographical information on historians.

American Historians, 1607-1865. 1984.  Reference E 175.45 A48 1984
American Historians, 1866-1912.  1986.  Reference E 175.45 A483 1986
American Women Historians, 1700s-1990s. 1996. Reference E175.45 .S27 1996
Blackwell Dictionary of Historians. 1988.  Reference D 14 B58 1988
Great Historians from Antiquity to 1800: an International Dictionary. Reference D 14 G74 1989
Great Historians of the Modern Age: an International Dictionary. Reference D 14 G75 1991
Historians of the American Frontier: a Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook.    Reference E 175.45 H57 1988
Twentieth-Century American Historians.  Reference E 175.45 T85 1983

New York Times Obituaries Index.  1858-1978.  Actual articles will be on microfilm.
Print:  Reference CT 213 N47
1980+  use LexisNexis Academic which includes full text articles from the New York Times, 1980+
After 1978 use the New York Times Index.
Print:  In the Micromaterials Area MicroRef AI 21 N45

 Obituaries from the Times. (London)  Includes reprints of the articles for leading personages.  For others only the reference citation is given.  Articles would have to be obtained through Interlibrary Loan.
Print:  Reference CT 120 O16  (1951-1975)
1990+ use LexisNexis Academic which includes full text articles from the London Times.

Arts & Humanities Search.  This is a citation index.  Use it to see if your author has been cited in other articles.   On the Web through FirstSearch (A & H Search) .

National Faculty Directory.  A list of faculty at universities around the country.
Print:  Reference L 901 N34

Official Museum Directory.  Look in the personnel index in the back.
Print:  Reference AM 10 A2 O44

Check the Web using various search engines for faculty home pages, university
web sites, other directories, etc.
        google.com
        www.altavista.com

The Library subscribes to a Web collection of college catalogs.  The reference
librarian on duty can log you on.  A password is required.

About Periodicals

Magazines for Libraries.  Gives information regarding reliability, bias of periodicals, if it is peer-reviewed (refereed).
Print:  Reference PN 4832 M34

Ulrich's International Periodical Directory.  Tells if a journal is refereed.
Print:  Reference Table E  (Behind the Reference Desk area)

About Books  (Book reviews)

Book Review Digest.  Index to book reviews appearing in newspapers, journals, and magazines.
Print 1906+:   Reference Table A
On the Web through FirstSearch 1968+

Book Review Index.  Index to reviews appearing in newspapers, journals and magazines.
Print 1965+:  Reference Table A

New York Times Book Review Index, 1896-1970.  Index to book reviews appearing in the
New York Times newspaper.  The actual articles are on microfilm.
Print:  Reference Table A

LexisNexis Academic .  Includes full text of reviews appearing in many newspapers from about 1980 forward.

Humanities Abstracts.  Includes book reviews from 1974.
Print 1974-1984:  Reference AI 3 S63
On the Web through FirstSearch 1984+

America: History & Life.  1964+ Includes approximately 6,000 citations of book and media reviews from a selection of over one hundred key journals.

Historical Abstracts.  1954+  Includes about 3,000 citations to useful historical books as reviewed by journals in the field.

H-NET REVIEWS. 1995+   Scholarly Internet Reviews
 
 

About Web Sites

Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask : by UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops