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Leslie J. Savage Library

ART 222 / 223 - Art History: Evaluating Resources

Art History I & II

ART 222 / 223

Class Guide: Resources for Research

Tools for Fact Checking & Determining Bias

Information Timeline

  Description

Sources

Television, Web, Radio

Characteristics

Basic facts. Information is shared during the event or immediately following the event. Details may be sparse, biased, and/or unsubstantiated. Updates and corrections to information are made in subsequent posts (often hours later or the next day).

Type of Information

General

Author

Journalists (not specialists in the field of study); General public

Audience

General public

Locating Tools

Web search engines, social networks

Examples

Twitter, Facebook, various blogs, KBUT Community Radio, local news programs on ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.

 

  Description

Sources

Newspapers, television, radio, web

Characteristics

General facts. Details may still be sparse, biased, and/or unsubstantiated. May include more geographical and background information. Also tends to include a few more details about the identities of key people and historical relevance. More accurate than previous reports because details have begun to be verified.

Type of Information

Varies. Some articles include analysis, statistics, photographs, editorials, and opinions.

Author

Journalists (not specialists in the field of study)

Audience

General public

Locating Tools

Web search engines, newspapers, periodical databases

Examples

New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, http://abcnews.go.com/, NPR, etc.

 

  Description

Sources

Popular and mass market magazines

Characteristics

General facts. Details may still be sparse, biased, and/or unsubstantiated. May include more geographical and background information. Also tends to include more details about the identities of key people and historical relevance. More accurate than previous reports because details have begun to be verified.

Type of Information

Journalists (not specialists in the field of study)

Author

Journalists (not specialists in the field of study)

Audience

General public to the knowledgeable layperson

Locating Tools

Web search engines, print magazines, periodical databases

Examples

Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Nation, National Review, etc.

 

  Description

Sources

Trade magazines and scholarly journals

Characteristics

Articles written and reviewed by experts in a field. Often presents new research in the area.

Type of Information

Research results, detailed and theoretical discussion. Bibliography included.

Author

Specialists and scholars in the field

Audience

Scholars, specialists, students

Locating Tools

General and subject-specific databases

Examples

Music Educators Journal, Journal of Environmental Engineering, Journal of Chemical Education, etc.

 

  Description

Sources

Scholarly journals, books, conference proceedings. Reference sources such as encyclopedias.

Characteristics

Includes deep research, hindsight, secondary analysis, and very specific details of the events, people, and places.

Type of Information

In-depth coverage of a topic, edited compilations of scholarly articles relating to a topic. Bibliography included.

Author

Specialists and scholars in the field

Audience

General public, scholars, specialists, students

Locating Tools

Library catalog, general and subject-specific databases, reference sources

Examples

Encyclopedia Britannica, published conference proceedings, various books, Journal of Terrorism Research, Engineering Journal, etc.

e-Resources and Serials Coordinator

Profile Photo
Tristan Buss
he/him

Contact:
Room 114, Savage Library
(970) 943-2054
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