Mathematics

Lab #1: How to find credible sources of information.

It can be tough finding reliable information. With the Internet being so accessible, it might be tempting to type words into Google and

use whatever comes up first. You may get lucky and get great sources, or you may get stuck with less credible sites that leave your

professor wondering where you got such information. Learning how to evaluate sources for research paper writing is a key component to your

research paper’s success. Here are five tips to help you as you gather your sources:

• Start with a simple search. Search engines, such as Google or Yahoo! are great places to start when you’re first reading up on the

assigned writing topic.
• Avoid Wikipedia. Print and digital encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia Britannica and InfoPlease.com are excellent sources from

which to gather material. But be careful of sites such as Wikipedia that allow multiple users to edit. Wikipedia is a great jumping-off

point in terms of figuring out what to search for, but double-check all of the facts by using credible sources of information.
• Use online scholarly databases such as InfoTrac, LexisNexis and EBSCO, which provide access to the latest research in hundreds of

areas.
• Newspapers and magazines are also rich sources of information about what is happening now. Consider browsing through the New York

Times, TIME and the Wall Street Journal.
1. What is the difference between .org, .net, .com and .gov (4 Points)?
2. List the four highest polling candidates, two Democrats and two Republicans (2 Points).
Don’t forget the library.Often this rich source of information is overlooked because students think it’s more convenient to look subjects

up online. The problem with that is you miss out on accidentally stumbling upon a book or magazine that might just be the perfect source

for your research. Online scholarly databases are a great place to start. Starting with a simple search of your topic are the best way to

dip your toe in the water, get a sense of what’s out there and gauge the breadth of academic research done on your topic at hand.

InfoTrac: Full-text databases of content from academic journals and magazines
LexisNexis: Provides access to credible legal, business and news information
EBSCO: Database and eBook provider for libraries and other institutions
DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals
ProQuest: A collection of many academic and business databases
JSTOR: More than a thousand academic journals and over a million images.

Newspapers and magazines can provide a great supplement to online scholarly sources as well as bring your research up to speed on what’s

current and in the news. Make sure to carefully evaluate your sources, and choose from those that are known to be objective, reputable and

of high quality.
Newspapers to start with: The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal
Magazines to start with:TIME, Newsweek, The New Yorker, U.S. News & World Report, Harper’s, The Economist
What not to do. Avoid aggregate content sites such as Wikipedia, Wikihow, Yahoo! Answers and eHow. They pull their content from other

places but do not properly vet their authors’ credentials and therefore are not considered credible sources of information.
• Research paper.
Evaluating whether or not a source is credible, and therefore usable, in your research paper, thesis, dissertation or other academic work

is key to your paper’s success. There are several factors to consider:

Expert Author: The author should be an authority on the subject matter. The article will typically list the author’s academic degree and

affiliate institution.

Author Objectivity: It should be clear that the author’s purpose is to inform, educate and explain. The author’s arguments should be

support by properly cited facts from multiple sources.

Peer Reviews: The article should be reviewed by other experts in the author’s field of study. You can find peer-reviewed articles in

scholarly journal databases such as InfoTrac and LexisNexis.

Reputable Scholarly Journal: The article you’re citing should appear in a university press, an academic press or a peer-reviewed press.

Robust Bibliography: A credible source from a scholarly journal or database should contain a bibliography or references list that

demonstrates the depth and breadth of the author’s research.

High-Quality Content: The author’s material should be clearly organized and relevant to the topic at hand. And of course, the article

should be well written and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
In this lab you will use the internet to research the two highest polling candidates for the Democratic and Republican Party. You will be

asked a series of questions about their stances on several topics. This is for information only. This assignment requires unbiased

answers. Using this as a platform to “make your case” for a candidate will result in a twenty point deduction. You must cite all sources

(according to MLA format) of information used in your answers.
3. State a brief (no more than 4 sentences) history of the candidates, i.e., where are they from, political history, family (8

Points).

Dem #1:
Dem #2:
Rep #1:

Rep #2
Please cite where you found your information. Why are the sites credible (4 Points)?
4. What is net neutrality (No more than 4 complete sentences, 3 Points)?
5. What is the TPP (No more than 4 complete sentences, 3 Points) ?
6. What is Citizens United (No more than 4 complete sentences, 3 Points) ?
7. Choose 3 of the topics belowFor each candidate describe their stance the issues listed below. Every answer must be cited and 3-5

complete sentences. (8 Points Each)

• Student Loans:
• Climate Change:
• Campaign Finance:
• Net Neutrality:
• Immigration:
• Gun Control:
• Energy and Oil:
• Trans Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement:
• Health Care:
• Minimum Wage:
• Veteran Affairs:
8. Give an example of false information posted by an unreliable source. State the reasons this site is questionable (4 Points).