1. COM 101 Written Word
Evaluating Information Sources
Description: The purpose of this instruction is to teach students how to evaluate electronic
resources and to show the students the benefits of using library databases. The instruction is
course integrated, assignment-related. Students will write an essay on the subject of “Body
Image”, for which they need to use reliable resources (some of them are a website, a peer-
reviewed article from an academic journal). The instruction follows the introductory library
instruction, which already covered the basic information on how to access and search library
databases (EBSCOHost). 50–75 minute session.
Information Literacy Competencies Addressed:
 The information literate student identifies a variety of types and formats of potential
sources for information.
 The information literate student constructs and implements effectively-designed search
strategies
 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and
incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
 The information literate student summarizes the main ideas to be extracted from the
information gathered.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will know the basics of how to:
 Identify keywords, synonyms and related terms for the information needed
 Select controlled vocabulary specific to the discipline or information retrieval source
 Read the text and select main ideas
 Examine and compare information from various sources in order to evaluate reliability,
validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias.
Pedagogy:
Student-centered approach. Active learning. Group Work. Students work in groups (each group
4-5 students) on the given assignments. Each group has a laptop computer with the Internet
connection. Each group report their findings to the class. The discussion of the findings follows.
The instruction session concludes with searching for peer-reviewed articles from a library
database and website articles.
1. Introduction. 8-10 minutes. The librarian discusses different formats of information
sources; as an example compares two recourses with two articles on the same topic: magazine
“People” and journal “Developmental Psychology”.
Tauber, Michelle at al. “Extreme Measures.” People, October 9, 2006.
Dohnt, Hayley and Marika Tiggemann. “The contribution of Peer and Media Influences to the
development of Body Satisfaction and Self-Esteem in Young Girls: A Prospective Study.”
Developmental Psychology 42(5): 2006.
Comparing: the authors (credentials), the content, style, vocabulary
magazine – more entertaining, it creates awareness, but it does not prove anything
journal – scientific approach, scientific facts, recognizable in the field, peer reviewed.
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 1

2. The librarian also briefly discusses the importance of evaluating information resources,
particularly electronic (websites and their credibility). The librarian points to the benefits of using
library databases over websites.
2. Assignment
Part 1. Students are working in groups. 25 minutes
 Each group will evaluate an article about “Body Image” from a website. The librarian will
give a specific website to each group for evaluation. Some websites are credible, some
not. The librarian also provides an evaluation worksheet. 15 minutes
 A representative from each group briefly reports the group evaluation results. They will
need to answer the question: Is the website credible or not? Why “yes” or why “not”? -2
minutes for each group (10 minutes)
Part 2. Students are working individually. 10-20 minutes
 Students individually search for articles in the Academic Search Complete database.
Students are asked to find one-two articles from an academic journal (Peer-reviewed) on
the topic in question. The Guide to Academic Search Complete if provided by the
librarian. 10 minutes.
 Students individually search for an article from a website (not the library website) – 10
minutes (for 75 min session).
 Librarian assists the students in their searching activities; answers the questions that
appear during the search process.
Supporting Materials:
Evaluation Worksheet; Guide to Academic Search Complete; Cards with the websites titles and
addresses.
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 2

3. Appendix 1
Websites for Evaluation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_image - example of a not reliable website (even
though there are references of the article, everybody can edit it)
http://www.womenshealth.gov/body-image/ - example of a reliable website. The author
is National Women's Health Information Center, a service of the Office on Women's
Health (OWH) in the US Department of Health and Human Services, which works to
improve the health and well-being of women and girls in the United States.
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6435/Body-Image-Media-Effect-on.html -
example of a not reliable website article. (no references, no author, no date published,
the purpose of the website is questionable)
http://ninadangelo.blogspot.com/2011/01/medias-impact-on-body-image.html -
example of a not reliable website article. It is a blog, the author is not the expert in the
field.
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/body_image/body_image.html - example of a
reliable website (author of the article - Barbara P. Homeier, MD) KidsHealth comes from
Nemours, one of the largest nonprofit organizations devoted to children's health.
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 3

4. Appendix 2
Evaluation Worksheet
1. Authority: Who is responsible for the content? What are the author’s credentials? What is the author’s
expertise about the topic? Is contact information provided?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. Objectivity: Is the purpose of this source clear, including any particular viewpoint? What is the purpose?
Who is the intended audience? Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. Currency: Is the information current? What is the evidence of current content?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Usability: Is the information presented in a logical way? Is it written at your level of understanding? Is the
information free of errors in spelling, punctuation, etc?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Content: How well is the subject covered? Does it provide relevant information that meets your needs?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Your assessment: Is the website credible? Will you use it for your paper? Provide your reasons.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 4

5. Appendix 3
Guide to Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete (ASC) is one of the most valuable and comprehensive
scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text databases, with more than 5,400 full-text
periodicals, including more than 4,500 peer-reviewed journals. Containing material on a
large variety of topics, this database is the best starting point for your research.
How to Access Academic Search Complete:
- Go to the MSJ library website http://library.msj.edu
- Go to Find Articles tab  choose Databases A-Z from the drop-down menu
- Scroll down and find Academic Search Complete under “A”
How to Search Academic Search Complete:
The database will open with the advanced search screen. Type your keywords in the search
box(es). Do not forget to use the “AND” operator when you combine keywords. Keep “Select a
Field” as your field choice – this is a default setting for searching by keywords. Select “Find All
My Search Terms” to ensure searching for all keywords. Hit the “Search” button.
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 5

6. You can narrow your search by applying limiters. You can limit by date, publication, publication
type, peer-reviewed journals, number of pages, document type and others.
How To View Your Search Results in Academic Search Complete
Once you have a list of results, you can browse the list or you can refine it.
 The database can filter the results by the article source type: Academic Journals,
Magazines, Newspapers, Book Reviews and Books. Click on Academic Journals when
you need to find a peer-reviewed article for your research paper.
 You can sort the results by date, author, source and relevance.
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 6

7.  You can organize your results by a subject cluster, by industry, publication, company and
geography. This feature is helpful if you want to discover the major groupings for your
topic without having to browse multiple pages of results, or checking individual articles to
see if they are relevant.
 If a full text is provided by the ASC database, it will be available either in the HTML or PDF
format.
 The ASC database might not have a full text, but it can provide a link to another database
that has it or give the information on where to find the article in print. Click “Find It”
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 7

8. USEFUL TOOLS:
Folder
To collect several articles, click the link at the bottom of each result list entry. As
you add the articles to the folder, you can click the folder icon and review which items have been
added. You can then print, e-mail or save the articles.
Email, Print or Save
You can retrieve the articles that you found by printing, emailing or saving.
Cite
If you click on , the database will generate an article citation in all major styles.
Listen
You can listen to the article of your choice. Click on
To access EBSCOHost databases via mobile devices go to:
- the MSJ library website http://library.msj.edu
- Go to Find Articles tab  choose Databases A-Z from the drop-down menu
- Scroll down and find EBSCOhost Mobile under “E”
OR:
Download EBSCOhost iPhone/iPod Touch Application from the ITunes store
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ebscohost/id433269587?mt=8
To access interactive Tutorials about how to search EBSCOHost databases, go to:
http://support.ebsco.com/training/tutorials.php
Janna Hoglund. Phone: (513) 244-4880; email: janna_hoglund@mail.msj.edu 8