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RAMS 101: Pilkenton

Using Google to Find News and Other Sources

The Site: Command

You can use the site: command in Google to search within a particular website or domain.

The search below will locate anything on the Vox website on the topic of slavery.

You can add any website or domain to the end of the site: search operator. You could try:

  • site:nytimes.com - will find anything on the New York Times website
  • site:edu - will find anything on an .edu website
  • site:gov - will find anything on a .gov website. This includes materials on loc.gov (the library of congress website), archives.gov, or nps.gov (national parks service - the national parks service includes includes a number of sites that interpret America's slaveholding past

Evaluating Sources

CARS

CARS is a checklist for evaluating websites

C - Credibility

  • Is the creator/author named? What is their job? Are they a researcher, journalist, or something else?

A - Accuracy

  • Is the website free of spelling errors, grammatical errors, dead links, or other problems?
  • Does the article have a publication date? Does the publication date align with the requirements for your assignment?

R- Reasonableness

  • Who created the website?
  • Does the website avoid advertising that does not seem appropriate?

S - Support

  • Is there a bibliography or sources listed? In journalistic content this can look like naming sources and hyperlinks.
  • Where do the hyperlinks on the site lead? Are they mostly circular and link back to pages on the same site or do they link to outside sources?

 

Google Scholar

Google Scholar can be a great resource for finding additional scholarly research articles!

Google Scholar Tips

Getting Weird Results? Make sure you are searching for scholarly articles

Google Scholar recently added the ability to search case law. If you are getting weird looking results, make sure you have the "articles" button selected.

Screenshot of Google Scholar search bar with the "articles" button highlighted

Cited by: A great feature!

If you have an article that interests you, try searching for it in Google Scholar to see if it has been cited by anyone. This can be a really great way to find additional scholarly articles on your topic. Just click the "cited by" link under the article description. If you don't see the "cited by" link, it may mean your article is too recent.

Screenshot of an article description in Google Scholar. "Cited by" link is highlighted