FYS 120F: Practicing Democracy: Language, Identity, and Election Engagement

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Research & Instruction Librarian for Social Sciences & Data Literacy

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Contact:

Rolvaag Library 305
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN 55057

(507) 786-3501

Subjects: Asian Conversations, Asian Studies, Chinese, Economics, Education, Family Studies, Japanese, Political Science, Psychology, Public Affairs Conversation, Public Health, Social Work, Social Work and Family Studies

Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Sources

Comparing Sources Graphic
From the University of Toronto, Scarborough.
Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Sources
Explore this interactive tutorial!

Search Library Databases

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Articles on virtually every topic, drawn from scholarly journals, professional journals, trade magazines, news publications, and lifestyle magazines. Provides full-text access to over half of its 8000+ publications. Covers materials published 1975-present.
Access World News This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from a variety of local news sources. Dates of coverage vary by newspaper.
Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for hundreds of national (U.S.), international and regional newspapers. In addition, it offers television and radio news transcripts from major networks.

Video: Search for Magazine Articles in Databases

The 5 C’s of Critical Consuming (News Sources)

#1: Context – Look at the context of the article. When was it written? Where does it come from? Have the events changed since then? Is there any new information that could change your perspective?

#2: Credibility – Check the credibility of the source. Does the site have a reputation for journalistic integrity? Does the author cite credible sources? Or is it satirical? Is it on a list of fake news sites? Is it actually an advertisement posing as a real news story?

#3: Construction. Analyze the construction of the article. What is the bias? Are there any loaded words? Any propaganda techniques? Any omissions that you should look out for? Can you distinguish between the facts and opinions? Or is it simply all speculation?

#4: Corroboration: Corroborate the information with other credible news sources. Make sure it’s not the only source making the claim. If it is, there’s a good chance it’s actually not true.

#5: Compare: Compare it to other news sources to get different perspectives. Find other credible sources from other areas of the ideological or political spectrum to provide nuance and get a bigger picture of what’s actually happening.

Evaluate Media Bias

AllSides Media Bias Website
The AllSides Media Bias Ratings™ and AllSides Media Bias Chart™ help make news bias transparent, allowing you to identify different perspectives and political leanings so you can get the full picture and think for yourself."