Finding and Evaluating Information for your MSc Project
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This document provides guidance on finding and evaluating high quality resources for an MSc project. It discusses the importance of using good quality sources to improve the literature review and academic work. It recommends searching the library catalog and databases for academic sources like books, journals and reports. An activity is included where students evaluate three information sources based on criteria like date, differences between sources, and usefulness. The document stresses evaluating information sources using the CRAAP test to assess currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose to ensure sources are of appropriate quality for academic work. Contact information is provided for one-on-one research assistance.
Finding and Evaluating Information for your MSc Project
- 1. LibraryLibraryServices Finding and evaluating resources for your MSc Project Leanne Workman, Information Consultant for ISG http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/InformationSecurity
- 2. LibraryDepartment So before I start… a couple of quick questions for you… https://www.flickr.com/photos/56218409@N03/15371262455/
- 3. LibraryDepartment My aim today is to… • Recap the best ways to find information for your projects • Show some ways to evaluate the quality of the information you are finding • GetYOU to evaluate resources and judge their merits
- 4. LibraryDepartment Why is this so important? • It will improve your literature review. Trust me. • By using good quality information you are more likely to do well in the Project (it is on the marking criteria for a reason!) • It will help to show you have engaged with the literature, critiqued it and measured its merits against other sources = GOOD ACADEMIC PRACTICE!!
- 5. 5 How can I find relevant, good quality information sources? CC-BY-NC-SA Image courtesy of Andy Piper via Flickr.
- 6. Academic Sources Books/ebooks JournalArticles Newspaper Articles Reports Reference Material eResources
- 7. What do I need from my information sources? What is it? Why is it good for my research? Why is it bad for my research? • Broad overview • Historical topics • Many opinions in one place • Authoritative • Can be too broad • Can take a long time to publish • Specific/narrow topic • More recent events than books • Authoritative • Can be too specific • Up to the minute news • Range of information e.g. news reports, interviews… • Not always authoritative • Can be inaccurate, biased, out of date
- 8. LibraryDepartment What academic sources does Royal Holloway have? • LibrarySearch • Library Subject Guides: http://libguides.rhul.ac.uk/InformationSecurity • Online resources such as databases • Other Library Catalogues & internet resources
- 9. ACTIVITYTIME: Look at the three sources of information in front of you. 1) What type of information is each one? A book, an article, a website? 2) How up to date is it? 3) What is different between each source? 4) What is this information source useful for?
- 10. 10 Moral of the story? Be careful about where you get your information from
- 12. Department Why is evaluating sources important? Vast amounts of information available Making sure you are using appropriate sources in your work An important academic skill to develop Important general life skill BBC, 2017
- 13. ACTIVITYTIME: How confident are you about detecting fake news? http://factitious.augamestudio.com
- 14. Department The CRAAPTest Currency When was it published? Is the information too old? When was it last up-dated? How important is it that you have up-to-date information? Relevancy Does it fit your project? Will your project be stronger if you include this information? Authority Who has published or written the information? Do you trust them? Is it easy to find out anything about them? Accuracy Is the information correct? Is the information supported by evidence/references? Can you verify the information in another source? Purpose Why does the information exist? Is it trying to sell you something, persuade you or give you an opinion? Once you figure this out, you can then deceive how to use the information that you have found.
- 15. Last Activity… Look at the three sources of information in front of you, or a few information sources you are planning on using in your literature review. Now test them using the CRAAP test! How do they fare? Are they CRAAPtastic? (i.e. this is a good thing!)
- 16. LibraryDepartment 16 Before I scoot off, my last few questions… CC-BY-NC-SA: Image courtesy of Clement127 via Flickr.
- 17. Any questions?