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ENG 101: English Composition I - Gray

Databases

Databases are searchable collections of articles, often surrounding a certain topic. The databases listed below will provide resources that are relevant to African American women and society. When you're using these databases from off campus, you'll be prompted to log in using your RCC email address and the last four digits of your student ID number. If you have any trouble logging in, please email library1@rcc.mass.edu.

Selecting Sources for Research Papers

 

Kinds of Sources

Information comes from many places. We may get information from books, the news, or social media.

When using information for an academic task, such as a research paper, some sources may be more helpful than others. The library provides access to the following kinds of sources:

  • Scholarly articles (peer reviewed research from academic journals)
  • Books
  • Ebooks 
  • News and magazine articles
  • Reference books, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries
  • Streaming videos

Choosing scholarly sources (such as scholarly articles) for your research assignments is an important part of the research process. 

Evaluating Sources

When you locate a source that you  may want to use in your research, you should first make sure that the source is reliable, up to date, and relevant to your research topic. No matter what your source type (scholarly article, book, encyclopedia, etc.), ask yourself the following questions:

  • When was this source published? Is the information outdated, or is it still up to date? (Currency)
  • Who created this source, and what are their qualifications? Are they an expert on the topic? (Authority)
  • Is the information true? Can you fact-check it? (Accuracy)
  • Does the source help you answer your research question? Is it a relevant source? (Relevance)
  • Why was this information published? To inform you? To sell you something? To convince you? (Purpose)

Asking these questions will help you choose the best sources for your paper.