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Research Guides

POL1 210: Campaigns and Elections

Welcome!

Welcome to the Research Guide for POL1 210: Campaigns and Elections. Use this guide as a starting point for your research and technology needs for the Midterm Election Multimedia Project. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Becca Darling or Daria Hafner for help!

SuperSearch

Critically Evaluating Your Sources

Here are some criteria to keep in mind when choosing and using both print and online sources:

  • Accuracy - What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Does the author cite their sources and are the sources legitimate?
  • Authority - Who wrote the source? Is the author credible? What are the author's credentials (educational background, past writing, experience) in this area? Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Who published the source? Is the publisher scholarly (university press, scholarly associations)? Commercial? Government agency? Is the source self-published (“vanity”press)? For online information, check the domain of the document — what institution publishes this document?
  • Objectivity - Does the author have a bias, political or commercial or persuasive?
  • Currency - Is this information new or based on outdated sources? Can you tell how current it is? How up-to-date are the links (if any)?
  • Audience - Who is the information written for: a specific readership, level of expertise, or age/grade level? Is the audience focus appropriate for a research paper?

 

Unsure about a source? Ask me!

Instructional Technologist

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Rebecca Darling
Contact:
781-283-2882
rdarling@wellesley.edu
Schedule an appointment.


Research and Instruction Technologist
Office: Clapp Library Room 219B