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Wellesley College Research Guides

 WRITING: Home

 

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Key Writing Web Sites

Critically evaluate what you find

Criteria to keep in mind when choosing and using sources:

Accuracy - What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Does the author cite her/his sources and are they 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? Respected authors are cited frequently by other scholars. For this reason, always note names that appear in many different sources. Who published the source? 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Currency - Is this information new or based on outdated sources?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)?

Search the Library Catalog

Multidisciplinary Databases

These databases contain a mix of citations & full text for scholarly articles (and some books and book chapters) in a variety of fields. Depending on the focus of your research, you may want to consult other databases listed on our full Databases list. Use the Subject filter there to browse the databases by discipline.

Reference collections

Search multiple reference sources at once

Subject Guide

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Laura O'Brien
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Borrowing from Elsewhere

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Can't find what you're looking for at Wellesley?

Use WorldCat Discovery to search and request directly from libraries worldwide via Interlibrary Loan.

Questions? Interlibrary Loan Guide