LibGuides and Databases: English Composition Research: Secondary Texts

CRAAP Test - Evaluate the Information

The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. This test was developed by librarians at California State University - Chico September 17, 2010.

Evaluate the timeliness of the information.

When was the information published or posted?
Has the information been revised or updated?
Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
Are the links functional?

Evaluate the importance of the information for your needs.

Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is the one you will use?
Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Evaluate the source of the information.

Who is the author/ publisher/ source/ sponsor?
What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source (examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net)?

Evaluate the reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.

Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Evaluate the reason the information exists.

What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
Do the authors / sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Finding Secondary Texts

Most college essays will require that we locate outside research on a given topic. These outside, scholarly articles usually take the form of secondary texts. Usually, secondary texts should be used to either extend or complicate claims that we make about our primary text. Sometimes, we may be asked to locate and review a variety of secondary texts to provide a broad overview of discussions taking place about a specific topic.

It is best practice to locate secondary texts through the library’s databases. Information found on the open web may be popular and easily accessible, but that information is not always credible and reliable. Additionally, in a college setting, instructors will expect that students use library resources to find source material included in their assignments.

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources

Library Databases - Grouped by Assignment Type

EBSCO eBooks™
This is a multidisciplinary ebook collection representing a broad range of academic subjects.
This collection includes information on topics such as art, business, health, literary criticism, performing arts, social science, technology, and engineering, etc.
Ebook Central™ (ProQuest™)
This is a collection from trusted publishers in many academic subject areas.
Ebook Central brings content from virtually every publisher into one unified experience so students and faculty can quickly learn the platform and easily discover and use the eBook content they need.

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints
This is a favorite collection for students and contains overviews, news, and opinions on hundreds of today's important social issues.

This collection is well-organized by relevant categories. Users who need to brainstorm to find a topic may use the browse issues feature. Research articles are linked to the individual topics in the list allowing students to start viewing articles related to the subject.
Points of View Reference Source
This is a collection to help students develop persuasive arguments that present multiple sides of an issue.
This collection contains hundreds of topics, each with an overview, a point, a counterpoint, and a Critical Thinking Guide.
SIRS Issues Researcher
This is a collection of selections from more than 2,000 international sources covering the pros and cons on the most studied issues of the complex social topics of today.
Additionally, tools are included that equip students to think critically about global topics. “Viewpoint” questions are usually provided for each side of the discussion to assist the student with ideas to explore about the topic. Two additional features, “Critical Questions” and the “Timeline” about the topic, provide a way for students to further grasp the ideas on the subject.

Bloom's Literature
This is a collection of scholarly information on great writers, important works, memorable characters, and influential movements and events in world literature.
This collection contains a Shakespeare Center, 400+ famous productions, student-friendly guides on authors and works of literature, 2,600+ searchable full-text poems, information on 49,000+ literary characters, and more.
Gale Literature Resource Center
This collection contains up-to-date biographies, overviews, full-text criticisms, audio interviews, and reviews on writers and literature works from all eras.

This collection contains premier resources needed for completing literature assignments.
JSTOR®
JSTOR provides access to archival and current issues of more than 1,400 scholarly journals across more than 50 academic disciplines.
JSTOR is used in more than 13,000 schools, universities, and institutions around the world. The collections in JSTOR include peer-reviewed scholarly journals, respected literary journals, academic monographs, research reports, and primary sources from libraries’ special collections and archives.

History Reference Source
A collection featuring information from more than 19,000 books, historical documents, photos and maps.
History Reference Center offers full-text from more than 1,620 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books, cover to cover full text for more than 150 leading history periodicals, nearly 57,000 historical documents, more than 78,000 biographies of historical figures, more than 113,000 historical photos and maps, and more than 80 hours of historical video.
World Religions
This collection contains Topic Centers featuring content on 15 religions of the world.
The content includes information on African Traditional Religion, Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Native American Religions, New Religious Movements, Protestantism, Shinto, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism.
Gale in Context: Biography
A collection of biographies from scholarly resources and full text articles from hundreds of periodicals
This content is from well-known publishers.
European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 is a free archive of indexed publications related to the Americas and written in Europe before 1750.
This is a free archive of valuable primary source records and is an authoritative bibliography that is respected by scholars worldwide. (Coverage dates: pre-1750)
MEDLINE(on EBSCOhost)
MEDLINE contains journal citations and abstracts for biomedical literature from around the world.
Created by the United States National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE is an authoritative bibliographic database containing citations and abstracts for biomedical and health journals used by health care professionals, nurses, clinicians and researchers.
Religion and Philosophy Collection
A database covering topics such as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy
With more more than 134 active full-text journals and magazines, the Religion & Philosophy Collection is an essential tool for researchers and students of theology and philosophy studies.

English Composition Research: Secondary Texts

CRAAP Test - Evaluate the Information

Finding Secondary Texts

Evaluating Sources

Library Databases - Grouped by Assignment Type

Databases for Scholarly Journals