ENG 110 - Schaaf: Websites

The Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work.

The Digital Commons Network includes scholarly work from diverse disciplines like architecture, business, education, law, and the sciences. You can also access humanities, social sciences, and engineering scholarship through the network.

Some tips from the American Library Association

1. Consider the source. 
   Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info.
2. Read past the headline. 
   Headlines can be outrageous in effort to get clicks. Go beyond headlines.
3. Assess the credibility of the author. 
   Do a quick Google search on the author. What is their expertise? What organization do they represent?
4. Look at the links and sources supporting the article. 
   Click those links. Determine if the subsequent information supports the story. Consider the reliability of the sources.
5. Check the date.
6. Consider that the item might be satire. 
   If it seems too outlandish, it might be satire. Do some quick research on the site and author to find out.
7. Consider that it might be promotional. 
   Is the purpose of the site to sell a product?
8. Check your biases.
9. Search other news outlets to see if the news is widely reported.