HIS 101: History of Western Civilization I (Campbell-Loudoun)

You must select a website dealing with the topic you are using for your Research Paper and compare it with an article on the same basic subject  from a history-focused scholarly journal.  Then in a 2 page, double-spaced paper write a comparative analysis of one article as a source of historical information.  Websites should not be primary source documents, Wikipedia pages, or reprints of articles published elsewhere.  You may not complete this assignment unless you have received my approval for your sources.

For more information, please review the Source Criticism Paper assignment in your Canvas course.

Before using information found on a webpage, consider the following criteria to evaluate its credibility.

• Who is the author?
• What are his/her qualifications?
• Why was the website created?
• When was it last updated?
• How reliable is the information?

Search Google for your topic keywords. Look for government, education, and/or organization webpages as well as news/magazine publications. Do not use Wikipedia as the content cannot be verified. If researching controversial topics, be aware of biased publications.

The best way to locate articles is through the library databases.  Go to Databases by Subject and look under the category History (HIS) to find a list of relevant databases. You can also perform a search in the databases below.

• Remember not to write sentences in the search box. Search by topic keywords.
• Look for additional keywords offered under Subject and Subject Thesaurus. Also make sure you look for toolbars that provide print, email, and citation options.