Citing and Writing Guide

There are many types of resources  you might use for your classes. These include:

• Library Sources: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Print, Audio, Video
• Online Internet Sources: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Print, Audio, Video
• Other Sources: Interviews, Radio, TV, Film, Performances, Diagrams, Corporate literature

Benefit of using Newkirk Learning Commons' resources include:

The Library: Quality vs Quantity

Library resources go through a review process.

Library resources are free for your use.

Library resources are organized.

Library resources are meant to be kept for long periods of time.

Library resources come with personal assistance (we want you to reach out to us!)

Library resources are in print and online

Newkirk Learning Commons online resources include:

EBSCO, Kanopy, programs specific resources. Check Launchpad or with librarians for more information

Newkirk Learning Commons physical resources include:

Books, newspapers, magazines, other types of physical media. Reach out to library staff for us to purchase items or subscriptions.

Internet Sources

Although many people first go to the Internet for information, it is not always the best place for what you need. 

Most information on the Internet does not go through a review process.

• Anyone can publish on the Internet without passing the content through an editor. Pages might be written by an expert on the topic, a journalist, a disgruntled consumer or even a child.

Most information on the Internet is not free. 

• Many web pages are free to view, but some commercial sites will charge a fee to access their information. Libraries and other institutions pay fees for access to information for their users. This is a part of the "deep" or "invisible" web as you need passwords.

Information on the free Internet is not organized.

• Some directory services, like Yahoo, provide links to sites in subject lists. But there are too many web pages for any single directory service to organize and index.

Most information on the free Internet is not comprehensive. 

• Rarely will you be able to use a search engine on the web to collect information about your topic from earlier decades and different types of sources. Some well-maintained sites are updated with very current information, but other sites may become quickly dated or disappear altogether without much if any notice

The free Internet can be a good for:

• learning more about companies and organizations
• information from the U.S. government 
• finding quick facts
• catching up with current news
• gathering opinions of people 
• connecting to the Library's resources

Evaluating resources is not an exact science, and you will need to use your own judgement in some cases (or you can check in with a librarian). Below are a few tools to help you make better decisions when it comes to evaluating resources.