ENGC 1101 College Writing (Heinsohn)

More about the CRAAP test from Widener Universtiy - https://widener.libguides.com/EvalWebPages/CRAAP
 

• Better Business Bureau (BBB) - The BBB has been around for over 110 years to help consumers identify trustworthy businesses. 
• Charity Navigator - Rating Charities/non-profits/advocacy sites for over 20 years. 
• GuideStar - Provide ratings for non-profit organizations

Niche - Provides a list of best colleges, but also allows you to search colleges of interest
U.S. News and World Reports College Search - Search colleges around the country
Princeton Review
Colleges of Distinction
US Department Of Education College Scorecard - This site provides statistics on colleges and universities from around the country based on the most current data available (usually trails current date by one year).
 

See Recent Changes to Federal Government Websites
Under the current administration, many federal government webpages have been removed or changed significantly. To view government webpages as they looked just before January 20, 2025, add wayback.com immediately after the .gov part of the web address like this: https://epa.govwayback.com/invest. For detailed instructions, see https://govwayback.com. Or, use the Wayback Machine website to see how any website has changed over time. 

ProQuest Major U.S. Newspapers
Search major newspapers for stories about recent changes to federal government agencies' policies and websites. This database searches the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
 

Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.
 

The best way to verify information is to look outside of website you are evaluating! This process is called lateral reading. 

Lateral Reading Strategies:

• Find information on the author or organization: Google the author's name or the name of the organization. Do they have a Wikipedia page? A LinkedIn page? A biography on a university or legitimate news site? Read through this information. What is the author's education and experience? Have they written for websites/newspapers/magazines that you are familiar with and trust? If you are evaluating an organization, who leads the organization? What can you learn about them?

 

• Check some fact-checking sites for help: Many claims have already been fact-checked for you. Try these sites:
• AP Fact Check
• Factcheck.org
• Snopes
• Politifact.com
• Washington Post Fact Checker
• Media Bias/ Fact Check

 

• Triangulate: Read through at least three articles on the same subject. These three stories will probably vary in the information that is presented. Taken together though, you should have a good idea of what the truth on the issue is. Think of it like the Venn diagram below. The green area is where all the articles agree. This is the information that should be trusted. 

• Find information on the website using Wikipedia: Wikipedia isn't a source you want to cite in your research paper, but it is helpful for learning about a website or news source. Oftentimes, you will find information on who funds the site or political leanings that are common. 

See our full guide on Recognizing Misinformation on the Internet for more strategies.
 

Health & Medicine E-book Collection
Selected ebooks on health and medicine topics from Gale.

Consumer Health Complete
Consumer health information (meant for patients and the general public) from popular health magazines, medication guides, and some ebooks.

PubMed (Including MEDLINE)

Citations and abstracts for articles in health and life science journals from MEDLINE and other sources.

Note: Click the Find Full Text button with the Normandale logo to see if the full text of the article is available in another database.

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ProQuest News & Newspapers

News articles from U.S. newspapers. Includes the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Star Tribune, and many local newspapers.

Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost)
Articles in all subjects from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. An all-purpose database and often a good place to start.