- 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.
Niche - Provides a list of the best colleges, but also allows you to search for 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).
Higher Learning Commission - HLC is an independent agency, founded in 1895. We accredit degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. HLC is an institutional accreditor, accrediting the institution as a whole.
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).
Higher Learning Commission - HLC is an independent agency, founded in 1895. We accredit degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. HLC is an institutional accreditor, accrediting the institution as a whole.
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.
Veterans Issues
Disabled American Veterans
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Stars and Stripes Newspaper
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.
Veterans Issues
Disabled American Veterans
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Stars and Stripes Newspaper
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)
Minnesota Department of Health - The vision of MDH is for health equity in Minnesota, where all communities are thriving and all people have what they need to be healthy.
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.
.Minnesota Department of Health - The vision of MDH is for health equity in Minnesota, where all communities are thriving and all people have what they need to be healthy.
Google Scholar
Search for academic articles on publisher and other websites. When you use this link to connect to Google Scholar through the Library, your search results will include links to articles available in Normandale Library databases whenever possible. Look for the "Article @ Normandale Lib." links to access the full article through the Library.
Note: Not all articles in your search results will be available through the Library. Need an article we don’t have? Submit an interlibrary loan request.
Credo Reference
Articles from dictionaries, general and subject encyclopedias, handbooks, atlases, and more.
Gale eBooks
Selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference books in many subjects.
Articles from dictionaries, general and subject encyclopedias, handbooks, atlases, and more. Gale eBooks
Selected dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference books in many subjects.
ProQuest News & 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.
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.
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprofit legal advocacy and outreach organization that tracks hate groups and educates the public on their activities and tactics. The SPLC website provides an introduction to these groups and their ideologies as well as links to information about movement leaders, allies, and controversies.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprofit legal advocacy and outreach organization that tracks hate groups and educates the public on their activities and tactics. The SPLC website provides an introduction to these groups and their ideologies as well as links to information about movement leaders, allies, and controversies.
The best way to verify information is to look outside of website you are evaluating! This process is called lateral reading.
Lateral Reading Strategies:
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.
Call, e-mail, or chat with a librarian for more research assistance. We're happy to help!
(952) 358-8290
Email
Libby Merrill
Reference and Instruction Librarian
libby.merrill@normandale.edu
David Vrieze DanielsReference and Instruction Librarian
david.vriezedaniels@normandale.edu
Muram Abdelmageed
Research and Instruction Librarian
muram.abdelmageed@normandale.edu
Lacey MamakReference and Instruction Librarian
lacey.mamak@normandale.edu
Note: Your chat question may be directed to a librarian from another college when Normandale librarians are unavailable.
Online Library Access Info
To access databases and other Library resources, login with your StarID and password when prompted. Access is only available to current Normandale students and employees.
To access databases and other Library resources, login with your StarID and password when prompted. Access is only available to current Normandale students and employees.
MLA Quick Guide (PDF)
See MLA citation examples for the most common types of sources (9th edition).
MLA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
This website offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page. Uses MLA 9th edition.
See MLA citation examples for the most common types of sources (9th edition).
MLA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
This website offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page. Uses MLA 9th edition.