BUS 200 -- Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business (Fall 2006)
Evaluating Information Sources
Supplement your understanding of business law with an appreciation for critical thinking and analysis.
Getting beyond Google
Consider the advantages and pitfalls of sweeping Internet searches
- Content is voluminous
- Too much analysis is required in order to ensure authority, validity, accuracy, etc.
- See TCNJ guide for evaluating Internet sources
Finding a more efficient path to better results
Start with Library resources
- Find Articles & More ... Gateway to authoritative sources - online and in print
- Most of the evaluative work has already been done, so results are more reliable
- Recommended sources for business publications include ABI / Inform and Business Source Premier
- Consider resources in other disciplines related to your topic (Psychology, Gender Studies, Communication Studies, Religion, Politics, etc.)
Evaluating results through comparison and corroboration
Compare results from several sources to verify facts, identify trends and establish a context -- all necessary to achieve deep understanding and present a comprehensive analysis
- Use contrasting viewpoints to develop critical thinking skills
- To find divergent viewpoints, consider various stakeholders (ask: "Who cares?")
- Find position papers (policy papers) from professional associations, industry-funded organizations, or think tanks; these organizations may be mentioned in articles about your topic
- Add biased terms to your search to skew results
- In addition to examining results of searches in ABI / Inform and Business Source Premier, consider an advanced Google search with domain limited to .gov, .org, .edu, etc.
- Consider international perspectives -- don't be Americentric
- Identify books about your topic, then find book reviews (favorable and critical)
- Find book reviews in ABI / Inform (select "book review" as "article type")
- Search for news and editorials in The New York Times or Access World News
