UCB Libraries

Blogs:

Technorati: http://technorati.com

Blogalaxia: http://www.blogalaxia.com/

Blogazos: http://www.blogazos.com/

 

Páginas Web

Guías de la biblioteca: http://www.ucblibraries.colorado.edu

Spanish and Portuguese

Latin America

Más

Intute: http://intute.ac.uk/

Modern languages and area studies

Spanish

Latin America

Videos

Paises, Personas y Cultura

Casa de America Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Archivo Audiovisual Videoteca Contracorriente

Desarrollo social y recursos naturales

1 Minuto por Mis Derechos Biblioteca Ser Indígena - Videos Red Nacional de Vídeo Popular en Chile

Literatura y Historia

Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes. Videoteca Cinemateca Virtual de Chile Ingenio400.com: IV Centenario de El Quijote

Más

Latin American and Spanish Video on the Internet: a Guide to Web Resources

How do I locate videos or DVDs?

 

 

Paises, Personas y Cultura

Hapi: Hispanic American periodicals index

Literatura y Historia

Dialnet

Hapi: Hispanic American periodicals index

RedAlyc

Desarrollo social y recursos naturales

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas

Hapi: Hispanic American periodicals index

Latindex

RedAlyc

SciELO

 

Diarios de América Latina

Ethnic newswatch

Factiva

Latin American Newspapers

LexisNexis academic

ProQuest newspapers

Diarios alternativos

Alternative press index

Ethnic newswatch

Diarios étnicos

Chicano database

Ethnic newswatch

Alternative press index

Pro / Con arguments are often useful when writing persuasive, inquiry, or position papers. Researching varied viewpoints and opinions also reveals the discourse surrounding a topic more comprehensively. How do you find these Pro / Con conversations?

Here are a few general SEARCH TIPS:

• Think about the types of sources that report on current events and contentious topics. See some recommendations below.
   
• Think about where opinions are usually expressed in publication. For example, try searching for your topic with a specific format category, such as:

editorial commentary issue papers research briefs

interview speech blog

Try not to use the terms 'pro/con' when you search. Use terms such as:

analysis opinion commentary evaluation public opinion

surveys political aspects speech oppononents proponents

Evaluate the sources carefully: determine the author, viewpoint, intended audience, intended purpose, and potential bias. Determine the main opinion or stance of the work. Think about what the counter argument might be.

 

If you are looking for articles on a particular topic, you can use many relevant Spanish or General databases that CU Libraries subscribes to. Some of the article databases only include citation information about the article, while others include access to the full-text of the document, usually in either PDF or HTML format.

 

The most relevant databases for Spanish are listed below. You can also try the Find Articles & More page where the databases are organized by subject/ discipline categories.

If the particular database you search does not have the full-text of the article available, look for the 'Find it at CU' option to search for electronic or print copies. If you are unable to locate the 'Find it at CU' option, follow the steps for finding a specific article below.

Typically you may search by keyword, author, title and more. For help developing keywords, go to How do I Choose Keywords? HINT! Keep track of search terms. Look for database recommended search terms and help resources.

 

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There are three steps you can follow to evaluate the sources (articles, websites, books) that you have found. You will want to evaluate the credibility of the author, validity of the research, and relevance of articles and web sites.

 

Authority of the Author

 

The first step in evaluating a source is determining the authority of the author who produced the material. To determine authority, you'll want to evaluate the trustworthiness (credentials, education, experience, etc.) of an author.

 

To determine credibility, ask these questions: 

• Is the author formally educated in the subject?
• Does the author work for a university or research center?
• Is the author a recognized scholar in the subject?
• Does the author have an established history of research and writing on the subject?

Validity of the Research

 

The second step of evaluating a source is determining the validity of the research being presented in the article, website or book. To ensure that the research is valid, you want to determine the quality of the research used to support the argument being made. It is also important to remember that excellent or persuasive writing doesn't necessarily ensure that the research presented is valid.

 

To determine the validity of the research in the source, ask these questions:

• Does the author thoroughly cite all the sources? (Saying "a study was done" is not a citation.)
• Is there a list of sources at the end of the article?
• Does the author's evidence support the claim?
• Is the author's evidence objective research instead of personal narrative?
• Does it come from a peer-reviewed publication (which means the research was evaluated by experts before it was published)?

Relevance to Your Topic

 

The third step in evaluating a source is determining the article's relevance to your topic:

 

To determine relevance, ask these questions:

• Is the article sufficiently broad to address the issue you are discussing?
• If the article is broad, can its conclusions be applied to your subject? (e.g. an article about drinking habits of students at large universities applies to your subject of drinking habits of CU students)
• If the article is narrow, can its conclusions be generalized to your subject? (e.g. an article about volleyball players and eating disorders at Honalee State University can be applied to your subject of eating disorders in women college athletes)

 

The key difference between scholarly and popular magazine articles is the required peer review process for scholarly journal articles.

 

Peer review is a publishing process in academic fields. Before editors decide whether to accept an article for publication in a scholarly journal, they need to send this article to other researchers in this article's subject area to do a review. This process is called "peer review" because the author's peers (i.e. other scholars) decide if the article should be published.

 

Below are some of the characteristics of scholarly journals and popular magazines and newspapers.

 

Type of Periodical	Scholarly Journal	Popular Magazine or Newspaper
Contents	Original Research In-Depth Analysis	Current Events / Popular topics / Interviews Not original research by the author
Writing Level	Technical language Assumes college education	Simple, elementary language Assumes only 8th grade education!
Authors	Researchers, Academics Experts in the subject they are writing about	Reporters Not subject experts
Sources	Almost always has a list of Works Cited Extensive documentation	Rarely documents sources Documentation vague (e.g. "A study was done...")
Published By	Scholarly societies, University Presses	Commercial publishers
Pictures and Paper	Few or no photographs Includes charts or tables Regular white paper	Many photographs and pictures Glossy paper
Examples	Sociological Review Journal of Asian Studies Journal of Philosophy	People Weekly Sports Illustrated New York Times Denver Post
Length	Tends to be longer	Tends to be shorter

 

The following guides provide samples of common citation formats. Consult Reference Desk personnel for additional information.

 

MLA Style (with examples)

 

You may also find print guides in the library:

 

MLA

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi.
  6th edition, New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
  Section 4.9.
  Call number: LB2369 .G53 2003

REFWorks
A personal online database and bibliography creator that allows users to create a personal database online, import references automatically from multiple databases, organize references, and quickly format bibliographies and manuscripts. You will need to create a login and password. Provided by the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries.

 

How do I use RefWorks?

 

Pick an Interesting Topic It is easier to express your own opinions and thoughts if you are interested in the topic.

 

Manage Your Time

Many students are tempted to plagiarize because they do not start researching and writing far enough in advance. Start your paper at least 3 weeks before the due date. Plagiarism could compromise your entire academic career. Speak to your professor if you have run out of time.

 

Create a Bibliography as you Research

Record the sources you consult. Include all the bibliographic information needed in your works cited (Author, Title, Pages, Publisher, Year, Volume, Issue).This will help you to cite correctly and to compile your works cited.

 

Take Clear Notes

Designate all direct quotes with quotation marks.

Designate when you are paraphrasing.

Electronic Research and Note taking is the same: Use quotation marks when you cut and paste.

Always note the source/ author.

 

Be Careful with Paraphrasing

Be sure you understand the text.

Do not look at the original source when writing your paraphrase.

Reorganize the information in your own words and in your own style.

Check to be sure you have not used the vocabulary or structure of the original work.

Mention the author near or in your paraphrase.

 

And Remember to Cite:

Any information that was not originally created by you: Quotations Key terms or phrases Ideas Facts not broadly known Images and Sounds

Any material from another source regardless of where you found it: Printed sources Electronic sources Conversation or email Recorded sources Images