The Cooper Union Library: HTA313 Space and Time: Other Resources

Google Scholar

GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Searches scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, and technical reports. Includes some full text links. Be sure to check out the advanced features available under "more..." below.
- To set up links to full text articles available from Cooper, log in to your Google account. Then, go to [Menu]--Settings--Library Links, search for Cooper Union and Save.

- Select Metrics to see lists of the top publications in various subject areas.

- Use the Cited By feature to follow an article forward in time - that is, to find other articles published after it that cite the older article.

Set up Google scholar to get you past firewalls for licensed/subscribed resources available at Cooper Union:

In the menu at the top left, select Settings -- Library Links.
Search for Cooper.
Select The Cooper Union - Full Text via CU Library. This phrase will appear to the right of search results that are licensed for Cooper Union.
(Optional) uncheck OCLC Library and open WorldCat.

Select Metrics to see lists of the top publications in various categories.

Use the Cited By feature to follow an article forward in time - that is, to find other articles published after an that cite the older article.

Google Tips

GOOGLE TIPS

Advanced Search in Google
Use the Advanced Search to limit by date, domain, format, usage rights, and more.
Google search: punctuation, symbols, & operators
Phrase searching, boolean operators, exclusions, wildcards, number ranges, and more. What happens when you use: +, @, &, %, $, #, _, and - (hyphen between connected words).
Google Books
Through their Library Project and Partner Program, Google has scanned millions of rare, out of print, and other library books, and partners with many publishers to provide searchable text and display snippets of text.

Evaluating Online Sources

The CRAP Test

Ask yourself the following questions about each website you're considering:

Currency

How recent is the information?
Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated?
Does the website appear to update automatically (this could mean no one is actually looking at it)?
Based on your topic, is it current enough?

Reliability

What kind of information is included in the website?
Based on your other research, is it accurate? ...complete?
Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
Is the information balanced, or biased?
Does the author provide references for quotations and data?
If there are links, do they work?

Authority

Can you determine who the author/creator is?
Is there a way to contact them?
What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site?
Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?

Purpose / Point of View

What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view?
Is the author presenting fact, or opinion?
What's the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)?
Are there ads on the website? How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammuntion next to an article about firearms legislation)?
Who might benefit from a reader believing this website?
Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?

Adapted from Dominican University