Art History - Reliability of Sources
Evaluate your sources based
on the following criteria:
| Authority
|
Accuracy |
What are the authors
qualifications?
How reputable is the publisher? |
How reliable is the information?
Are there editors and fact checkers? |
| Coverage
|
Currency |
What topics are included in
the work?
To what depth are topics explored?
Often hard to determine extent of coverage on web sites. |
Is the content of the work up-to-date?
What does the date on the web page mean, 1st created, last revised? |
| Objectivity
|
|
Is the information
presented with a minimum of bias?
Are the goals/aim of the web site clearly stated? |
Use the links below to find sources that will help you determine the
reliability (authority, accuracy...) of the sources you want to use.
About the Author About Periodicals
About Books
About Web sites
About the Author
Use the following sources to find books and articles published by the author
and items about the author. Do an author search for best results.
Other resources for finding biographical information:
Biography and Genealogy Master Index. An index to the various
biographical dictionaries such as Who's Who, Who's Who in America, Directory of
American Scholars, and hundreds of others. [ Use
Literature Resource Center to find biographical information about authors --
particularly in the set "Contemporary Authors". ]
Biography Resource Center
Includes biographies and full-text articles
from hundreds of magazines and newspapers on people from all eras and fields of
endeavor. It also includes tens of thousands of images and links to vetted
websites
Credo
Reference or
Gale
Virtual Reference Library -- Collections of subject Encyclopedias &
Dictionaries, may include biographical entries
New York Times
Index 1851+
Actual articles will be on microfilm.
1980+ use
LexisNexis Academic
which includes full-text articles from the New York Times
New York Times Obituaries Index. 1858-1978. Print: Reference CT 213 N47
Actual articles will be on microfilm.
The Times (London) Digital Archive - 1785-2008
Use
LexisNexis Academic
which includes full-text articles from the London Times for recent articles.
Obituaries from the Times. (London) Includes reprints of the articles
for leading personages. For others only the reference citation is given. Print: Reference CT 120 O16
(1951-1975)
National Faculty Directory. A list of faculty at universities around
the country.
Print: Reference L 901 N34
Official Museum Directory. Look in the personnel index in the back.
Print: Reference AM 10 A2 O44
Check the Web using various search engines for faculty home pages, university
web sites, other directories, etc.
google.com
About Periodicals
Magazines for Libraries. Gives information regarding reliability, bias
of periodicals,
if it is peer-reviewed (refereed).
Print: Reference PN 4832 M34
Ulrich's International Periodical Directory. Tells if a journal is
refereed.
Print: Reference Table A
About Books (Book
reviews)
Book Review Index. Index to reviews appearing in newspapers, journals
and magazines.
Print 1965+: Reference Table A
New York Times Book Review Index, 1896-1970. Index to book reviews
appearing in the
New York Times newspaper. The actual articles are on
microfilm.
Print: Reference Table A
Humanities
International Complete
JSTOR
Art Full Text. 1984+.
Indexes more than 400 key international arts periodicals and some other
arts publications. Full text from 1997 onward is available for select
publications.
Art Index Retrospective. 1929-1984. Coverage of older articles
in international periodicals and journals in the arts. Also in print
1929-1997: Reference N1 A1 A78.
LexisNexis Academic
Includes full text of reviews appearing in many
newspapers from about 1980 forward.
About Web Sites
- Be Careful! Remember almost anyone can publish anything on the Web
- Web pages are unstable and easily altered
- Blur between information and advertising
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask : by UC
Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops
For further assistance you can visit the Library Service Desk, call the Reference
Department (660-785-4051) or
contact the Reference librarian for Art.
Janet Romine, Reference Librarian for Art & Art History
(660) 785-7418
jiromine@truman.edu
