Evaluating website credibility
Q: I need to know how to decide if a website is credible. What criteria do I need to look at? Thanks for all of your assistance!
That is a very good question and one that will be important to you as you work on your thesis or dissertation. Major aspects of a web site that you want to consider are:
Purpose / Authority / Reliability / Currency / Coverage
There are details about this at a couple of very good web sites:
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools
http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html
Evaluating Web Pages
http://library.duke.edu/services/instruction/libraryguide/evalwebpages.html
Best of luck with your research!
Pat Court, Cornell Law Library
Search more, faster, better! Try Summon
Try the library’s new Summon search! According the library’s About Summon page:
What Summon Searches
Summon searches approximately 800 million items, including but not limited to:
- scholarly journal articles
- newspaper articles
- ebooks
- audio files
- video files
It draws from many full-text and article-indexing databases as well as digital repositories from colleges, universities, research centers, and other open-access archives on the web.
At this time, the library catalog is not indexed in Summon. Use the Library Catalog or the Classic Catalog to search for print books and other physical items that are not included in Summon search results.”
Read more, get search tips, and tell us what you think!
Trying to find recently published theses
Q: I am trying to find these 2 theses:
Cosmin Beliciu
PhD. (2010)
“Molecular compatibility and functionality in milk and complex protein systems”
Michelle Dan Wang
M.S. (2008)
“Development of technical solutions to increase efficiency and microbial removal in cold microfiltration of raw skim milk”
A: As far as I can tell, Cosmin Beliciu’s 2010 thesis has not been published yet. For more information, you can reach Cosmin at cmb232@cornell.edu
Unfortunately, I am unable to locate Michelle Dan Wang’s 2008 Masters thesis for you, either. Ms. Wang’s contact information is not in the Cornell directory. Her affiliation with Cornell may have ended. However, she was part of the research group found here:
Therefore, the best bet on getting further information about her thesis would be to contact Prof. Carmen Moraru at cim24@cornell.edu or, since both of these theses are associated with our Food Science Department, you might also consider contacting the Department:
Information about artist Edward Steichen?
Q: I’m looking for information on this surrealist’s exhibits (MoMa) of chromosome double delphinium– esp images. I see this book which seems to be about the artist as a whole but I know there must be an exhibit book out there. Can you help me?
Edward Steichen : selected texts and bibliography / edited by Ronald J. Gedrim.
A: The Archives in the Museum of Modern Art is the repository for the following material.
Edward Steichen Archive, [ca. 1900]-1986, [ca. 1900]-1960 (bulk).
Edward Steichen’s delphiniums. Archives pamphlet file : miscellaneous uncataloged material. 1936
Also, if you go to the MOMA web site http://www.moma.org/ and do a search using the term(s) Steichen and delphinium you will come to the following link.
http://www.moma.org/research/
50. Edward Steichen’s Delphiniums [MoMA Exh. #50, June 24-July 1, 1936]
The library does have a collection of 23 Edward Steichen photography books. I did not have an opportunity to look through any of them but perhaps
some of them have chapters or sections on the chromosome double delphinium.
There are also several databases, both image (such as Artstor) and others (Art Full Tex, Bibliography of the History of Art, Art Retrospective, and Artbibliographies Modern)
that may be helpful. If you would like to come into the Fine Arts Library I would be happy to assist you in searching some of these databases.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Ann (Fine Arts Library Reference Assistant)
Can’t get access to a journal but says we have access
Q: I am trying to access an article in Forest Science, 1979. On the E-journals page, it shows that I should have access to this article through IngentaConnect, however when I click the link and try to access the pdf, it takes me to a payment page. Is this a year I should be able to get online access for, or is it only available in hard copy? Thanks.
A: Yes, you are correct. We should have access to free electronic content for Forest Science via Ingenta beginning in 1955, as per the catalog link.
I’ll copy our Library technical staff to see what may be wrong.
Sorry for the inconvenience! In the meantime, you are welcome to use the paper copy that is available in Mann Library: SD1 .F716
Can you help me find articles?
I am a MILR student and I am trying to research locus of control and its perceptions in different cultures. Also, I am new to Cornell, this is my first semester. Could you please guide me towards the best method to get articles when I get something like this:
Locus of control as a mediator of the relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction: Age, race, and gender differences
Author: Katherine L Fiori; Edna E Brown; Kai S Cortina; Toni C Antonucci
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Edition/Format: Article
Article : English
Publication: Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 9, no. 3 (2006): 239-263
Peer-reviewed
Database: ArticleFirst
Other Databases: British Library Serials
I don’t see the link to the PDF of the article and I get this many times – am I doing something wrong or looking in the wrong place? If there is a better way to do this search please let me know.
Well, I just sent you an email with the article that you requested; we want to make sure you can start working on it as soon as possible!
If you discover a specific article that you’d like to read, the best way to find it in our catalog is to search by journal title. In the case above, you’d find that we do own that journal in electronic format. Then you can follow the links under “Cornell University Library” to get to the specific volume and issue you need.
For further research help, you can try searching for Articles from the library home page, with search terms such as “locus of control”. You can also look for the keywords the databases assigned to articles that fit what you’re looking for, and then look for other articles with the same keywords.
We are very happy to help you with your research and show you how to search the catalog and databases available to you. Please stop by the reference office or I am happy to make an appointment to meet with you!
ILR Reference
Catherwood Library
Who was the CALS dean in 1964?
Who was the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1964?
The Dean of CALS in 1964 was Charles Palm. You can read his NY Times obit for more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/02/us/charles-e-palm-84-professor-of-entomology-and-agriculture.html
Best regards,
Jim Morris-Knower
Hours for the Engineering Library?
Q: What are the new hours for the Engineering Library in Carpenter Hall?
A: As of this semester, the Engineering Library space—including the Reading Room and the ACCEL Blue Room computer lab—in Carpenter Hall are open 24/7. After 4 PM the outer building doors are locked, but with your Cornell ID, you can use the key card reader on the outer door facing Olin Hall to get access after-hours.
While in this space, access our Engineering Library website - also available 24/7, to discover engineering collections tailored just for you!
Can’t get access to an article in a database we have access to
Q: I’m looking for this article in an electronic version, and only the first
page comes up in proquest.
Title: Distributing condoms in high school
Authors: Quinn,J.R.
Source: America, 1991, 165, 13, 320-320
Do you know how I can get the full version online?
Thanks!
A: It appears that we do not have the electronic license to America prior to 1992, so the pdf of the complete article is restricted from Cornell’s view. ProQuest, like several other databases we have, indexes more sources than we necessarily have full-text access to.
We do have paper copies at Olin Library, however, if you’d like to scan the article there.
All the best,
-Jeff Diver
Alumni access to e-journals?
Q: I’m a Cornell alum and currently researching a new book. One of the journals that contains articles I’m interested in is available electronically via Cornell’s system, but requires a NetID and password to log in. Is it possible for me as an alum to gain access to this resource? If so, how do I obtain my NetID and password? Thank you!
A: Many of our electronic resources are restricted to current Cornell students, faculty and staff. You should be able to obtain article copies for these by requesting them via the interlibrary loan service at your local academic or public library. (If you’re lucky, you may also be able to find an electronic copy available to the public via a Google search on the title.)
Our information page for alumni and visitors will give you additional details:
http://mannlib.cornell.edu/library-services/services-alumni-visitors
All the best,
-Jeff Diver