SW 4171/5171 Addictions Treatment - Parker

• Check for previous work: Has someone else already fact-checked it?
  • Examples: FactCheck.org, SciCheck.org, Snopes
• Go upstream to the source: Go “upstream” to the original source. Don't rely on the game of telephone. News summaries of scientific research are usually flawed.
• Read laterally: Beyond a single source's "about us", read what other people say about the source (publication, author, etc.). Even Wikipedia can be good for this. Is it a controversial or biased organization, publisher, or author?
• Circle back: If you get lost, hit dead ends, or find yourself going down an increasingly confusing rabbit hole, back up and start over knowing what you know now. You’re likely to take a more informed path with different search terms and better decisions.

Modified from: Caulfield, M. (2017). Web literacy for student fact-checkers. Available from: https://webliteracy.pressbooks.com/chapter/four-strategies/

Other considerations:

• Who is the intended audience?
• Who is the author & what credentials do they have (ie. journalist vs. social worker)?
• What organization is behind it? Funding it?
• How current is the information? Does that matter for my topic?

Rod Library has subscription access to many newspapers and magazines, in print and/or electronic formats. Access depends on each title, as well as dates and other factors. Rod Library databases that include newspaper and magazine articles are, among others (note valid CatID & passphrase may be required for off-campus access):

• NexisUni (formerly LexisNexis)
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
• Academic Search Elite
• Academic OneFile
• Newspaper Source Plus
• PressReader
• Newspaper Archive
• For all Rod Library databases, see Databases A to Z.

See below for access information for the most commonly-requested newspapers & magazines:

National

• New York Times:
  • ​Print current issues in Book Bistro
  • Online 1857 to present
• Wall Street Journal:
  • Online 1984 to present (Eastern edition)
• Washington Post:
  • Print current issues in Book Bistro, back issues in Microforms
  • Online 2003 to present
• USA Today:
  • Print 1978 to 2009 in Periodicals
  • Online 1989 to present
• Atlantic:
  • Online 1983 to present
• New Republic:
  • ​Online 1988 to present
• New Yorker:
  • ​Online 2002 to present

State/Local

• Des Moines Register:
  • Print current issues in Book Bistro, back issues in Microforms
  • Online 1999 to present
• Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier:
  • Print current issues in Book Bistro, back issues in Microforms
  • Online: 2002 to 2020 in NewspaperSource Plus database (approx. 2 day delay), recent issues on Courier webpage (with ads)

For other publications, search by publication title in Journal Search.

Some databases, such as Academic Search Elite, allow limiting to Cover Story in the Advanced Search options.

If you want to share an article with someone else, such as your instructor, sharing a pdf is best. If you do want to share a link to a library subscription resources, you'll need to use the permalink (aka permanent link). Find out what permalinks are and how to find them here: https://askus.library.uni.edu/faq/213952