Do Your Students Use Credible Sources?: Start the Discussion

Spending 15-20 minutes discussing credible sources early in the quarter can alleviate a lot of anxiety and inappropiate resource use. A few suggestions: 

• Presume that your students have little knowledge of your expectations of college level research or how to evaluate credible sources.  It is important not to be dismissive of their past research behaviors, but simply explain your expectations and what constitutes a credible source to you.  
• Try using a video to help explain why using library databases might be preferabble to Google or what is peer review. For example, the videos to the right Why Use a Library? or Peer Review in 5 Minutes.
• Create a reflective exercise that allows the students to explain why they use the research resources they prefer. They probably have not thought about it much.