Skip to Main Content

ENC1102 - College Composition 2 - Thomas

Limiting to Gov and Edu Sites

To limit your results in a search engine to .edu or .gov sites, type site:edu or site:gov after your search.

Google search for: astrophysicist career site:edu

Evaluating Sources by Asking WHY

Who is the author?

What can you determine about the expertise and credentials of the author?

  • Academic author - author has a graduate degree in this field
  • Academic-amateur - author has a graduate degree in another field but is an amateur in this field
  • Professional author - author has professional and direct experience in the field
  • Journalist - writer who shares information by researching and interviewing experts
  • Nonprofessional - author does not have professional or academic experience, but may have a personal interest
  • Corporate author - a corporation or organization is responsible for the content
  • No author - resources with no specific person or organization, including authors that only have a screen name

To learn more about the author, try Googling the name and/or organization to find out more!

How was it edited?

What can you determine about the editorial process of the source?

  • Peer reviewed - reviewed by other academic scholars prior to publication
  • Medically reviewed - reviewed by a medical professional to ensure accuracy
  • Professionally edited - reviewed by a professional editor or journalist for basic facts, grammar, etc.
  • Nonprofessionally reviewed - reviewed by another person before being posted, even if it is a basic review
  • Self-published - no review process as the author creates and publishes their own work
  • Collaboratively edited - common in wikis, multiple people work together to edit a source

Why was this published?

What is the purpose of this source?

  • Higher Education - published by an institution of higher education
  • Government - published by a government entity
  • Youth - published for youth, K-12
  • Nonprofit - Published by a nonprofit organization
  • Commercial - published to make a profit
  • Personal - published for personal reasons

Look up the organization or entity in a search engine to learn more about their purpose and goals.

Commitment to Equal Access and Equal Opportunity

Santa Fe College is committed to an environment that embraces diversity, respects the rights of all individuals, is open and accessible, and is free of harassment and discrimination. For more information, visit sfcollege.edu/eaeo or contact equity.officer@sfcollege.edu.

SACSCOC Accreditation Statement

Santa Fe College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). For more information, visit sfcollege.edu/sacscoc.