For this course, you will be writing a research paper about a particular decade or event in America's history within the past 110 years.  This LibGuide will serve as a starting point for your research.

Please don't forget that you may always ask a librarian for help!

You are required to use reliable sources, including books, articles, and websites.  How do you know if a source is reliable?  Here are a few questions you can ask yourself in order to determine if a source is reliable:

Who?

• Who is the author?
• What degrees or experience does the author have?
• Is the author an expert in that field?
• Is the author affiliated with a particular institution?

What?

• Is the article or journal scholarly/peer-reviewed?
  (Scholarly/peer-reviewed articles are written by experts in that field and then reviewed by other experts in that same field for validity, accuracy, and overall quality prior to being published.)
• Does the author cite his/her sources?
• If yes, are they credible sources?

When?

• When was the source published?
• Is currency important to your topic?

Why?

• Did the author publish this source with a particular agenda in mind?
• Based on the author's word choice and tone, does the author have any particular bias?