All Guides: SC 33000 Ecology (APU): Evaluating / Citing Sources

Evaluating Sources -- Is it credible or not?

Evaluating Sources -- The CRAAP Test
From the Consortium Library's How to Guide series.

Evaluating Sources -- Another option

RADAR Framework
Developed by librarians at Loyola Marymount University, the RADAR Framework is similar to the CRAAP test as a tool to help you evaluate sources.

Try the interactive game at the link below.
RADAR Challenge

Evaluating News Sources

Fake and Misleading News
From the Consortium Library's How to Guide series.

Citing Sources

See Citing Sources from the Consortium Library's How to Guide series that explains:

why citations are important.
how to read a citation.
how to cite in APA style.

Managing Citations

The following Citation Tools are all freely available, but you have to create an account to use them. Compare the advantages/disadvantages of each here.

Tip! When citing an article from a journal, remember use the template for a journal article citation, not a website. Yes, the article may be found on the web, but it's important to cite the information from the journal, not the website.

EndNote Basic

RefWorks Freemium

Zotero

Examples of Academic Journal Citations in APA Style

1. For an article found in a print journal, include the basic citation information:

Peanut, X., Butter, Y. Y., & Jelly, Z. Z. Z. (2016). Sandwich ingredient preferences of common ravens (Corvus corax) (Corvidae) in Anchorage dumpsters. Avian Biology 12(2), 1453-1461.

2. For an article found online that includes a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), include the basic citation information plus the DOI:

Banana, A. B., & Apple, C. (2014). Preferred fruit selections of hungry University of Alaska Anchorage students. Journal of Health and Human Behavior, 446(3), 77-83. doi:12.3456/123456789

3. For an article found online that does not have a DOI, include the basic citation information (see example #1).

Tip! When citing an article from a journal, remember use the template for a journal article citation, not a website. Yes, the article may be found on the web, but it's important to cite the information from the journal, not the website.

Compiling Your Reference List

Tip! This course uses APA style according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, so you will need to format your list of references to this particular style.

Remember, it's ALWAYS important to double-check the accuracy of the citations in your list of references to make sure that you have:

italicized the genus and/or species names of organisms that appear in the article title.

correctly capitalized proper nouns (e.g., names of countries, oceans, etc.).

put the journal title and volume number in italics.

used author initials instead of first name, middle name, etc.