Citing Electronic Information in History Papers
Maurice Crouse, Professor of History, University of Memphis.
Written by Professor Maurice Crouse, this site offers a remedy for the slow development of history-specific styles for citing electronic information. Crouse uses guidelines from other disciplines and adapts them to the traditional Turabian styles for history. He provides models and examples for many electronic sources, in the form of a reference list, a bibliography, and notes, including: individual works; parts of works; periodicals and journals; newspapers and magazines; abstracts and reviews of individual works; abstracts and reviews of periodicals and journals; electronic mail (personal); electronic conferences, interest groups, newsgroups (Usenet), and lists; searches in online library catalogs and databases; and government publications and legal documents. He also discusses strategies for finding and using citation information and implications for methodology.
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Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities, v. 2.1
Melvin Page, Professor of History, East Tennessee State University.
This site, developed by Professor Melvin Page, provides information on citing Internet sources in history and the humanities. The guidelines are based on Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 5th ed. (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1987), as well as several online and traditional reference sources. "General Citation Guidelines" address the theoretical issues of citing impermanent sources. The sections on bibliographic citations and footnote and endnote citations provide specific examples for citing a variety of electronic sources, including listservs, FTP sites, email, and Internet sites. The site is a very good resource, but was last updated in 1996 so it does not incorporate recent technological changes.
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Citing Electronic Sources
American Memory, Library of Congress.
This useful website discusses the evolving nature of the guidelines for citing electronic sources, but recommends styles used by academic disciplines. The site then provides the structure and examples of citations for a wealth of materials available on the Library of Congress website, including films, legal documents and government publications, maps, recorded sound, photographs and drawings, special presentations, and texts. All examples are shown in two formats, according to disciplinary guidelines of language arts (MLA-style) and history (Turabian-style).
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Internet Archives and Copyright
I. Trotter Hardy, Law Professor, William and Mary School of Law, Williamsburg, VA.
This basic, straightforward, 6,000-word essay provides an overview of copyright law, followed by an explanation of copyright and the nature of material covered under copyright law. Hardy then addresses various media, including public performances of music and sound recordings, archival materials, and online libraries and archives, as well as the legal definition and interpretations of the "fair use" provision. The emphasis is on traditional copyright issues rather than Internet, but Hardy's 1997 essay offers a clear, readable introduction to copyright and does address new media sources.
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Copyright Crash Course
Georgia Harper, Scholarly Communications Advisor, University of Texas.
This user-friendly, approachable site offers a crash course in copyright law and its implications. The crash course tutorial was designed to help faculty "learn Copyright basics, especially in the distance learning context," and includes a test to assess copyright knowledge. Harper covers fair use and ownership specifics as well as details on creating multimedia, copyright in the digital library, copyright management, licensing resources, and online presentations. While some of this information is written specifically for teachers, students, and staff at the University of Texas, most is applicable to a broader audience. In addition, Harper provides links to more than 70 resources outside of the university, organized by topic.
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Copyright, Fair Use, and Responsible Use of American Memory Collections
American Memory, Library of Congress.
This site, created to supplement the Library of Congress American Memory Collections, provides a thorough discussion of copyright issues. While some sections of this site refer specifically to American Memory materials, overall it provides an excellent introduction to issues of copyright, fair use, and responsible use of governmental and non-governmental materials for educational purposes. Information includes the Constitutional definition of copyright, its duration and implications, and links to relevant resources, including the U.S. Copyright office. "Classroom Examples" answers pratical questions submitted by teachers on copyright issues in the classroom.
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Copyright, Fair Use, and Licensing in a Digital World
The National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage (NINCH).
This site provides legislation, discussion, and links to legislation concerning domestic and international copyright issues, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (H.R. 2281. S. 2037) and an explanation of its meaning and impact. Follow a link to "Fair Use Education" for information from the Conference on Fair Use, including an introduction that defines copyright, fair use, and landmark court cases and provides links to relevant information. One section of the site presents the texts of three guidelines (Digital Images, Distance Learning, and Educational Media) proposed at the 1997 Conference on Fair Use, as well as endorsements or non-endorsements from organizations and institutions involved in these debates. The National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage (NINCH) is a collaborative project of The American Council of Learned Societies, The Coalition for Networked Information, and The Getty Information Institute--a diverse coalition of arts, humanities and social science organizations created to assure leadership from the cultural community in the evolution of the digital environment.
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Copyright and Multimedia Law for Webbuilders and Multimedia Authors
Karla Tonella, Academic Technologies Specialist, University of Iowa.
This site is an excellent resource for researching copyright law and its implications for creating and using websites and website materials. Karla Tonella provides annotated links to more than 30 websites dealing with copyright law, interpretations, and implications, as well as annotated links to more than 20 articles and 13 relevant listservs. The website links include attorney Benedict O'Mahoney's "Copyright Website," a Cyberlaw Encyclopedia with selected articles emphasizing copyright issues, and official documents pertaining to copyright law nationally and internationally. Articles include media, technical, and legal sources.
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Toward a Multicultural Approach for Evaluating Educational Web Sites
Paul Gorski, Founder, EdChange and the Multicultural Pavilion Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia.
This excellent article, by Paul Gorski, stresses the need for a multicultural approach when evaluating websites. Originally published in Multicultural Perspectives (December 1999), it points out the suitability of Internet media for multicultural teaching and learning. Gorski then outlines seven categories for evaluation of websites, including "Relevance and Appropriateness," "Accessiblity," and "Multiculturality." Gorski argues that "we must continue to push toward an actualization of multicultural education that examines, critiques, and transforms all aspects of education" rather than focusing solely on curriculum. The Internet makes this possible, he writes, because it "transcends virtually all other educational media in its capacity for facilitating intercultural, interactive and collaborative teaching and learning." Gorski critiques some strategies for evaluating websites for not fully addressing the unique qualities of the Internet, such as efficiency, original resources versus links to external sites, navigability, and quality of information. He includes more than 30 questions that can help guide assessment of educational Web sties from a multicultural perspective.
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An Educator's Guide to Credibility and Web Evaluation
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, School of Education, Educational Policy Studies.
There are links to five review sites for educators, as well as ten links to sites that teachers can use as examples of problems with Internet information. This website was designed by graduate students at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, School of Education, for a course in Educational Policy Studies.
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The ICYouSee Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web
John R. Henderson, Librarian, Ithaca College Library.
This lively site, with plenty of color and boldface writing, provides a good introduction to Web evaluation as well as an interactive tutorial. Librarian John R. Henderson backs up most of his points with links to interesting online examples. Henderson opens with the question of whether the Web is the best resource for certain types of research, followed by questions of source, authority and validity, creators' intention, quality, and the initial purpose of online material. The site ends with a quiz, an assignment to practice evaluating sites, and a bibliography of more than 20 resources. This site was updated in August 2000.
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Evaluating Internet Information
Elizabeth Kirk, Librarian, Johns Hopkins University.
This thorough, well-designed site, created by Librarian Elizabeth Kirk, discusses the criteria by which scholars in most fields evaluate print information and shows how the same criteria can be applied to information found on the Internet. "All information, whether in print or by byte, needs to be evaluated by readers for authority, appropriateness, and other personal criteria for value. If you find information that is 'too good to be true,' it probably is." Kirk covers intellectual property and copyright issues, offers basic criteria for evaluating all forms of information, and discusses how these apply to the Internet. The topics include authorship, publishing body, point of view or bias, referrals to other sources, verifiability, and timeliness. In addition, there is valuable, concrete information on decoding URLs, understanding how search engines work, searching the internet, and citing electronic information.
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Web Awareness: Knowing the Issues
Media Awareness Network.
This site was developed by the Canadian group Media Awareness Network to help parents, teachers, and librarians teach children and students to be educated Internet users. The goal is to teach students how to locate good information, as well as how to question and evaluate all online sources. The section for teachers is divided into five parts: "Safe Passage: Teaching kids to be safe and responsible online," "Fact or Folly: Authentication of online information," "Kids for Sale: Online marketing to kids and privacy issues," "Web Literacy Framework," and "Classroom Resources by Grade." The site provides ideas for teaching students important skills, including the basics of searching, the five W's of cyberspace (who, what, when, where, and why), and the definition of plagiarism. Links to over thirty classroom resources, background articles, and tip sheets provide further examples and details.
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The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly, or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
Susan E. Beck, Head of the Humanities and Social Sciences Services Department, New Mexico State University Library.
This site provides a good resource for teachers interested designing "effective and successful Internet learning experiences." Developed by Susan E. Beck, the site offers concrete suggestions for using the Internet in classroom assignments. For example, Beck advises instructors to check a url a day or two before assigning it and to request a printed copy of websites students use as a backup. An extensive evaluation criteria checklist covers accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage. A very useful feature provides four sample topics for students to evaluate and compare--"Smoking & Tobacco," "AIDS," "Immigration," and "Drugs, Hormones & Human Tissue." Each topic has links to three related websites of varying quality and students can practice evaluating urls, titles, and content. The bibliography includes fourteen references, some online, and highlights two websites that update regularly.
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Toward a Multicultural Approach for Evaluating Educational Web Sites
Paul Gorski, Founder, EdChange and the Multicultural Pavilion Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia.
This excellent article, by Paul Gorski, stresses the need for a multicultural approach when evaluating websites. Originally published in Multicultural Perspectives (December 1999), it points out the suitability of Internet media for multicultural teaching and learning. Gorski then outlines seven categories for evaluation of websites, including "Relevance and Appropriateness," "Accessiblity," and "Multiculturality." Gorski argues that "we must continue to push toward an actualization of multicultural education that examines, critiques, and transforms all aspects of education" rather than focusing solely on curriculum. The Internet makes this possible, he writes, because it "transcends virtually all other educational media in its capacity for facilitating intercultural, interactive and collaborative teaching and learning." Gorski critiques some strategies for evaluating websites for not fully addressing the unique qualities of the Internet, such as efficiency, original resources versus links to external sites, navigability, and quality of information. He includes more than 30 questions that can help guide assessment of educational Web sties from a multicultural perspective.
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Evaluating Internet Research Sources
Robert Harris, Professor of English, Vanguard University of Southern California.
This site, created by Professor Robert Harris, addresses the diversity of information available on the Web and offers strategies for evaluating it. The article outlines pre-evaluation techniques followed by tests and guidelines for judging the information quality of Internet sites. The techniques are based on the "CARS Checklist" which stands for Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, and Support. Credibility includes factors such as the author's credentials, evidence of quality control, well-developed metainformation (such as tables of contents, ratings, reviews, and commentaries), and indicators of poor quality (such as anonymity or poor writing). Accuracy refers to information that is correct: "up to date, factual, detailed, exact, and comprehensive." Judging reasonableness involves "fairness, objectivity, moderateness, and consistency." Support refers to the sources cited, especially the ability to corroborate the information provided on the website. Harris closes with this advice: "take your information to the Café (Challenge, Adapt, File, Evaluate)."
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Evaluating Web Pages: Experience WHY It's Important
Teaching Library Internet Workshops, University of California, Berkeley.
This website provides guidelines, questions, and exercises for learning to evaluate material found on the Internet. "What to Look For: Checklist and Tricks for Evaluating Web pages" provides a thorough explanation of seven important areas to evaluate, from url, author, and institutional affiliation to overall authenticity, integrity, and bias. An interactive exercise offers four website links for each of six controversial topics, from handguns to aspartame. The visitor is then challenged to evaluate the quality the site. Hints and tips provide specific help for each topic. A useful site that provides a place for testing your evaluation skills-or those of your students.
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Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools
Michael Engle, Reference Division, Olin Kroch Uris Libraries, Cornell University.
A basic guide for students and other users of the web to analyze the usefulness and reliability of sites. Includes four links to examples of sites in order to illustrate ways to distinguish scholarly journals and sites from other types; two links to similar guides prepared by librarians elsewhere; five sites that review and rank sites; and a three-title "webliography" of books on the subject. Created for a New York Library Association Conference, but updated recently (July 2001). Useful for students needing elementary guidance for using the web to help with assignments.
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Using Information Resources--History
Stuart Frazer, Librarian, Old Dominion University.
A tutorial for college history students, this site teaches students how to find materials for college history papers and projects. Students may use it independently or in conjunction with a particular course. The tutorial is divided into six sections--Overview, Primary Sources, Secondary, Government Documents, Web Resources, and Local History. There is a short quiz after each section that requires students to enter their name and students are able to print out a Certificate of Completion for their professors after completing the full tutorial (which takes about thirty minutes). The tutorial teaches students how to identify, locate, and evaluate online primary and secondary sources in history.
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Achieve National Standards Database
Achieve, Inc..
The Achieve Standards Database is a searchable database of state academic standards, including social studies and U.S. History, by subject, state, grade level, topic, and keyword. Standards are available for 33 states, and Achieve is currently building an international component. A comparison feature allows users to look at standards of two states simultaneously. The database follows the structure presented by McREL (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning) in Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education and lists the standards by chronological categories. There is an explanation of criteria for quality standards, as well as a description of how the database was created (including structure, design process, and formative evaluation) and tips on using it. Achieve, Inc. is "an independent, bipartisan, not-for-profit organization formed in 1996 by governors and corporate CEOs who shared a powerful belief that high academic standards, demanding tests to measure those standards, and accountability for performance can push our schools and students to much higher achievement." They strive to serve as a clearinghouse on standards. This is a useful site for teachers who want to locate their state standards or compare with others.
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Standards
Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL).
The Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory has played a large role in the development of standards-based education, helping school districts, education agencies, and state departments of education develop academic standards and implement assessments. From this website, you can follow links to McREL's database of K-12 content standards, "Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education" (Kendall & Marzano) or access standards-based resources.
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National Standards for History
National Center for History in the Schools.
This site provides the online version of the National Standards for History, developed by the National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles, under the guidance of the National Council for History Standards. This electronic version contains all elements of the printed edition except charts, illustrations, and appendix. The site also provides information on ordering the book version. A useful resource for teachers who want to learn more about the development of standards and their role in historical thinking or who are looking for in-depth explanations of historical thinking standards (Chronological Thinking; Historical Comprehension; Historical Analysis and Interpretation; Historical Research Capabilities; Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making) and overviews and contents of the chronological eras (Three Worlds Meet, Beginnings to 1620; Colonization and Settlement, 1585-1763; Revolution and the New Nation, 1754-1820s; Expansion and Reform, 1801-1861; Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877; The Development of the Industrial United States, 1870-1900; The Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930; The Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945; Postwar United States, 1945-1970s; Contemporary United States, 1968-present).
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Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
National Council for the Social Studies.
The executive summary and first two chapters of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies are available online. There is also information on ordering the complete book. This site also provides the NCSS National Standards for Social Studies Teachers which describes and explains standards. An introduction describes the background and intended audience. The standards follow, covering Subject Matter Standards, "which outline in some detail the social studies content that social studies teachers should know and the skills and dispositions they should possess in order to teach social studies to students appropriately" and Pedagogical Standards, "which outline in very general ways the pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for general teacher effectiveness." There is also a link to an online version of NCSS/NCATE Program Standards, the official handbook for colleges and universities for analyzing and revising the subject matter content of social studies teacher education programs in preparation for NCATE accreditation and re-accreditation reviews.
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Developing Educational Standards
Charles Hill, Putnam Valley School.
Putnam Valley School's website Developing Educational Standards, created by Charles Hill, calls itself "a repository for as much information about educational standards and curriculum frameworks from all sources (national, state, local, and other) as can be found on the Internet." This comprehensive standards site provides a good starting point for researching education standards online. There are annotated lists of Internet sites with K-12 educational standards and curriculum framework documents divided by state and subject, including national, state, and local organizations. For example, there are eight links to U.S. Government pages dealing with education and standards, 17 centers, clearinghouses, and labs, 29 state-focused groups, and over 50 "other" organizations. Roughly 20 of these come up for "social studies." Finally, an annotated list of seven newspapers and magazines provides links and tips on locating standards-related items.
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Plagiarism: Curricular Materials for History Instructors
Michael Rawson, University of Wisconsin at Madison, American Historical Association.
This useful website offers a guide to plagiarism for teachers of history. It includes a definition, a guide for prevention and detection, six exercises (four for undergraduates, two for graduate students), and annotated lists of more than 30 printed and online resources on plagiarism. While the guide is intended for teachers, all sections are meant to help teachers communicate this important information to their students, often with suggestions on how to do this effectively. There is a printable version of the guide, as well as downloadable versions (PDF and Word) of each exercise. This website could also be used successfully by teachers at the high school level.
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