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EDTHP 115: Education in American Society Resources Review

 

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Amy Deuink
Title: Reference Librarian


Robert E. Eiche Library
Penn State Altoona

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Course Info

Course Name:
  EDTHP 115: Education in American Society
Semester:
  Fall
Campus:
  Penn State Altoona
Instructor:
  Freie

Assignment

Your assignment is to locate three scholarly articles on a topic or issue within education. Using these sources, you will then prepare an annotated bibliography. 

Today in class we will discuss what makes an article "scholarly" and how to use the library to locate scholarly articles within the field of education.

Types of Publications

Three major categories of information include: popular, trade, and scholarly. We'll discuss common indicators of each type as listed in this chart, then you'll use these clues to identify each of the five articles below as either a popular, trade, or scholarly article. (Anatomy of a Scholarly Article (NCSU))

Is it a Popuar, Trade, or Schoarly Article?

  1. "Introduction: The Next Wave of School Reform"
  2. "Back to School -- and New Common Standards?"
  3. "Common Core Standards: The Emperor Has No Clothes, or Evidence"
  4. "Common Core Standards: The New U.S. Intended Curriculum"

Finding Scholarly Sources

The sources you use lend you the author's credibility and understanding of the subject--so find a knowledgeable expert! Research articles also provide you with evidence for the statements you are trying to make in your own writing.

A simple way to evaluate any information is to consider its credibility, content, and currency (the 3 C's). Consider:

  • Credibility of the author or publication in which the article appears
    • Who wrote the article? What makes them an authority or expert on the subject?
    • What is the type/reputation of the source?
  • Content of the article
    • Does it meet your research needs? Will it answer any questions you might have about the subject? If you could have anything, is this exactly what you were looking for? 
    • Will it be interesting for you to read?
  • Currency of the article
    • Was the article published recently? Does it reflect the current problems or positions on the issue?
    • When considering currency of scholarly journal articles, remember they are typically published quarterly (4 times/year) and it can be one year or more between the time the research is conducted and an article about it is published.
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To locate scholarly journal articles using the library's specialized databases for education and full text of articles in our electronic and print collections, consult the education research guides. These articles inform, as well as provide the "evidence" you need to support your writings.

Education (General) research guide

  • specifically, ERIC and ProQuest Education databases for finding scholarly articles
    • ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center) indexes almost 900 education journals, plus other types of education resources, with coverage from 1966-date
    • ProQuest Education provides access to over 785 education journals, with coverage from 1991-date
  • A word about LionSearch: With this tool you have the ability to search for articles, books and other types of popular and scholarly sources across many different fields at one time, but results may not be comprehensive--including all the most important literature of the field.

Tip

Use the The Penn State Get It Button button in any research database to get the full text of your article.