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ENGL 205G American Literature I & ENGL 255G American Literature II: Internet Resources

This guide is for students in either American Literature course.

Explore suggested websites and open access resources related to literature, authors, literary works, and literary criticism here. 

Websites

Open Access Resources

Determining a Source's Credibility

If you find a potential source on the internet you'd like to use for academic research, it's important to make sure it is credible and appropriate to use for your assignment. Start by asking yourself if you know the source, it's reputation, and the reputation of the information itself. If you don't, you will need to look further into it with some additional searching. This might mean looking for the author and publisher's expertise, reputation, background, or their agenda. Or it might mean confirming individual pieces of information presented in their analysis in other sources.

If the source credits their sources, trace any claims or questionable information back to its original context. It's usually better to use the original source of the information, not the secondary source. This may lead you to more information and other sources you can use as well.

Also, remember your purpose. Does the source really meet your needs and answer your questions about your author, literary work, or topic? Does it give you the information you need? The source should be the best source for your needs, not just any source or the first source you found. 

Additional resources for that may help you evaluate information and sources: