English Nonfiction Writing Program

Welcome to the research guide for the Nonfiction Writing Program in the English department at Brown University. This guide will help you to get started in your research but you are always welcome to contact me, whether it's to set up a research consultation appointment or just to answer a quick question.

Are you new to humanities or college level research? Take a look at our guide below:

Raphael. Portrait of Cardinal Tommaso Inghirami (detail). ca.1513-1516. Palazzo Pitti. Luna Insight collection.

It can be hard sometimes to know whether a source is trustworthy or not. One quick method is the following. It's not foolproof but it does give you some things to think about when evaluating a source.:

Try asking yourself the following questions:

1. Currency: How up to date is the information in this site?
2. Relevance: How relevant is the information for your needs? Is it an appropriate level (not too elementary or too advanced)?
3. Authority: Who is responsible for the information in this source? What are their credentials?
4. Accuracy: Does the source provide evidence to support the information? Can it be found elsewhere?
5. Purpose: What is the purpose? Is it to teach, sell, persuade?

Of course, Karen can also help you determine the validity of any resource you might be unsure about.

The above test was developed by librarian Sarah Blakeslee and her team at California State University, Chico.