Individual Project
Individual Project
Katrina Lynn
November 25, 2014
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Individual Project
Individual Project
Searching for quality sources online can sometimes be a difficult task. Not all sources that are found online are credible enough to use for factual information. Knowing the right ways to search for information can help make that process become much simpler.
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There are things to look for when trying to finding out if a source is credible to use. First check the author or publisher of the site. The experience and background of this person or company is important, as well as their reputation. (Information Fluency, 2014) Another thing to consider is the mission of the page, is it to sell or inform? There should be a way to contact the author or publisher to verify facts if needed. Objectivity is also important, there should be no bias, extreme language or the appeal of emotions when looking at the page. (Information Fluency, 2014) The page should also be updated regularly, the most up to date information is helpful. There could be information that is more relevant due to when it was published. Also links to other pages should be investigated, there should be items to back up what is being printed. (Information Fluency, 2014) Facts should be able to be verified easily, anyone could claim something to be true. It does not always mean that it is. Pages that are credible should be well done, with no spelling or grammatical errors. (Information Fluency, 2014)
The Trail of Tears happened over a period of time when the United States Government forced the Native Americans to relocate to lands designated to them in the West. (University of Vienna, n.d.)
The question asked was “How long is the Trail of Tears?” To find that answer, go to the search engine www. Google.com. In the search box type in Trail of Tears length. Doing this will render many results.
There will be results from Wikipedia, which is not a credible source, but www.cherokeemuseum.org/html/collections_tot.htm could be. To find out the credibility of the page, the questions must be asked. This page is an .org, which is much more credible than a .com or .net domain. This page is also hosted by the National Park Service. In reading over the information, it looks like the intent of this site is to primarily inform the reader about the Trail of Tears. It also gives a map of where the Trail of Tears was located and the answer to the question that is being searched for. The Trail of Tears covers more than 2, 200 miles of land and water routes in nine states.
Usually more sources are needed to verify information or for writing a paper. So the search will continue. The search results contain many sites such as Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers and History.com, there are better sources to use than those, even if the information is correct, the source may not be credible. Another site that looks promising is located at http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webprojects/LiveMiss/TrailofTears/trailparent.htm. This site is credible because the page is information from a university. Its primary focus is to inform, and the information is easily verifiable. Also important is the fact that there is contact information listed on the
University home page. (University of Vienna, n.d.)
If you continue to scroll down and look through the list of websites there is another helpful website that is from the National Park Service. The URL is http://www.nps.gov/trte/historyculture/stories.htm. This website can be considered credible because it is a .gov domain. That means it is a governmental site. This website has a lot of helpful information about the Trail of Tears. It also has a link for teachers that is located on the sidebar. That link has information for teachers to use in their classroom, but that also means it could have useful information for a student who is writing a paper. (National Park Service, 2014)

Individual Project 3
There a many credible and useful sites regarding the Trail of Tears, there are two more that could be very helpful. One is from National Geographic. http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/25/geography-in-the-news-the-long-trail-of-tears/. It is credible because National Geographic has a well-known reputation, even though the website is a .com.
Sometimes .com sites can be credible but again, the criteria must be evaluated to make sure. (National
Geographic, 2013) The other website is located at the URL http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4887. This website would be credible because it is from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. It is a project from the Central Arkansas Library System. (The Central Arkansas Library System, 2014)
The next question to search for is “Who is the World Chess Champion?” To find this information, again type in www.google.com. Type in the search bar, world chess champion. The first few results that are listed are from Wikipedia, again do not use this source. Keep scrolling down until there is a source that looks legitimate. A site that looks like it could be credible is located at http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/. This organization called FIDE, is the World Chess Foundation. (FIDE,
2014) They govern the world championship of chess. This is considered a credible source because of the author is who is in charge of the championship, it would also have the reputation needed to be considered credible. (FIDE, 2014) An interesting note is that the answer could change very quickly because the championship is currently being held. The current champion is Magnus Carlson. He is competing against Vishy Anand. (FIDE, 2014)
Another credible source is http://www.chessdom.com/. Some reason’s that it is credible is that it is a website dedicated to chess, it carries news articles that can be verified. There is a way to contact the publisher or author, and it is updated frequently. (Chessdom, 2013)
The last question is “How do you find complimentary colors?” Just typing into Google’s search box did not find very many good sources, however there are other ways to search. To search for this topic type in www.Google.com but use their advanced search option to help narrow down the unhelpful results. Sometimes it is helpful to use filters to broaden or narrow searches. In the advanced search look for Find Pages With. In the box that says all these words: type color theory. Then narrow the results by region, type United States, in the section listed site or domain, type .org and then click advanced search.
Again there will be sites that are not credible or have the information to answer the question but there is a site on the second page listed as Exploring Color Theory, Donna Young.org-whose summary says she is a high school teacher. (Young, 2005) Find out if this site is credible before using. In reviewing the site, it is a good source for information because of her background. Also there is a way to contact her, and the mission for the page is to inform. The facts are also verifiable. She states that complementary color scheme uses colors that are across from each other on the color wheel. She gives a lot of information regarding color that would be helpful for someone looking for the answer to this question. (Young, 2005)
The technologies used for this project was the Google search engine with the advanced search capabilities, PowerPoint and Word as well as screen captures for PowerPoint.

Individual Project
References/APA
Chessdom. (2013, November 22). Magnus Carlsen is World Chess Champion 2013. Retrieved from
Chessdom.com: http://www.chessdom.com/magnus-carlsen-is-world-chess-champion-2013/
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FIDE. (2014, November 18). Sochi 2014. Retrieved from FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2014. : http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/
Google. (2014, 2014). Google. Retrieved from Google.com: www.google.com
Information Fluency. (2014). 21cif.info. Retrieved from 21st Century Information Fluency: http://21cif.com/tools/evaluate/
National Geographic. (2013, August 25). Geography in the News, The Long Trail of Tears. Retrieved from
National Geographic: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/25/geography-in-thenews-the-long-trail-of-tears/
National Park Service. (2014, November 13). Trail of Tears. Retrieved from Stories-Trail of Tears: http://www.nps.gov/trte/historyculture/stories.htm
The Central Arkansas Library System. (2014, August 1). Trail of Tears National Historic Trail . Retrieved from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture: http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4887
University of Vienna. (n.d.). Trail of Tears. Retrieved from University of Vienna: http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webprojects/LiveMiss/TrailofTears/trailparent.htm
Young, D. (2005). Exploring Color Theory. Retrieved from Donna Young.org: http://donnayoung.org/art/color-theory.htm
References/MLA
Chessdom. Magnus Carlsen is World Chess Champion 2013. 22 November 2013.
<http://www.chessdom.com/magnus-carlsen-is-world-chess-champion-2013/>.
FIDE. Sochi 2014. 18 November 2014. <http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/>.
Google. Google. 2014 2014. <www.google.com>.
National Geographic. Geography in the News, The Long Trail of Tears. 25 August 2013.
<http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/25/geography-in-the-news-the-long-trail-oftears/>.

Individual Project
National Park Service. Trail of Tears. 13 November 2014.
<http://www.nps.gov/trte/historyculture/stories.htm>.
The Central Arkansas Library System. Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. 1 August 2014.
<http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=4887>.
University of Vienna. Trail of Tears. n.d.
<http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webprojects/LiveMiss/TrailofTears/trailparent.htm>.
Young, Donna. Exploring Color Theory. 2005. <http://donnayoung.org/art/color-theory.htm>.
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