Living Religions of the World Pathfinder
Print Resources (NCS)
R200.3 R382 – Encyclopedia of Religion – one of the best print resources for information
concerning the basic tenets and practices of various religions. The articles are authored by
religious scholars. All major religions are covered.
R 291 M55 Milestone Documents of World Religions – provides lengthy expositions of major
primary source documents related to different religions, including copies of original documents.
R200.3 M643 – Norton Anthology of World Religions – Contains more than 1,000 primary
texts from the world’s primary religions : Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam .
Books about individual religions are on a reserve shelf labeled Comparative Religions. They
circulate on an overnight basis. Electronic access available at:
http://www.history.salempress.com Click on logon. Username = kcraver@cathedral.org
Password = ncseagles
Web Resources
Eagle Eyes the NCS Web Library - The following sites may be helpful to you. All are
available on Eagle Eyes. Type the keyword “justin” (with no quotation marks) in the keyword
search box. All of these sites will appear.
Internet Public Library: Arts and Humanities – Religion and Theology – Excellent religious
sources compiled by library students at the University of Michigan Library School of
Information Science.
National Cathedral School Library Databases
All of these databases are available remotely. Go to www.ncslibrary.org and click on home
access. When prompted for a login, type in the word Eagles (capital letter “E”.) A list of
databases with their corresponding usernames and passwords.
Ebsco Host – Contains many full text periodical articles from more popular periodicals
Remember to do the following:
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Click on Advanced search
Click on full text
Click on peer reviewed
Example: stoicism and buddhism
JSTOR – online database of important scholarly journals in a variety of disciplines, including
religion.
Remember to do the following:
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Choose advanced search mode
Enter search terms
Uncheck the box stating “Include links to external content”
Scroll down and click Religion
For best results use narrow search terms such as “fatalism, Islam, resignation to God
Project Muse – online database that provides 100% full text access to a comprehensive
collection of prestigious humanities and social science journals, more current than JSTOR.
Remember to do the following:
1. In the search box enter search terms e.g. Wahabism and Islam.
2. After the initial search, note the number of search matches. If they are too high, under
Research area, select a subcategory. Let the database search, and note your search
match number. If you need to narrow it more, do so among the sub-disciplines presented.
Citation Format – Go to www.ncslibrary.org and click on the link Noodletools. Login with
your personal ID and password. Click on Create New Project at the right of the screen. Choose
MLA Advanced. Having trouble? Click on the library’s Tips in a Minute” for instructional
videos.
Prepared by K. Craver 2/2015
Living Religions
Evaluating Print and Nonprint Sources for Bias
Introduction
Bias is defined as “prejudice in favor or against one thing, person or group compared with
another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.” Bias is endemic to the Web. It can be quite
subtle- a single phrase, set of words or picture; or it can be rather obvious as in the infamous
Martin Luther King, Jr. web hate site. Applying a set of criteria to evaluate web sites is fairly
easy, but creating criteria for religious sites is much more difficult because definitive knowledge
varies from religion to religion, and even scholars disagree on how to evaluate information based
on religious authority. To make sure that you are finding valid religious information sources, it is
best to choose ones that are determined to be trustworthy according to academic standards of
scholarship. Make sure that you select ones that have been compiled by valid, acknowledged
institutions such as public libraries, well-known universities/colleges, and religious
organizations.
Purpose:
The purpose of this pathfinder is to explore how bias can be an integral part of information and
why you need to view articles, web sites, images, and videos with a degree of skepticism.
Assignment: Go to http://www.ncslibrary.org and click on Eagle Eyes. In the keyword search
box, type in the word <justin>. Scroll to the site titled News Bias Explored and follow the
directions listed below.
News Bias Explored http://www.umich.edu/~newsbias/ubreporter.html
1. Choose Word Choice Buffet and use the selected drop down menu of words discover
their power to affect your emotions.
2. Choose Heads Up Headlines. Be sure to click on the FULL ARTICLE hyperlink.
3. Click on Image Bias activities and select “You be the reporter.”and then “Now you see
me, now you don’t.”
Bias Questions
1. Does the author, compiler, editor, contributor, web master, sponsoring organization or
agency have a bias toward one particular viewpoint?
2. Is the site coming from a country where the media are controlled by the state, which is, in
turn, dominated by a particular religion?
3. Does the publisher of information have an established reputation for conservative or
liberal presentation of ideas?
4. Are the facts relevant to the article?
5. Do the facts, as represented, support the conclusion?
6. Does the information exude a strong emotional appeal?
7. Does the article seek to indoctrinate by deliberately negating opposing viewpoints?
8. Is the information interpreted in only one way when there are clearly other perspectives?
9. What is the nature of the language used? (Is it emotionally charged, obfuscative, or
subjective?)
10. What is the purpose of the information? (Is it to educate, persuade, indoctrinate or
proselytize?)
Can the information pass the CARS test?
1. Creditability – How is the source believable? Why should I believe this source over
another? How does the source know the information? The key to credibility is the
question of trust.
2. Author’s Credentials – should show evidence of being knowledgeable, reliable, and
truthful . Clues include: education/training, contact information, organizational
affiliation, position, reputation
3. Reasonableness – evidence of fairness, objectivity, moderateness and consistency
4. Support – What sources are cited? Where did the information come from? Can you
corroborate the information in another source?
Prepared by K.Craver 9/2014