Research Guides: ENG 241 British Literature--Assignment #1: Academic Websites

Academic Websites--

These websites have been created by scholars and experts in this field to aid you in your research. Use them for background information, a launchpad for further topic study or supplemental information for your assignment.

Harvard's Geoffrey Chaucer Website
It provides a wide range of glossed Middle English texts and translations of analogues relevant to Chaucer's works, as well as selections from relevant works by earlier and later writers, critical articles from a variety of perspectives, graphics, and general information on life in the Middle Ages. At the moment the site concentrates on the Canterbury Tales.
The New Chaucer Society
The purpose of the New Chaucer Society is to provide a forum for teachers and scholars of Geoffrey Chaucer and his age. To advance such study, the Society organizes biennial international congresses of Chaucerians, publishes the annual Studies in the Age of Chaucer and a semiannual newsletter, and supports such important projects as the Annotated Chaucer Bibliography.
Electronic Beowulf
The online edition is designed to meet the needs of general readers, who require a full, line by line, translation; of students, who want to understand the grammar and the meter and still have time in a semester to study and appreciate other important aspects of the poem; and of scholars, who want immediate access to a critical apparatus identifying the nearly 2000 eighteenth-century restorations, editorial emendations, and manuscript-based conjectural restorations.
Beowulf Resources
This site is the home of Resources for the Study of Beowulf, the Old English poem. I’ve selected the best resources I’ve found on the Internet, along with some books and other resources with related information about Anglo-Saxon and Medieval studies, the language of Beowulf, Sir Robert Cotton, Sutton Hoo, and what you can find in a college or university library.
Luminarium Anthology of English Literature--Sir Gawain Resources
Luminarium is the labor of love of Anniina Jokinen. The site is not affiliated with any institution nor is it sponsored by anyone other than its maintainer. For all materials, authorities in a given subject are consulted. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Encyclopedia Britannica, and The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English are some of the general reference works consulted for accuracy of dates and details.
Medieval Studies Research Blog--Sir Gawain
The Medieval Studies Research Blog is a multi-author blog site hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute, one of the premier centers for medieval studies in North America. Our posts come from current and former members as well as friends of Notre Dame’s vibrant medievalist community.

When you search for information, you're going to find lots of it, but is it good information? You will have to determine that for yourself. The C.R.A.A.P. test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Some questions will be more important than others depending upon your need.

Evaluation Criteria

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

When was the information published or posted?
Has the information been revised or updated?
Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.

Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority: The source of the information.

Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.

Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Purpose: The reason the information exists.

What is the purpose of the information?
Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?