There are many excellent open web resources that you may wish you use to supplement the Library's digital and physical resources. These include open-access journals, freely available databases, organizations' websites, and more. Explore the links below to help find and utilize these sources.
When looking for sources, especially on the open web, don't forget to evaluate them for credibility. Learn how by reading the "Evaluating Websites" box at the bottom of this page. And don't forget to look for Pro Tips for research help!
Use databases freely available online to find geology sources and as a supplement to the Library's databases.
Pro Tip: Did you know you can link Google Scholar to the Library? Select the icon with the three horizontal lines and then choose "Settings" and "Library links." Type "Salt Lake Community College Libraries" into the search bar, tick the box next to it, and choose "Save." You can look for links from the Google Scholar search results to the Library's resources on the right side of your results list.
When doing research on the web it is really important to evaluate the source. There are many different methods of deciding if a source is credible, an easy evaluation phrase to remember is The CRAAP Test:
CURRENCY
timeliness of the information
RELEVANCE
importance of the information for your needs
AUTHORITY
source of the information
ACCURACY
reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content
PURPOSE
reason the information exists
NOTE: It's not always this simple. Ask about Lateral Reading.
If you are looking for a specific article and you hit a paywall, please do not pay for access! Try these methods to find what you need:
Pro Tip: If you use Google Chrome as your preferred browser, try adding the free Chrome extension Unpaywall. It will show you a green, unlocked icon when there is a legal, full-text version of the article you want available. This extension is not compatible with the Library's databases.
Contact the Science, Mathematics and Engineering liaison librarian: Amy.Scheelke@slcc.edu. You may also schedule a 30-minute library consultation with Amy.
