Image Databases
- AP ImagesAP Images, a division of the Associated Press, is the essential source of editorial and creative photographs, videos, graphics and interactives. The unrivaled heritage of AP's groundbreaking photography is celebrated by winning 30 Pulitzer Prizes over the past 90 years.
- Arte Público Hispanic Historical CollectionA digital collection of historical content pertaining to Hispanic history, literature, political commentary, and culture in the United States from colonial times to 1960.
- Images of America: A History of American Life in Images and TextThe online collection is growing to include 5,000 individual volumes, with 650,000 pages and more than a million images. Each book tells a small piece of American history. But when researched together with Alexander Street's Semantic Indexing, the collection becomes a massive and powerful primary-source research tool, a tapestry of the places and people that have made America.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsDigitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress’s vast holdings.
- National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-2015National Geographic magazine built its reputation delivering the highest-quality photojournalism and cartography in the world. The iconic monthly publication provides in-depth coverage of cultures, nature, science, technology, and more.
Podcasts
Podcasts are emerging as one of the newest sources of information used in academic inquiry. The University of Toronto-Scarborough created an Introduction to Podcasts guide which is very thorough.
Finding Podcasts
Multimedia resources like podcasts are increasingly being accepted as sources for research papers. To help you get started with searching for podcasts, here are some recommendations for where to find and listen to podcasts.
Search for Podcasts
Podcast Websites and Search Engines
- Listen Notes
Listen Notes is a search engine for podcasts. You can search by podcast or by episode.
- PodcastRE
A searchable, researchable archive of podcasting culture.
- PodSearch
PodSearch is an easy way to discover podcasts on your favorite topics. Listen to short show samples, learn more about the show and hosts, and bookmark your favorites.
- Discover Pods
A medium to discuss established and popular podcasts, new upcoming podcasts, podcast news, podcast reviews, and more.
Evaluating Podcasts
How do I analyze or evaluate a podcast?
Here are some components to consider when you are analyzing podcasts.
1. What type of podcast is this?
This is important to consider because:
- News and documentary podcasts (just like news stories and documentaries) must follow certain codes and conventions so that accuracy and ethics are maintained
- This would not necessarily be the case with theatrical or dramatic podcasts – which can be considered fiction. These types of podcasts have more freedom to play around with the truth for dramatic effect
- News and documentary podcasts do not function in this way: they should be balanced, insightful, and objective on the subject that they are reporting on
2. Balance
A podcast, like a news story, should balance both sides of an argument in order to minimize bias. You can assess this by considering:
- The length of time spent on each side of an issue
- How multifaceted is the information that is being presented (various theories about an object being considered, versus just one theory only)
3. Bias
A podcast should be neutral. In order to assess bias:
- Listen to the language of the narration as it is often chosen carefully
- Can you learn anything about the narrator or the organization that they might be representing?
4. Subjectivity
Good podcasts should let the audience know and comprehend the personal feelings, tastes, and opinions of the podcaster(s) on an issue or subject.
- Can you detect the podcaster’s feelings on the issue? How is this expressed? What effect does it have?
5. Opinion
In podcasts, opinions that the podcaster expresses should be balanced with facts. To see if your chosen podcast is doing this, focus on whether:
- The podcaster is citing specific reasons that are based on verifiable facts
- Use your critical thinking skills to assess whether the rationale behind opinions expressed (as well as opinions expressed by those they might interview)
6. Representation, Ethics, and Credibility
In order for a story to be ethical, the subject must be represented fairly. Ethical podcasts usually rely on interviews, facts, and information that is already available. Additionally, a credible podcast will use information from credible sources.
- Is there any trace of this in the podcast you are analyzing? How do you know?
- Can you verifying the facts that the podcaster is presenting
- What sources of information is the podcaster using?
- Remember: the tricky part about credibility with a personal interview is that human sources may not recall exact details or possibly even lie. A good podcast presents these interviews impartially and closely analyzes their content to present an objective story.
Adapted from Lumen's Writing 102 - How to Analyze a Podcast - Authored by Marc Watkins; Provided by DWR: CC BY-SA
Analyzing Podcasts - Additional Components
Additional components to consider when evaluating (or creating) a podcast
- Central Idea and content
- Are the main ideas defined and clearly understood?
- Is it easy to understand the information that the podcaster is trying to convey?
- Does the podcaster explore the key ideas promised in the outset?
- Audience
Good podcasters know who their audience is, know what they are looking for, and how content can unify their audience.
- Is there a clear indication of who the audience of your particularly chosen podcast is?
- How do you know this?
- Podcast Structure
A well designed podcast is usually very intentional about structure.
- Is there an inherent structure to the podcast you are analyzing, and if so, can you describe it?
- How does create meaning for the audience?
- Authenticity
This is an element that is difficult to quantify but is often a key character in how effective a podcast can be.
- Does the podcaster seem engaged with the material in an authentic way? How is this expressed?
- What impact does the tone have of the effectiveness of the podcast?
5. Regularity
Good podcasts tend to come out on a regular basis.
- Does this podcast adhere to a specific, regular schedule?
- How does this contribute to engagement
Adapted from "5 Elements of a Good Podcast," by Peter Thomson for Learn G2