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IST: Indigenous Studies

This guide presents selected print and electronic resources in Indigenous studies available through the Camosun College Library and open access web sites.

Evaluating resources

Evaluating sources

Students are often asked to evaluate information for its authority, validity, or reliability, but what does this mean? 

When evaluating a source, ask yourself:

  • Who is the author? Are they subject experts on the topic? What are their credentials?
    • Credentials could include professional expertise, community knowledge, scholarly education, personal background or experiences.
  • Is the knowledge holder or author a trusted member or representative of their community? 
    • Are they respected Elders, Knowledge Keepers, scholars, community members, or professionals?
    • What groups or communities are they affiliated with?
  • Are the perspectives of the author(s) apparent? Have its creators shared their identities or identified their biases?
  • Think about the purpose of the information. Is it to provide facts, teach, entertain, sell a product, persuade or convince?
  • When was this information created or published? Is the information outdated or relevant? Does the information's timeliness impact how you interpret it?
  • Context and format matters when choosing a resource. Ask yourself:
    • Does the resource type match what your instructor has requested? Is the information type a good fit for your topic or discipline? 
    • Does the information add to or support your research? Depending on your assignment requirements, using a variety of source formats can provide vital information to strengthen your research. Non-academic resources created by credible authors, Knowledge Keepers, scholars, and communities can also be high quality. Not all information is available in scholarly or peer-reviewed publications. For example, if you are researching a current election, you are likely to find more appropriate information in newspapers rather than scholarly articles.
  • Approach all information you use with informed skepticism. Be able to defend why you chose and trusted the source you used. 

Lateral research

If you are unsure if an information source is useful or trust-worthy, dig deeper – take time to conduct lateral research.

  • Find context and perspectives about your source from other trusted sources.
    • Look at other websites, books, news, etc. What do they say about the author or source? Do they reinforce or support the ideas presented in your source? Do they verify the author(s) have the expertise to make these claims or authority to share the information they are providing? 
  • If you are evaluating a website, investigate where it links to, and what other sites might link to it. Ask yourself, are they reputable?
  • Lateral research takes time, especially when you are new to research. If you are unsure about a resource, ask your instructor or a librarian for help!

lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories and beyond

Victoria Native Friendship Centre

Emerging Scholarship

Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL)

Camosun Library databases (not in Single Search)

Interlibrary Loans (ILLs)

If Camosun library does not have a specific article or book that you want, library staff can request it from another library.

Interlibrary loan service is provided to support research and study undertaken at Camosun and is available free to registered students, instructors and staff.

To place a request:

NOTE: There is a limit of 10 ILL requests per student per semester. There are also cost limits for individual items requested should there be a fee attached. Please review our policy should you have any questions.