Encyclopedia vs Wikipedia

An encyclopedia's Information is more credible than that of Wikipedia as there is a more official process to get a printed encyclopedia entry published vs the process of getting a Wikipedia entry 'published'. However, I have found that Wikipedia has a plethora of useful information which is constantly being kept up to date. Wikipedia is also extremely accessible. I am much more likely to use Wikipedia online vs using a writen encyclopedia or even an online encyclopedia.

On the online SCSU library website I was not sure how to search withing printed encyclopedias. I was, however, able to find entries by simply walking over to the encyclopedia section of the library and opening a few of them and looking up Wicca entries.

Also, by using Sage Refence through the SCSU Library website, I was able to find 36 entries on Wicca in online encyclopedias. I went to Library > Ebooks > Sage Reference Online > Advanced Search > Search Within Encyclopedias > and entered my topic.

In comparison with Wikipedia, the encyclopedia entries offered many different interpretations and definitions of what Wicca was. If offered dozens of research studies done my dozens of different people, whereas Wikipedia seemed to offer one definition. Although it was a very educational, indepth definition that offered different dates, influences, important people, and affects of society. Both encyclopedias and Wikipedia are two very useful forms of gathering knowledge, although I love Wikipedia and will definitely be using it in my research, I have come to also find the usefulness of encyclopedias as well, and feel that my research would not be complete without their influence.

OPAC Experience

My topic which I am researching is the religion of Wicca. I am trying to find out specific practices and rituals that are involved in the practice of Wicca, and I also want to identify the misconceptions associated

with this religion, for I believe it is widely misunderstood, by me as well.
Right now I am still looking for general information about Wiccans. I want to understand the general foundation of the practice, then I will research specific aspect of how the general community receives the religion.
To find the book, "Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America", which is a book I am referencing to help me better understand the religion, I went to the SCSU library website and typed "Wicca" into the search bar, and typed in "2005 -2011" into the date section so I could find a recent document. Then I searched. I scanned through the different results and came across this one, which seemed relevant and useful. I checked its availability, I read where its general location was and wrote down the call number, then went and retrieved it. I have never used a library before, so this was a new experience for me, and I am glad that it went smoothly.
I searched for ebooks on the OPAC as well as on Google and found pertinent books in both places, however, I have found the reading a physical paper book is easier for me than reading a book on my computer. I do not have a mobile device that I could read an ebook on, so if I want to read the ebooks, it has to be done on my laptop or at a computer in the library. However, having the option of ebooks opened a window to a lot more information about the Wicca religion, and like it or not, I plan on using them in my research.
I went to the Great River Regional Library website and found it to be a little less user friendly, though it may just have been because I was not used to it. when I searched 'Wicca religion", I got a lot of results that were noneducational, such as children books and things like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" full collection! However, I did find one result that I am interested in, I may try to find a copy of it here at SCSU or on the Internet, and if I can not find it there, I plan on reading some reviews on it and if it seems worth it, I will check it out at the Great River Regional Library.

What I assume to be true about Wiccans in Minnesota

I would like to learn more about Wicca, what contemporary Wiccans stand for/what they believe, what kind of persecution they experience and why, and how popular this religion is in Minnesota. I chose this group of people because I know very little about them and feel there are a lot of misunderstandings associated with Wicca.

Media, specifically movies, always portrays Witchcraft as an evil religion, with people cursing others and placing "hexes" on them, riding brooms sticks in the night sky, and concocting magical potions. Naturally I have grown to assume that Wicca was just a fantasized fictional religion that was possibly based on some spec of truth. But occasionally I come across short articles about Wicca that tells a whole different story. I do not know exactly what that story is other than it is very different from the one that we can gather from the media.

I believe there will be a fair amount of information available that will discuss what contemporary practiced Wicca is, making research easy, but I may find difficulty learning about Wiccans in Minnesota, their population, and if there are any differences in their practices here in Minnesota versus other parts of the country.

What is critical thinking

Critical thinking is our ability as humans to come to a conclusion without relying on mere natural instincts, but using thought and reason based on evidence instead.

I have heard this term used throughout my childhood in school. In my math book there were small text boxes with word problems labeled "Critical Thinking". And 'thinking critically' was something my mom always drilled into my head. I also took philosophy 194-critical reasoning, which talked a lot about thinking critically.

St Cloud State University professor, Dr. Shaffer, defines Critical thinking as:

"...critical thinking/good scientific methodology can be simply defined as the methods of belief formation, evaluation, and maintenance that ground beliefs in objective (observational) evidence and argument so that the chances of generating all and only true beliefs are maximized."

https://stcloudstate.ims.mnscu.edu/d2l/common/viewFile.d2lfile/Database/MjMxNjY1MzY/Critical%20Thinking%20Introductory%20Lecture%20AU.doc?ou=1527434

As you can see in the definition, and also by clicking on the link and reading further into Dr Shaffer's definition, Shaffer says that beliefs must be ground in 'objective' truths, and we must form a belief, evaluate the belief's objective validity, then maintain it's accuracy by judging it against common known facts and current science.

The connection between IM 204 and critical thinking is that to successfully complete research, we as researchers must be constantly thinking critically and use reason and facts when reviewing data. Then, we use these facts in our writings in order to find truth. Because that is what research is all about, finding the truth.

Hello

Hello all,
I hope this class will improve my research skills, aiding me in other classes. I am one of the many nursing students in this class. I enjoy writing to an extent but this format will be a new experience for me.