User talk:MinervaK

'''GREETINGS VISITORS: I'm a rebel, so I prefer to have new sections posted at the TOP of this page rather than the bottom. Discussion within sections can go top-to-bottom as usual. Thanks! MinervaK (talk) 23:40, 21 September 2011 (UTC)'''

2011 query
Hi I finally answered your query on Talk:Shawnee. Regards, Til Eulenspiegel /talk/ 05:26, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

Reliable sources
Hello Minerva.

As you write the Cornstalk article and others, you'll want to review the guideline WP:Identifying reliable sources. Some of the sources you've used so far don't really qualify as reliable sources. The best sources for a subject like this are those written by modern historians who have had work published in peer-reviewed journals. We cannot use web sources such as this one, though they can be used to discover other sources. Ohio History Central is a questionable source; use the sources they cite instead. Many academic historians consider the books by Allan Eckert to be unreliable historical novels, so you'll want to steer clear of those for Wikipedia purposes. Very old sources such as Foote and Howe should be used with caution, if at all.

How to find the good sources? One good way is to start with an encyclopedia article written by a noted historian and published by a university press. These articles will often point you to additional reliable sources. You'll want to use Cornstalk's entries in American National Biography and American Indian Biographies. And check out Council Fires on the Upper Ohio by Downes (somewhat old) and The Shawnees and the war for America by Colin G. Calloway.

This may seem daunting, but it gets easier. Distinguishing reliable sources from unreliable ones is a skill that most new Wikipedians must learn. Let me know if you have questions. Cheers! —Kevin Myers 18:25, 4 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Thanks, Kevin -- I'm working on the article off-line and hope to have an updated bibliography ready soon. I wrote to Eckert to see if he'd tell me where he got the info about the young Cornstalk at Greenbrier Creek in 1727 -- haven't heard back from him yet. Would be nice to find something usable there. I actually have a copy of Calloway, I agree it's a good resource. Downes was written in 1969 (? I think) -- just curious why it's seen as more reliable than more recent stuff? MinervaK (talk) 18:29, 4 July 2011 (UTC)


 * P.S. to Kevin -- what's your opinion on the Draper manuscripts? Useful in this case or not? It's a lot of stuff to plow through, and not sure it's worth it. Thx MinervaK (talk) 18:56, 4 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Downes actually wrote his book back in 1940. He was a generation ahead of other white historians, and perhaps the first to drop the term "savages" when referring to American Indians. His book is somewhat outdated, but was cited as the standard source by other academic historians for half a century afterwards, and is sometimes still cited. He's not more reliable than more modern academic historians like Calloway, John Sugden, or Richard White, but is still more "reliable" (by Wikpedia's definition of the term) than Eckert or amateur history on the Internet.


 * The Draper manuscripts are important, but we cannot use them as a major source on Wikipedia, per WP:PRIMARY. The manuscripts are a collection of primary sources and recollections, some of them reliable, some of them not. We have to rely on historians to sort out which documents are reliable and which are not. But you can cite Lyman Draper's short biography of Cornstalk, which was the best of its era. —Kevin Myers 19:07, 4 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Whew, I think I may have really misinterpreted how to use sources here... just went back and reverted parts of the Cornstalk page to remove inappropriate edits I'd previously made based on primary sources. Spent too many years writing papers for graduate school. Thanks for the guidance -- MinervaK (talk) 01:30, 5 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Yeah, writing on Wikipedia is more like being a reporter than a historian. Basically you're a reporter, and the historians (rather than the primary sources) are your main sources for the story. It took me awhile to figure that out. But you can use primary sources sparingly, often to get the full quote of something partially quoted by a historian. As long as you're not interpreting the primary source yourself, don't be afraid to quote from them a little bit. —Kevin Myers 01:55, 5 July 2011 (UTC)

A kitten for ME!
MinervaK (talk) 07:54, 30 July 2011 (UTC) 

Re: Gil Birmingham page
Thank you kindly MinervaK, your co-operation has been greatly appreciated. Keep up the good work, and happy editing. :) -- WikHead (talk) 04:01, 3 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Cool! Thank you very much for the kitten :) This one is extra special to me as he looks just like a tiny version of my kitty and best friend Gus, who sadly got out of the house on June 1 and never came back home. My talk page will forever keep little Gussy fresh in my thoughts. -- WikHead (talk) 07:04, 3 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Sorry to hear about Gus. We have four cats and they are like my little brothers and sisters. MinervaK (talk) 08:11, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
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