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III. Evaluating Resources


A. Things to consider when evaluating a specific resource:

Author — What are the author’s credentials? Is the author cited elsewhere? Is the author an expert in this area? Is the author associated with an institution or organization?

Publication Date — When was the source published? Generally speaking, recency of publication matters more in the sciences than in the humanities.

Publisher — Was the source published by a university press? This usually means that the source is a scholarly publication that contains reliable information.

Journal Title — Is your article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal or a popular magazine? Is it a primary or a secondary source?

Intended Audience — Who is the primary audience of the work? Is it written at an appropriate level for your research? Or is it too complex or too simplistic for your needs?

Objective Reasoning — Is the work fact-based and can it be verifiably supported? Or is it opinion-based and primarily the author’s interpretation of the facts?

Coverage — Does your source substantially cover the subject matter? Does it substantiate, update, or add new information to existing research?

Writing Style — Is the source easy to read and organized well? Is it easy to understand the author’s main points?

Evaluative Reviews — What do reviewers think about your author’s work? Has it created any controversy? Has it opened a new area for research or added valuable information to existing research?

B. Things to consider when evaluating your resources as a whole group:

Diversity — Do you cite from a variety of source types, such as books, scholarly journals, reliable Internet sites (if allowed by your instructor)? Do you cite from primary or a secondary sources?

Quantity – Do you have enough resources to support your thesis or argument? Can you cite varying points of view and types of material?

Quality – To assess the quality (validity) of your sources, consider the following: 

                   – The tone and purpose of the publication. 

                   – Does the author make assumptions? Can/does the author support
                      conclusions?

Other Resources — Do your sources document their work by citing other reliable sources in their reference lists?

Diversity — Do you cite from a variety of source types, such as books, scholarly journals, reliable Internet sites (if allowed by your instructor)? Do you cite from primary or a secondary sources?

Quantity — Do you have enough resources to support your thesis or argument? Can you cite varying points of view and types of material?

Other Resources — Do your sources document their work by citing other reliable sources in their reference lists?

 

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