Evaluating Sources

As a researcher, you will come across a wide variety of information on your topic. While you may be tempted to just grab the first pieces of information you find on your subject and head out the library door, your paper and your grade will benefit from carefully evaluating the information you find and selecting the best sources for your research. You must realize that all information will not have the same value. Your job will be to review the material to determine its usefulness and quality. To assist you in evaluating your sources, you should consider the following:

Audience Who is the intended audience? Are they scholars, professionals, students, public? Does the writing style match the intended audience? Does the source request some kind of action from the audience? Does it incite some sort of response?	Relevant Does the source adequately cover your topic? How detailed is it? Could you understand what was being said? How does it fit in with your topic? Does the source change your original ideas about the topic?
Reliable Where did you find the information? Is it a popular or scholarly source? Who is the publisher? A professional organization? The government? A company? Are both sides of the argument mentioned or addressed? Are references given? Is there any way to verify the information presented? Has information been excluded that you expected to see?	Timely How old is the information? Has it been updated or replaced with more current information? Is historical research appropriate for your topic?

Scholarly vs. Popular

Information Sources are generally written for either a popular or scholarly audience. You will want to look for information at a level appropriate for your research. A a scholarly journal and a popular magazine will have completely different perspectives on the same topic.

Scholarly sources are usually viewed as having more authority. Scholarly sources:

are written by experts in a field
are reviewed and evaluated by other experts or peers
represent the results of scholarly research

Articles from the popular press are viewed as having less credibility. Popular sources:

are written by authors who may have no expertise in a particular field
are not reviewed or evaluated by experts in that field
may represent a less expert point of view
are published more quickly

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