Before you even read a book or article, look at the following:
If you decide to read the book or article, look at the following:
For information on evaluating web pages, see the Web Site Evaluation Checklist.
1. Is the author qualified to write this piece?
- Where does he or she work? Institutional affiliation is often listed in databases and should be listed in a publication.
- What is the author’s educational background? PhD., MA, JD: This may be listed in the publication, but you might have to do some digging.
- Can you find biographical information in the publication or other sources?
2. Is the author well known in the field?
- Have you heard the author’s name mentioned by instructors?
- Is the author's work cited in other sources or bibliographies?
- A field’s top scholars are cited frequently by other scholars. You should always skim bibliographies and note names that appear in many sources.
3. Is the author from a respected institution or organization?
- Take a moment to learn about the institution especially if is one you’ve never heard of. Most organizations have web sites, but there are also print reference tools which can be useful.
- What are the institution’s goals and values? Could they cloud or bias the person’s research and views?
1. When was it published?
2. Is it out-of-date for your topic?
Depending on the subject area, you may need current research or historical information. As a general rule, the sciences rely more on current research while the humanities often rely just as heavily on historical research.
Are you looking at an article from a scholarly or popular journal? This distinction is very important.
Sometimes a database will tell you by labeling it "Peer Reviewed" or "Scholarly. See Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Literature for more help with this or ask a librarian at the reference desk for assistance.
When you are reading, look at the following:
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is the writing too specialized to understand or too general to be of use?
- Determine if it is a popular, general, or specialized source and how this effects the sources utility before spending too much time on it.
1. Are you reading something that is factual, opinion, or propaganda?
- Fact: Information can be verified and is well backed up with quality data and references.
- Opinion: Based on fact but uses facts to formulate a unique interpretation.
- Propaganda: An opinion that is very biased and attempts to present only one opinion on a topic in order to change your beliefs.
2. Are the arguments and conclusions supported by appropriate sources, data, and research?
3. Is the author objective and impartial in her or his presentation?
4. Does the article fit well with the rest of the literature on the topic or deviate wildly?
1. If it is a book, look for reviews of the work in sources such as Book Review Digest and Periodical Index.
- Does it get a positive review?
- How does it contribute to the field?
- What works is it compared to and how favorably? Is it controversial?
| This service is maintained by The Ames Library. Please contact us with any problems or suggestions. Last revised: August 31, 2006 |