In evaluating sources, you must be critical in discerning the credibility, reliability, accuracy of any given source.  Ask basic questions of a source:

1. What type of source is it (print, database, electronic media, etc.)?
2. Who is the author?  What credentials does she/he have? Where has she/he been published?  Is she/he a scholar, professor associated with a respected, reputable institution?
3. How current is the source?  When was it published, and where?
4. Who’s the intended audience?
5. Is the source primary or secondary?  Is it current in the field or discipline?
6. Does it suit your needs?  Will it lend support and credence to your own project (essay, thesis, dissertation, freelance article, etc.)?

Beware of online sources. With the onslaught of electronic media, and the Internet in particular, everyone is a pundit, and expert, or a sudden scholar. Remember that anyone can post online, or put up his or her own website. Online material is especially mutable, and ever changing. Evaluation of such sources is scant at best. Find out for yourself if a source seems suspect, or of questionable credibility.

The following expands upon the basic questions required of all sources, with a separate section on evaluating Internet sources.

Evaluating Your Sources

Adapted from Olin & Uris Libraries of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY and New York University Libraries Tutorial

I.  Types of Sources: book, periodical, scholarly journal, magazine, broadcast, visual, electronic media, etc.

It may seem obvious, but what type of source is it?  Is it print, electronic, or visual media?  Defining the source may help determine its credibility.  Where did you find it – at the library, in a bookstore, on television, in a museum, or on the Internet?  Maybe you want to use a visual or audio source, such as a film, a painting, or a recording (symphony, song).  As every source is different, remember to research the source itself.  

For instance, if you use a journal, periodical, or a magazine, determine if the journal or periodical is scholarly, academic, or simply a mainstream, popular culture magazine.  There exist various levels of complexity and clarity in conveyance of ideas and information.  Obviously, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) differs greatly from People Magazine.

The Author

1. Who is the author?  What are his or her credentials, and affiliations?  Is she or he an expert in the field?  What else has this person published?

2. Where else has the author been published or cited?  Has your instructor mentioned her/his name?  If an author is respected in her field, she will likely have been cited or referred to by other scholars.  Take note of how often this author has appeared in various sources.

3. Is the author associated with a reputable institution, university, or organization?  If so, then determine the values, goals, or agenda of that institution.

Publication Date & Relevance

1. Find out when the source was published.  This information is often located on the face of the title page underneath the publisher’s name; if not, find the copyright date opposite (or on the reverse of) the title page.

2. How relevant is the source to your topic or research?  For instance, areas such as the sciences require continuing, changing, and current information.  Disciplines such as the humanities may depend on material written years ago.

Revision or New Edition

Determine whether the publication is a first or revised edition.  Revised editions are often updated and so will reflect further developments in the field. Several printings may show that a work has become an accepted, reliable, and standard source in the field.

Publisher

If the publisher of a given source is a university press or a respected scholarly journal in the field, then it’s most likely dependable and legitimate.  While a publisher’s reputation does not guarantee any sources quality, it does indicate that the publisher has a high regard for the source.

II. Analyzing Source Content

The next step is to examine the content of the source you want to use.  To glean an overview of the material contained and covered by the source, scan the table of contents, the index, and the bibliographies in the back.  Read the preface and any chapters or sections which concern your topic.  The table of contents of a magazine or journal may also indicate whether the source is relevant or what you want.  A bibliography at the end of an article demonstrates that an author (or authors) has prepared her or his work carefully and critically.

Audience

Who is the author addressing?  Is the source or publication aimed at a general or specific audience?  Decide if the source seems too technical, too advanced, too elementary, or idea for your goals.

Reasoning

Is the material factual, opinion-based, biased, or simply propaganda?  Facts can usually be verified, though anyone can manipulate them too.  Opinions, which can often be based on factual detail, interpret those facts.  Beware of skilled writers, who often can manipulate and masquerade opinion as fact.

Information should be well-researched and supported by facts.  If material is presented as truth but lacks crucial evidence, the source may be flawed.

Arguments may or may not correspond with other works you have read on the topic.  Whether an author agrees with commonly held perspectives, points of view, and positions is irrelevant.  It neither confirms nor disproves his or her ideas.  Always question and scrutinize a writer’s ideas and arguments, so that you may arrive at your own based upon evidence.  Resist accepting any single idea as truth.

Consider the author’s point of view and tone.  Is he impartial and objective, or biased and emotionally driven? 

Coherence and Credibility

Determine whether or not the source expands, elaborates upon, or updates other sources or publications you have read in the field or on your topic.  Examine sufficient sources to gather various viewpoints on the topic.

Is the source primary or secondary?  Primary sources represent the raw material of the research process, and secondary sources are based upon primary ones.  The writings, diaries, or letters of Mr. Magoo, for instance, would be primary sources;  encyclopedia entries, books or films about him, biographies, or scholarly articles would represent secondary sources.  Do not rely on either primary or secondary sources alone – try to use a combination of balanced source materials.

Writing Style

It’s crucial that the source, book or article is written in a coherent, logical manner.  Make certain that the main ideas, points, and arguments are clearly presented.  If the text is difficult to read, understand, or follow, or if the author’s argument is repetitive, then the source may be neither relevant nor effective for your topic.

Other Reviews

If time allows, find other reviews of your source to determine if it is valuable and credible.  If you read a negative review of a source which mentions other books that might be more appropriate for your topic, locate them.  Compare reviewers’ agreement (or disagreement) on the attributes of your source. 

Evaluating Internet Sources

(Adapted from “Analyzing Electronic Sources”, University of South Florida Libraries, Tampa, FL)

If you must use electronic sources, then consider the following:

With the advent of the Internet, everyone believes himself to be an expert.  Since anyone can build a web page or a site, it becomes difficult to discern who any given author is and what exactly her or his credentials are in the field, and what, if anything, he or she has published of any import.  Also, sources are fluid and vulnerable, meaning they can change in an instant.  Most importantly, the content of any source which appears in cyberspace has probably not been evaluated before it has been posted or placed on a web site, leading to questions of accuracy, professional ethics, or dependability. 

Graduate students should know better than to blindly trust the Internet as a reliable resource. Often it’s best to use Internet sources, which are electronic versions of sources already in print. You can easily access library catalogues, for instance, but you must still evaluate the print sources before integrating them into your writing. There are some reputable, peer-reviewed online journals; they should be evaluated using the same criterea as you would use for print journals.

Use common sense and extra caution when using information from the Internet.  In the case of the web, don’t believe anything you read.  You must evaluate such information thoroughly, to make certain it’s either accurate or concrete to begin with.   There is some good information out there, but much of it is junk.  Where possible, avoid using the Internet and use print sources first.

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