The first step in evaluating
a source is to categorize it. You should ask yourself, what is this
thing? Is it...
Once you have categorized it, it becomes easier to figure out how
to evaluate it. There are specific criteria to look at in the process
of determining the quality and usability of each of these types of
items.
Magazines and Journals
If it looks like a magazine or journal article, you should try to
determine whether it is from a popular magazine or a scholarly journal.
Some clues:
|
Scholarly Journals: |
- Stuffed with ads.
- Visually stimulating (colors, etc.)
- No bibliographies or lists of references.
|
- No ads.
- Bland appearance.
- Bibliographies and author credentials given.
|
If you believe what you
have is a magazine, you will need to check for any particular bias
or slant it might have. Sometimes it is obvious from the cover. For
example, if you take a look at an issue of "The American Prospect"
or "The American Spectator" you will probably be able to
discern a political bias. When you are looking at a single article,
however, particularly if it is an article full-text online, you lack
the context of the entire issue of the journal, and it may be more
difficult to tell. In that case, you should look the journal up in
Magazines for Libraries, also kept behind the Research Assistance
Desk.
If you believe what you have is a journal article, the next step
is to ascertain whether it is from a "refereed" (a.k.a.
"peer-reviewed") journal.
To be accepted in a refereed/peer reviewed journal, an article must
be approved by a group of experts in the field. This guarantees a
higher level of scholarship and more accurate information. There are
several ways to discover this.
- Some databases include
a "limit" feature, usually a box that you click to limit
your search to refereed journals.
- If you did not limit
your search ahead of time, you can check Ulrich's (kept
behind the Research Assistance Desk) to see if the journal is refereed.
Most of your research should
come from scholarly journals, rather than magazines. There are times,
however, when magazines are OK to consult, particularly if you are
trying to determine how an issue is presented to the general public.
If in doubt, you should clarify this with your professor.
Newspapers
Many newspapers you'll know are trustworthy just from the title.
For example, the New York Times is fine to use, as are the Washington
Post and Wall Street Journal. If you have not heard of it, you should
ask yourself the following questions to determine trustworthiness:
- Does the Furman Library subscribe to is, or was it included in
a library subscription database? --These are good indicators that
it is reputable.
- Does your article have a by-line? --That is, is anyone willing
to take credit for it?
- What section of the paper was it from? --Articles from the editorial
or op-ed sections need to be examined for bias and the source of
their information.
You can also check the Gale Directory (kept behind the Research Assistance
Desk) to see…
- How large the circulation is
- How long they've been around
- What type of paper they are
Books
Book reviews can help you evaluate the trustworthiness of books.
There are lots of sources for finding book reviews. For recent books
(published in the last 10-20 years, try:
- Academic Search Premier
- Expanded Academic Index
- Book Review Digest
- Lexis Nexis
- A subject-specific database related to the subject of the book.
For older books, you can try
- Book Review Index (in print in the Index Collection)
- Reader's Guide Retrospective
- New York Times Historical
- Washington Post Historical
Remember to watch for a bias in the reviewing source too! A liberal
book will get a very different review in a conservative magazine than
it will in a neutral journal or a liberal magazine, for example.
Government Documents
You can typically trust a government document as much (or as little)
as you trust the government agency that produced it (for non-paranoid/conspiracy-theory
types). Remember to watch for any bias that the government agency
might have. Also be aware of how old the government document is. There
is a tremendous amount of outdated government information, so unless
you are doing historical research, look for recent information.
Go
to Evaluating Websites
Something
Else?
If your source doesn't seem to fit into any of the above categories,
your best bet will be to talk to your professor or a librarian about
whether it is trustworthy.
Remember, determining the quality of your resources is ultimately
your responsibility, so if you have any doubts (and you should often
doubt!) investigate it further.
