Evaluating Sources

Learn to look critically at everything.

Categorize—what is this thing?

• A magazine or journal article?
• A newspaper article?
• A chapter from a book (or an entire book)?
• A government document?
• A web page (not a journal or newspaper on the Web)?
• Something else?

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 v. Scholarly Journals

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

• What do you know about it?
• Check Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
• Check Magazines for Libraries
• Is this an editorial, op-ed, or news article?
• Do they cite their sources and can you verify that information

Books

• Find book reviews in general article, newspaper, and related subject-specific databases
• Watch for a bias in the reviewing source

Government Documents

• Good for statistics
• Trust the government agency/administration which produced it?

Websites (Link to guide)

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.