Evaluating
Print and Electronic Sources
An important step in the
research process is to evaluate the print and electronic sources that you
locate. The quality of the sources you use will determine the quality
and reliability of your paper.
General Hints
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Be sure to follow your instructor's
guidelines on the type of materials that are required for the assignment.
For instance, you may be required to use articles from scholarly publications,
not popular magazines.
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Be aware that although an article
or book has been published, in print or electronic format, it does not
guarantee that it is a reliable source.
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Remember that anyone
can publish information on the web and claim to be an expert.
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A professional looking web page
does not determine the quality and reliability of the content.
Print Sources
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Select information that
is recent unless you are conducting historical research.
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Examine the author's credentials.
Is this person an expert in the field? You may want to consult Science
Citation Index to locate other articles or books by this author.
Are the journals that this author published in reputable in the field?
Are reviews of this author's work favorable/disputed?
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Articles found in professional
journals are normally peer reviewed and can therefore be considered a reliable
source.
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Are the methods used in the
study valid? Does it use a reliable test method?
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Do the results and interpretations
of the data seem valid and reasonable based on the results of the study?
Are the results significant?
Electronic Sources
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Articles found on the World
Wide Web need to be evaluated critically. Remember that anyone can
post information to the web - and make it look credible!!
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Consider whether the site is
affiliated with an institution, company, or organization. If so, measure
whether this adds credibility to the information or creates a bias.
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Take note of when the site was
last modified or updated.
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Avoid sites that appear to be
advertising a product or a service.
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