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Every resource, whether it is a book, an article, or a web site, must be evaluated to determine its quality and its relevance
to your topic. The following criteria can help you evaluate books and articles you find in the University Libraries or via
its web site.
Author's Credentials
Can you determine the author's credentials (such as education background, current position, etc.)? Is the author qualified
to write authoritatively on a certain topic? To learn more about an author's credentials, consult the appropriate topic in
QuickQuest, the University Libraries' online research pathfinders. Select the topic (Biography: General; Biography: Literary; or Biography:
Science & Math) from the pull-down menu to explore a variety of sources that contain biographical information and may help
you determine the author's background and expertise in a subject.
Date of Publication
When was the book or article published? Are you able to use older information or does it need to be as current as possible?
Information in the sciences is updated frequently, and research on scientific topics demands up-to-date information. However,
research in the humanities and some social sciences is not so dependent on currency of information, and older materials may
prove extremely appropriate.
Publisher
Do you recognize the name of the publisher? Probably not. There are thousands of publishers, and it is impossible to know
the reputations of all of them. In general, if the publisher is a university press, such as Oxford University Press, the source
is scholarly. Other publishers have excellent reputations and are well known in certain disciplines.
Type of Publication
If you are doing research in periodical literature, it is critical to determine if the article you are looking at is from
a scholarly, popular, or trade publication. Typically, you will be asked to use articles from peer-reviewed scholarly journals
because articles in them have already been carefully evaluated by specialists in the field. To learn more about the various
types of publications, consult Scholarly Journals, Popular Magazines, and Trade Publications.
Intended Audience
Who did the author write the work for? Other specialists in the field? The general population? Knowing the intended audience
of a book or an article can help you determine its appropriateness for your research. If the author intended his or her work
to be enjoyed by the general public, it may not be sufficiently scholarly for your purposes. However, if the targeted readers
are other experts in an esoteric field, you may have trouble following the discussion. Determine if the intended audience
of a source is right for your needs.
Objectivity/Bias
It is sometimes quite difficult to distinguish solid research and logical arguments from propaganda. When reading material,
ask yourself if the assumptions the author makes are reasonable and grounded in fact and research, not emotion. Can you determine
if the author has researched extensively in this field? Or are his or her sources difficult to verify? It is wise to look
at an author's choice of words. Learn to recognize when you are being subjected to propaganda or when an author is playing
on your emotions.
Content
Does the material cover your topic as you thought it would? If it covers your research topic only marginally, you may need
to select other sources. Does it provide background information or does it focus on a more specific area or problem? What
does this source add to what you already know about your topic? Is it updating what has been established in a field? Have
you read similar facts and interpretations in other sources? Remember, you will need to consult a number of sources to get
a well-balanced understanding of your topic. You may also need to determine whether a source is primary or secondary. Consult
Primary and Secondary Sources for detailed information about the differences between these types of sources.
Reviews
Evaluative reviews can assist you in critiquing library materials. Evaluative reviews of books and articles are almost always
written by other experts in a field or discipline. Also, evaluative reviews often mention other comparable works and assess
an article's or book's scholarly contributions to the discipline. To locate evaluative reviews, consider using these resources:
- QuickQuest
Select the topic "Book Reviews" from the pull-down menu to explore a variety of sources that contain book reviews.
- Book Review Digest
Search this research database by the title of a book or its author's name. It includes materials published from 1983-present.
Assistance
If you have any questions about evaluating print sources, please contact one of our Reference/Information Desks, or email Ask-A-Librarian.
Boolean Operators | Evaluating Web Pages | Magazines and Journals | Primary and Secondary Sources | Truncation and Wild Cards | Word and Subject Searching
Questions or Comments? Contact
Catherine Cardwell, Library Instruction Coordinator
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