For many academic research projects, instructors will require that you research many different types of resources. Often it is difficult to recognize the value of a particular resource. Below is a list of six criteria for evaluating resources, and questions or topics that you should consider when identifying the best and most appropriate books, articles, and web sites for your research.
Remember that, unlike books and articles which are approved by publishers, web sites can be created by anyone and made available on the Web freely. That means that even children create web sites on many topics, so you need to consider the following criteria and questions carefully.
Criteria | Books | Articles | Websites |
ACCURACY |
--Is there a table of contents? |
--Does it include footnotes and a bibliography? |
--Does it include footnotes and a bibliography? |
AUTHORITY |
--Does it identify the author? Is there biographical information or do you need to look elsewhere? Is the author an expert in the field? Is s/he associated with an organization that does research on this topic? --Who is the publisher? Is it a university press, a commercial publisher, a professional or trade association, the government, or is it self-published? |
--Does it identify the author? Is there biographical information or do you need to look elsewhere? Is the author an expert in the field? Is s/he associated with an organization that does research on this topic? --In what type of journal/magazine does the article appear? Is it a scholarly journal, trade journal, or a magazine? |
--Does it identify the author? Is there biographical information or do you need to look elsewhere? Is the author an expert in the field? Is s/he associated with an organization that does research on this topic? What does the domain name tell you about the location of the web site .edu = educational institutions |
OBJECTIVITY Are any political/ ideological agendas hidden to disguise its purpose? Do they use a misleading name or other means to do this? |
--Who is the intended audience? Is the book for general readers? Students? Researchers?
--Is there a preface or introduction to identify objectives? |
--Who is the intended audience? Is the article in a publication that is written for general readers? students? researchers?
--What are the affiliations of the author? |
--Who is the intended audience? Is the web site written for children? general readers? researchers?
--What are the affiliations of the author? |
CURRENCY |
--What is the copyright date (located on the title page)?
--How current are the sources listed in the bibliography (dates)? |
--What is the date of the article?
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--Are the dates listed?
--When was the web site first created? --When was the last time that the web site was revised? --Are the links still viable? Do any linked sites identified still exist? |
COVERAGE |
--Is there a table of contents? an index?
--Is the book organized logically and/or in a manner which makes it easy to understand? --Are there appendices to supplement the main text? |
--What are the affiliations of the author? |
--Are there clear headings to indicate an outline to determine what aspects of the topic are covered? --Is navigation within the web site clear? --Does the article cover the topic comprehensively, partially, or is it an overview? Is it primary, secondary, or tertiary information? |
RELEVANCY |
--Does the book support or refute an argument? --Is it really research? or just commentary? |
--Does the article support or refute an argument?
--Does the article give examples? survey results? research findings? case studies? --Is it really research? or just commentary? |
--Does the web site support or refute an argument? --Is it really research? or just commentary? --Does it cover the topic as well as other types of sources (books, articles, etc.)? |
"Peer review" is the process through which experts in a field of study examine and assess the quality of articles before they are published.
Sometimes the terms "refereed" or "scholarly" are used instead of "peer reviewed". Library databases often have an indicator or even a search results filter for scholarly or peer-reviewed.
One way to check if a journal is peer-reviewed is to search for the journal's home page on the web. The main page often indicates this; if it doesn't, look for article submission guidelines that would describe the journal's review process.
Another way to identify Peer reviewed journals is in the following source: