Once you start finding sources, you'll need to evaluate each one to decide whether it's right for your project.
For each source you'll need to evaluate...
- The purpose of the text: Remember, newspapers, magazines, reference entries, etc. are written with different audiences and purposes in mind. The type of source will give you a hint on its purpose.
- The publication date: Was this published recently enough to be relevant to your topic.
- The depth or level of detail: Is this overview of a broad topic or a report of detailed research.
- The evidence: How does the author provide evidence to support the claims?
- The author’s credentials: What kind of expertise does the author have on this subject? Is it the right kind of expertise for your research project?
Evaluation is a skill that requires critical thinking and practice. We’ll touch on some examples in this module, but there’s a lot that can’t be covered in an online automated tutorial like this one.
Let's examine an article and evaluate it on the next page.