Evaluating Resources

• Author — What are the author’s credentials? Is the author cited elsewhere? Is the author an expert in this area? Is the author associated with an institution or organization?
• Publication Date — When was the source published? Generally speaking, recency of publication matters more in the sciences than in the humanities.
• Publisher — Was the source published by a university press? This usually means that the source is a scholarly publication that contains reliable information.
• Journal Title — Is your article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal or a popular magazine? Is it a primary or a secondary source?
• Intended Audience — Who is the primary audience of the work? Is it written at an appropriate level for your research? Or is it too complex or too simplistic for your needs?
• Objective Reasoning — Is the work fact-based and can it be verifiably supported? Or is it opinion-based and primarily the author’s interpretation of the facts?
• Coverage — Does your source substantially cover the subject matter? Does it substantiate, update, or add new information to existing research?
• Writing Style — Is the source easy to read and organized well? Is it easy to understand the author’s main points?
• Evaluative Reviews — What do reviewers think about your author’s work? Has it created any controversy? Has it opened a new area for research or added valuable information to existing research?

• Diversity — Do you cite from a variety of source types, such as books, scholarly journals, reliable Internet sites (if allowed by your instructor)? Do you cite from primary or a secondary sources?
• Quantity – Do you have enough resources to support your thesis or argument? Can you cite varying points of view and types of material?
• Quality – To assess the quality (validity) of your sources, consider the following: 
  • The tone and purpose of the publication. 
  • Does the author make assumptions? Can/does the author support conclusions?
• Other Resources — Do your sources document their work by citing other reliable sources in their reference lists?
• Diversity — Do you cite from a variety of source types, such as books, scholarly journals, reliable Internet sites (if allowed by your instructor)? Do you cite from primary or a secondary sources?
• Quantity — Do you have enough resources to support your thesis or argument? Can you cite varying points of view and types of material?
• Other Resources — Do your sources document their work by citing other reliable sources in their reference lists?