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I need to evaluate the sources I’ve found so far. I’ve got a
whole pile of sources, print and electronic, that address alcoholism as a
disease or from a psychological perspective. But how can I be sure of the
information contained in these sources?
Here are some evaluation criteria you need to use to
decide if the information is credible:
-
Publisher / Producer: WHO is responsible for
having created the information source? Is that
individual, those individuals, or that
organization WELL-RESPECTED, or at least
academically REPUTABLE? Is there an "agenda"
that renders a source less than objective?
-
Level
/ Quality: Does the source present
information clearly? Does it target a
college-level audience? Is it "peer reviewed",
indicating high academic quality?
 |
A
"peer reviewed" article is one that
has been carefully screened for
accuracy, objectivity, scholarliness,
etc., by subject experts and an
editorial review board. Only after
meeting high standards does a "peer
reviewed" article get published in a
scholarly journal. Therefore, any "peer
reviewed" article you use in your paper
will be of virtually unquestionable
academic quality. |
-
Author: What are the author's credentials?
Has she published previously on the topic? Are
there other indicators that this author is a
subject expert?
-
Date
of Publication: Are there indicators that
the source contains current information? Or
indicators that an older source has been
updated.
-
Source: Is the source unbiased,
non-judgmental, objective? Does it reflect a
political or commercial "agenda" that renders it
biased? Is it devoid of opinion in favor of
academically desirable fact?
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|
The following criteria is important when evaluating web
sites that you may want to use in your paper:
-
Purpose of the site: Has the site been developed
for commercial reasons? Is the domain (end of url) a .com or
.net? While some reliable information can come from these
sites you will need to verify the information from a more credible
resource--one that is research based and not trying to sell a product.
.COM'S and .NET'S SHOULD NOT BE DOCUMENTED IN YOUR
PAPER UNLESS THE INFORMATION COMES FROM A LIBRARY DATABASE, such as
Proquest or Academic Search Premier.
-
.org's need to be examined for bias, however,
many are research-based and provide reliable information. .edu's
can also be reliable sources but need to be examined to make sure that
the information you want to cite in your paper is not student work
posted on a college or university web site.
-
Is the site being maintained? Has it been updated
recently? Do all the links work? Are there misspelled words?
|
Here's a brief quiz for
you to take that will assess your knowledge of criteria to use when determining
the validity of an information source.
|
|
 |
Choose the sources you are most likely to use in your paper,
at least 5 of the items on your Working Bibliography. No
more than 2 of the 5 can be Web sites, so at least 3 of the
sources you choose must be books or periodical articles.
Select one of these sources and fill out the worksheet.
Submit your assignment to your
instructor
according to your instructor's
directions. |
Books & Periodicals
worksheet |
Web Site worksheet
END OF PART IV.
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