(books, e-books, online magazines, newspapers, journal articles, government publications, etc.)
Areas and Questions to Consider
Authority & Credibility - Who publishes the book or
journal?
- Who is the author(s) of the book or article?
- What
makes the author(s) and authority on this subject?
- Does the
author(s) cite his / her experience / credentials?
- Does the book
or article contain footnotes? If so, does material taken from other
sources appear to be fully credited?
Scope and
Relevance - Who is the intended audience - general, specialized
readership, scholars, etc.?
- What is sthe level of the material -
basic, advanced, etc.?
- Is the material appropriate and useful
for your purposes?
Coverage - What time period
is covered?
- What geographical area is covered?
- How
comprehensive and specific is the information?
Bias and
Accuracy - How is the information presented - fact, opinion,
propaganda, etc.?
- If presented as fact, is it accurate?
- Is
there a bias - cultural, political, religious, etc.?
- If so, is
the bias clearly stated?
Currency and Timeliness - How
recent is the book or article?
- How important is this to you and
/ or your topic?
Quality - What was the
quality of the research methodology?
- Did it use accepted
methodologies for its field, insofar as you know?
- What is the
validity?
- Is the article clearly written and well-organized?
Context - How does the book or article fit into its
discipline discourse?
- Is new research being reported or is the
author reviewing previously conducted research?
- Does the author
agree or disagree with the majority of other scholars in the discipline?
- Is
this the first article of its kind within its discipline?
_______________________________________________________________ copyright Aline Soules 2011 under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ |
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