Evaluating Sources

Intro to SIFTing

How to Tell the Difference Between Types of Sources and When to Use Them

Though we now access most resources digitally, they are not all the same.

First, as a research you should distinguish between primary and secondary sources.

Second, consider the audience and purpose when distinguishing between scholarly and popular materials. Click on the page the NC State page to the right to learn more how these sources differ. This will help you target searches and select sources that are most appropriate for your information needs.

To learn more about evaluating sources and distinguishing source types, go to the Databases --> ProQuest Suite -->Research Companion --> Evaluating Sources.

Scholarly and Popular MaterialsWhen conducting research it is important to distinguish between journal articles and magazine articles. Journal articles are typically referred to as "scholarly," while magazine articles are usually c

How to Read a Scholarly Article

Scholarly articles are often long and follow a structure different than textbooks or popular articles. This interactive website show and explains the different parts of a scholarly article.

To start, you might read the abstract, introduction, and conclusion to see if the article really fits your research needs. If it does, then go back and read and annotate the whole of the article.

from NCSU Libraries. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

KeyConceptQuestions w/o Ads

Center for Media Literacy's Core Concepts and Questions

This slide show outlines the CML's core concepts and their corresponding questions for analyzing all types of media/sources and developing information literacy for both academic and real world understanding of media.