Research Help

Evaluating information sources

Authority

• Is the source authoritative?
  • Author is an expert in the field
  • Author has knowledge based on education or experience
• Is the source reliable?
  • Author cites authoritative sources on the topic
  • Publisher has a reputation for accurate and complete information

Content

• What kind of information is presented?
  • Overview or survey of the topic
  • Facts and statistics
  • Research report; research-based article or book
  • Opinion or based on personal experience
  • Critique, analysis, or review
• How well is it presented?
  • Information is well organized
  • Spelling and grammar are correct
  • Menu, table of contents, index, or section headings to help in locating specific information
  • Illustrations and tables are appropriate and useful

Purpose

• What is the purpose of the source?
  • Educate and inform
  • Entertain
  • Persuade
  • Market a product or service
• What point of view is presented?
  • Fact-based; objective
  • Examines various sides of an issue fairly
  • Favors a particular outcome, cause, or candidate
  • Attempts to convince you to a certain way of thinking about the topic

Date

• When was the source published or created?
  • Covers current events
  • Includes background on the topic
  • Provides historical coverage
• Has it been updated or revised?
  • Includes latest research findings
  • Describes new discoveries or techniques
  • Citations and links include up-to-date sources

Can I use this source?

• Does this source fit the criteria required for the assignment, such as publication date or type of source?
• Does this source offer a point of view that supports or challenges my argument?
• Does this source use language and terminology that I understand?

• Schedule an appointment with a Librarian to learn more about evaluating sources

Journal

• A collection of scholarly articles, printed or online
• Articles report on research in a particular field
• Authors are experts in their field
• Articles are peer-reviewed. Experts in the same field as the author review and evaluate the paper being considered for publication
• Articles include notes and citations
• Articles use the terminology of the field

Magazine

• A collection of articles, printed or online
• Articles are meant to inform and entertain
• Authors are staff members or free-lance writers
• Articles are not peer-reviewed and do not include citations
• Articles include illustrations and photographs
• Articles are written for a general audience

Trade Magazine

• A collection of articles, printed or online
• Articles cover news and give practical information on an industry or trade
• Authors are specialists in their industry or trade
• Articles are written for people in the industry
• Articles are not peer-reviewed and do not include citations
• Authors use the terminology of the industry

Examples of the three major categories of periodicals:

Adapted from “Scholarly Journals, Popular Magazines, and Trade Publications”, by Carol A. Singer, Reference Librarian, Bowling Green State University.

Primary Sources:

Primary Sources are resources that record or describe events at the time they were experienced.

Examples:

• Original documents, such as diaries, letters, photographs, official records
• Creative works, such as paintings, manuscripts, scores
• Artifacts, such as tools, weapons, ornaments

Primary sources can be found in print and online collections.

Examples:

• Archives of Mount St. Joseph University
• Library of Congress Digital Collections

Secondary Sources

Secondary Sources are ones:

• that interpret or explain past events
• that analyze or restate primary sources
• may argue a particular interpretation or point of view

Examples are:

• Textbooks
• Journal articles
• Encyclopedias
• Biographies

Secondary sources can be found in print and online collections:
Examples are:

• Mount Library and OhioLINK collections
• Mount Library databases
• Websites

Examples:

Adapted from “Primary Vs. Secondary Sources”, by Carol A. Singer, Reference Librarian, Bowling Green State University