LibGuides: Undergraduate Research: Evaluating Information

How to Read Scholarly Literature

How to Read a Scholarly Journal Article (ICPSR Web Site)

Evaluating Internet Sites
This worksheet from Wichita Sate University Libraries will help you to evaluate websites.

The Importance of Evaluating Information

The ability to evaluate information is an essential skill that everyone needs. This will ensure that you find the best quality information that meets your specific needs. This skill requires time and critical evaluation to find accurate, documented information. This page offers information on how to critically evaluate information.

Evaluating Your Sources

When evaluating your sources look for the following elements:

Audience. For whom is this source intended?
Accuracy. Is the information in this source correct?
Bias. Does the information in the source support a particular agenda?
Credibility. Is the author an expert in this field?
Currency. Is the information up to date?

Evaluating Your Sources: This short video from UNC University Libraries provides information on how to evaluate books, articles, and websites.

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Discipline	Primary Source	Secondary Source
History	Slave diary	Book about the underground railroad
Art	Original artwork created by an artist	Article critiquing the piece of art
Literature	Original poem written by a poet	Essay on a particular genre of poetry
Political Science	Treaty between two governments	Essay on Native American land rights in the US
Science or Social Sciences	Report of an original experiment	Review of several studies on the same topic
Theatre	Videotape of a performance	Biography of a playwright

From Bowling Green State University.