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- Evaluating Sources
ENGL 1106: Evaluating Sources
Common kinds of Information
Type | Popular Periodical |
Trade Publication |
Academic Journals |
Example |
Journal of Civil Engineering and Management
|
||
Author |
Journalist or specialist |
Someone working in the field or a journalist who specializes in reporting in a field |
Researcher or expert in the field |
Audience |
General Public |
People working in the Field |
Researchers, scholars, experts with credentials |
Purpose |
To entertain or inform |
To inform through practical information for professionals working in a field |
To notify and explain specific often original research |
Appearance |
Glossy with advertisements for a general audience |
Semi-Glossy with advertisements for professionals in a particular field |
Long articles. Often include charts, graphs, and statistics. Little or no advertising. |
References |
Rare. Perhaps links |
Occasional. One or two citations |
Extensive citations |
Evaluation Criteria
How do you decide which sources to use for your projects? Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate the sources you find:
- Who? Who created the information? What are their qualifications? How do those qualifications relate to the context in which you will use the information.
- What? What content is included? What kinds of evidence are used? Does the content connect to your topic?
- Why? What is the purpose of this source? Can you detect any attempts by the creator to deceive or provoke a reaction?
- Where? Where did you obtain it? Where (or by whom) was it published?
- When? How current is the information? Does its currency affect its accuracy?