When you select a resource to use in your writing you will want to evaluate your sources for credibility. Here are a few factors to consider when evaluating whether a source will help your research.
Authority
Authority of the writer: Each academic subject has acknowledged experts or authorities. You will need to identify if someone is well regarded in their field. You can evaluate this by looking at the following information:
- Educational background: The author should be well-versed in their field. Most academic writers will have written several published papers or will be affiliated with a well-regarded institution. If you were considering using the following article:
Clicking on the author's name highlighted in blue takes you to a list of other publications by Faulkenbury.
Faulkenbury has a long record of publishing in the field of history and appears to be an expert in their field.
- Work Experience: Some authors may not have a formal degree (PhD or M.S./M.A.) but may instead have long experience in the field. If this is the case, you should be able to search for their names on university websites, government databases, and find where they work and what their experience is. See the section on Lateral Reading below for further information.
Publisher Information
Another great way to evaluate an article is to look at the reputation of the publisher. Publishers are gatekeepers of information. They help to filter out reliable sources from non-academic sources.
Academic journals are usually peer reviewed. If you are unsure if an article is peer reviewed there are a few ways to check (See also how to differentiate between scholarly/academic sources & peer reviewed sources):
- On EBSCOhost you can filter your searches to make sure you only get peer reviewed sources. On the left-hand side, you will find a series of check boxes that look like this:
Select the box that says Peer Review and your searches will be filtered. You will only see Peer Reviewed sources.
- You can also use the library website to check the reputation of specific journals. You will want to go to the library homepage
- Click on the tab marked Databases
- Click on the link marked A-Z Journals by Title
- You will now be able to search your journal. Peer reviewed journals have a yellow checkmark beside their name
- Click on the tab marked Databases
Evaluating Claims
Academic papers list their sources so that you can evaluate their reliability. It is a way to participate in academic conversation. Here are a few steps you can take to evaluate the reliability of the information presented in an article:
SIFT was created by a researcher named Mike Caulfield.
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S-Stop- Don't share sources that you are unsure about.
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I-Investigate the source- Who is the publisher? Are they credible?
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F-Find better coverage- Is this the only article with this information? Can you find other articles that confirm its claims?
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T- Trace claims- If you find an odd sounding claim try searching for it on Google. See where it originally came from.
Caulfield M.(2019, June 19).SIFT- The Four Moves. https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/.
(Licensed under the CC by 4.0.)
Lateral Reading is a great way to quickly evaluate a resource. It encourages you to open new tabs and cross reference data. This Lateral Reading Video created by the Stanford History Education Group will demonstrate how to use the strategy.
Digital Inquiry Group (Director). (2020, January 16). Sort Fact from Fiction Online with Lateral Reading [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHNprb2hgzU
Check the date of the article
Academic disciplines have different approaches to decide how old an article may be before it is considered outdated. In scientific papers you want your research to be as up to date as possible. An article from even five years ago may contain outdated information. Note, however, that some older works are still relevant and widely cited. Additionally, an older English or History essay may or may still be used. Ask your professor what a good rule of thumb for your specific field is.
The date of publication may have an effect on point of view or bias. For example, an article on feminism from the 1950s may present a biased account.
Using Citations
If it has been cited multiple times it is more than likely a very well-regarded article on the subject. To quickly look and see this:
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Go to Google Scholar
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Enter the name of your article. In this case, an article on the history of Boston was entered.
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At the bottom of the article, you will find a button that says, ‘cited by'. This article has been cited 558 times, so it may be seen as very credible and well-regarded.
Please feel free to contact a librarian if you require any assistance. We are always available to help you find and evaluate sources!
