Little Memorial Library: English 101/102 Research Guide: Evaluate information

Evaluating Information

Types of sources you will run across when doing research

You will likely see four different types of information when doing research for your classes:

Popular: Popular articles are typically published in magazines that are for sale in bookstores or supermarket newsstands. They are written and published quickly by people with little or no expertise or credentials.They rarely contain specialized vocabulary or intent to empirically prove their claims. They are not suitable sources for scholarly research.

Trade: Trade articles are written by people who are experienced (often very experienced) in their field of employment. They are written for other members of that profession. They often contain specialized vocabulary, appropriate for members of the profession in question. But these articles are written and published quickly in magazines that are sold in popular outlets. They are not peer-reviewed (see below) and their authors normally do not empirically prove their statements with evidence. They are not suitable sources for scholarly research.

Scholarly: Scholarly materials are written by experts with credentials in their field, typically Ph.D.'s or M.D.'s. The content and claims in scholarly articles are always supported by primary sources, such as experiments (in the sciences) or diaries (in the humanities). They also often contain detailed analysis of related, previously published secondary sources. These primary and secondary sources are cited in footnotes and a bibliography. A scholarly article is written slowly and requires much research. It is normally published in a journal. Journals are typically only available in universities and libraries.

Peer-reviewed: A peer-reviewed article is a scholarly article that has been evaluated and judged meritorious by other experts in the field. The author of the article submits it for publication and the experts read and evaluate its methodology, analysis and conclusions. Peer review is the most reliable form of scholarship. Journals that contain articles that are evaluated by a board of expert editors are called peer-reviewed journals.

How to Identify Different Types of Periodicals at a Glance

Popular	Trade	Scholarly
Color covers		Plain cover, plain paper (most often)
Glossy papers	Glossy papers	(Science journals may be glossy)
Ads	Ads	No ads
Articles on current events	Articles on industry trends	Primary research, theories, methodologies
General interest	Written for members of specific industry	Written for researchers & professionals
Short articles	Short articles	Lengthy, in-depth articles
Informal tone	Informal tone	Formal and serious tone
Easy to read vocabularies		Professional jargons, more difficult to read
Written by general staff	Written by staff or experts in the field	Written by experts in the field & researchers
Reviewed by general editor		*Peer review by subject experts**
No bibliographies or footnotes	Short or no bibliographies	Extensive bibliographies & references
Usually called a "magazine"		Referred to as a "journal"; may have "journal" in its name

Definitions

Your instructor may specify that you should use primary (and/or secondary) sources in your research. What does this mean? Primary sources are contemporary accounts of an event written by someone who experienced or witnessed it. Primary sources may be original research or discoveries. Secondary sources interpret, assign value to, conjecture upon, and draw conclusions about the events reported in primary sources. Here are some specifics and examples:

	Humanities	Sciences
Primary Source	Original, first-hand account of an event or time period Usually written or made during or close to the event or time period Original, creative writing or works of art Factual, not interpretive	Report of scientific discoveries Results of experiments Results of clinical trials Social and political science research results Factual, not interpretive
Secondary Source	Analyzes and interprets primary sources Second-hand account of an historical event Interprets creative work	Analyzes and interprets research results Analyzes and interprets scientific discoveries

Examples

	Humanities	Sciences
Primary Sources	Diaries, journals, and letters Newspaper and magazine articles (factual accounts) Government records (census, marriage, military) Photographs, maps, postcards, posters Recorded or transcribed speeches Interviews with participants or witnesses (e.g., The Civil Right Movement) Interviews with people who lived during a particular time (e.g., genocide in Rwanda) Songs, Plays, novels, stories Paintings, drawings, and sculptures	Published results of research studies Published results of scientific experiments Published results of clinical trials Proceedings of conferences and meetings
Secondary Sources	Biographies Histories Literary Criticism Book, Art, and Theater Reviews Newspaper articles that interpret	Publications about the significance of research or experiments Analysis of a clinical trial Review of the results of several experiments or trials

Research Using the Surface Web vs. the Deep Web

The surface web is any page of the Internet that you can find using a search engine like Google or Bing or Yahoo. Surface web sites are not usually scholarly and are not normally going to provide information you can use in a research paper. Exceptions to this guideline are .gov or .edu sites that may contain useful statistics or similar information.

The deep web is any web page that is not accessible using a search engine like Google or Bing or Yahoo. There are many reasons a web page may not be accessible via a search engine. Typically, such web pages are behind a paywall--in other words, you must pay to view them, like newspaper subscriptions.

Why is this important to college research?

All scholarly and peer reviewed articles are on the deep web--they are behind a paywall. You may be able to find a peer-reviewed article using Google (especially Google Scholar), but you will not be able to access it's full text. You will be asked for a login or to pay to download it. Don't worry! And don't pay! Search using Midway University's library site. Full text articles are available through us (or you can request them via InterLibrary Loan and the library will get them for you).

How can I be sure the article I have found is a scholarly article? How do I know it is reliable?

To determine if a source that you have found is a good source, use the CRAAP test:

Currency: the timeliness of the information

When was the information published or posted?
Has the information been revised or updated?
Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
Are the links functional?

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

- Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
- Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
- What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
- What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
- Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
- Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?

examples: .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government), org (nonprofit organization), or .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content, and

Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Note: all credit for the CRAAP test goes to the librarians who developed it at CSU Chico.