Evaluating Information Sources: e-Resources

Peer review is a publication process that ensures contributions made to the scholarly community are based on accurate, reliable, and original research findings and analysis:

1) Scholar(s) writes and submits article to an academic journal

2) The academic journal sends the research article to a panel of experts in the subject area or discipline

3) Experts review the article to ensure it is accurate, well-argued, and presents original research-based knowledge

4) Article is accepted for publication, returned to the author(s) for revisions, or rejected.

A scholarly article is one contained in a scholarly journal (also called academic, Peer Reviewed or refereed journals. Several features of popular magazines and scholarly journals make it relatively easy to distinguish one from the other, once you know what to look for. 

You can find scholarly articles in a number of different library databases. Some databases like JSTOR, and ScienceDirect contain scholarly journals, exclusively. Others have a mix of scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers and other material. 

To evaluate a journal article look for:

• Purpose of Article: Why was the article written? To:
  • persuade the reader to do something?
  • inform the reader?
  • prove something?
• Type of Journal

• Organization and Content: Is the material organized and focused? Is the argument or presentation understandable? Is this original research, a review of previous research, or an informative piece?

• Bias (of the publisher): Some publications have an inherent bias that will impact articles printed in them.
• Date of Article: . Know the time needs of your topic and examine the timeliness of the article.
• Bibliography: Scholarly works always contain a bibliography of the resources that were consulted. The references in this list should be in sufficient quantity and be appropriate for the content.
• Usefulness: Is the article relevant to the current research project? A well-researched, well-written, etc. article is not going to be helpful if it does not address the topic at hand. Ask, "is this article useful to me?" If it is a useful article, does it:
  • support an argument
  • refute an argument
  • give examples (survey results, primary research findings, case studies, incidents)
  • provide "wrong" information that can be challenged or disagreed with productively
     

• Authority: Is the author an expert in this field? What else has he/she written? Has he/she won awards or honors?
   

• Coverage: Does the article cover the topic comprehensively, partially, or is it an overview?
   

• Audience: For what type of reader is the author writing? Is the article for:
  • general readers,
  • students (high school, college, graduate),
  • specialists or professionals,
  • researchers or scholars?
     

• Illustrations: Are charts, graphs, maps, photographs, etc. used to illustrate concepts? Are the illustrations relevant? Are they clear and professional-looking?
   

• Context: Information is contextual. Who, what, when, where, why, and how will impact whether or not a resource is useful to you.

To evaluate a Web page (and determine if you want to use it for your research) look for:

• Purpose: Why was the page created? To:
  • Inform
  • Entertain
  • Share information
  • Advertise/Sell a product or service (business/marketing)
  • Influence views, beliefs, elections (advocacy)
  • Provide up-to-the-moment news
  • Personal enjoyment
• Sponsor/Owner: On what type of Internet provider or organization does the page reside? (Provenance.)
  • Government agency: federal, state, city, county
  • Governmental sites
  • Educational
• Organization and Content: Is the page organized and focused? Is it well designed? Is the text well written? Are the links relevant and appropriate? Are the links evaluated?
• Bias--political or issue stance (of the author or sponsor): Some web pages have an inherent bias that will impact everything that appears on them.
• Date of Production/Revision: When was the web page produced? When was it last revised? How up-to-date are the links? Are the links still viable?
• Usefulness: Is the Web page relevant to the current research project?

• Authority/author: Who is responsible for the page? Is the author an expert in this field?

• What is it?
  • Web-only page
  • journal article; accessed either directly on the Web or through an index or other type of database
  • government source
  • text (or presentation software outline) of a presentation given at a workshop or conference
  • creative writing (poem, novel, short story)
  • e-mail message
  • school project
  • blog
  • wiki
  • library catalog record, etc.
• Audience: To what type of reader is the Web page directed? Is the level appropriate for your needs?
• Coverage: Does the page cover the topic comprehensively, partially or is it an overview?
• Illustrations: Are the graphics clear in intent, relevant and professional looking? Do the graphics add to or enhance the content?
• Context: Information is contextual. Who, what, when, where, why, and how will impact whether or not a resource is useful to you.
• Security: Are security and/or encryption systems employed when necessary?