How to Evaluate Source Material

Trying to find source material for an academic project can be tough. Finding the right material can be even more difficult. Evaluating material as you find it will save you time and energy in the long run, ensuring that the sources you use are valid and relevant.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Look for an author name and biography. Not all journals give author backgrounds, but it is a good sign if they do. Who is the writer and what gives them the authority to write on this topic?
2. Find out if the journal is peer-reviewed and where it stands in the scholarly field. A peer-reviewed journal ensures that everything it publishes has been reviewed by authorities in the field and accepted. The validity a journal holds in the subject area will tell you a lot about the content it publishes.
3. Check publication dates. Where possible, use the most current research available in your subject area. Citing a prominent scholar in your field from a hundred years ago is only useful if you can back it up with contemporary research.
4. Read for language use. Skim the article to take notice of the diction and syntax the author uses. Are they sarcastic or objective? Do they use slang, or proper English? For whom are they writing? Academic projects should use sources that can validate opinions with evidence.
5. Review the citation page or bibliography. Make sure that the author uses relevant sources that are easily found. Look for important names in your field to decide if the author did a proper amount of research.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a checklist for yourself. As you are looking for scholarly materials, use the checklist to decide quickly whether the source is credible.
• Remind yourself regularly what your project is about so that you can decide if the source is relevant to your project. There are many great articles out there, but not all will be relevant to the project you’re working on.
• Be very wary of any materials you find online. Make sure that you evaluate the website fully before using its material in a project.
• Unless you are using material found in popular magazines as a case study, avoid using them. Popular magazines are not necessarily objective and the material contained is most often opinion rather than fact.