Why Would You Use This Source?

See section B in the Quick Research Guide for more on selecting sources.

See more on testing evidence.

Why use one source rather than another? Is its information useful for your purposes? Would its strong quotations or hard facts be effective? Does it tackle the topic in a relevant way? For one paper, you might appropriately rely on a popular magazine; for another, you might need the scholarly findings on which the magazine relied. Look for the best sources for your purpose, asking not only “Will this do?” but also “Would something else be better?”