Source Map: Evaluating articles

Source Map: Evaluating Articles

Evaluating Articles

Determine the relevance of the source.

image Look for an abstract, or article summary. Is this source directly related to your research? Does it provide useful information and insights? Will your readers consider it persuasive support for your thesis?

Determine the credibility of the publication.

image Consider the publication’s title. Words in the title such as Journal, Review, and Quarterly may indicate that the periodical is a scholarly source. Most research projects rely on authorities in a particular field, whose work usually appears in scholarly journals. See more on distinguishing between scholarly and popular sources.

image Try to determine the publisher or sponsor. This journal is published by the University of Illinois Press. Academic presses such as this one generally review articles carefully before publishing them and bear the authority of their academic sponsors.

Determine the credibility of the author.

image Evaluate the author’s credentials. In this case, they are given in a note, which indicates that the author is a college professor.

Determine the currency of the article.

image Look at the publication date, and think about whether your topic and your credibility depend on your use of very current sources.

Determine the accuracy of the article.

image Look at the sources cited by the author of the article. Here, they are documented in a reference list. Ask yourself whether the works the author has cited seem credible and current. Are any of these works cited in other articles you’ve considered?

In addition, consider the following questions:

  • What is the article’s stance or point of view? What are the author’s goals? What does the author want you to know or believe?
  • How does this source fit in with your other sources? Does any of the information it provides contradict or challenge other sources?
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From the Journal of American Folklore. Copyright © 2012 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.