Starting to Evaluate
Now it is time to read and evaluate everything you found.
Ask yourself- Does the source....
Evaluating While Reading
To evaluate a book, look through the table of contents and read the introduction. Ask yourself the follow questions:
Purpose
Remember: If you select books from the library, both the book's editor and a librarian have evaluated the book.
Evaluating Journal Articles
Scholarly journal articles have a certain format. Each section will help you understand the ideas being presented.
You should ask yourself these questions to help you with interpreting the content of the articles:
Books and journal articles have editors who evaluate the content, however web sites are not evaluated--EXCEPT BY YOU. This means you need to spend time evaluating any web site before you use it for your research assignments. Examine the web site address. Most web sites are one of six different types of sites:
Educational (.edu) This type of web site can have various purposes. It can provide high quality research findings or digital content. Beware, some “.edu” pages can be personal web sites.
Governmental (.gov or .mil) The purpose is to inform or educate with factual information, generally without opinion. It can be one of the most reliable and useful types of web sites.
Advocacy (.org) The web site is sponsored by an organization attempting to influence public opinion. The information may be biased.
News (.com) The purpose is to provide very current information, updated multiple times a day. The emphasis is on quickly updating the web site, and not necessarily on double checking the facts.
Commercial or Entertainment (.com, .net or .org) The web site is created by a commercial entity and the purpose is to sell or promote products. Beware, the information may be biased.
Personal (.edu, .org, .net or .com) The URL usually contains "~". The purpose of the web site can be just about anything. Organizations may not control what an individual posts on their own individual pages within an organization's web site.
Remember: Only .gov and .edu sites cannot be purchased by individuals or companies!
Evaluating Content
The responsibility of evaluating a web site falls on you, so be sure to examine web sites beyond how "well designed" it is.
Accuracy: It is important to find the source of the information provided. Can you independently verify the facts or content? Examine the references.
Authority: Who wrote or created the content? What qualifications do they have? Can you verify it? Is there contact information?
Currency: When was the web site created? Last updated? Is the content current?
Point of View and Objectivity: Does the content represent a single point of view? Whose perspective is given? Is any opposing information presented? Is there blatant advertising or are they selling a product or service?
Reliability: Is the web site stable? Studies have shown that the half-life of a Web page is less than two years 1.
Interesting fact: 50% of the web sites you cite your first year at CSULB will be gone by the time you are in your third year! That's why it’s a good idea to print the first page of a web site you are going to use--you never know when it may disappear.
Interesting Story: In Aliso Viejo, CA the city council proposed a law to deal with the "dangers" of dihydrogen monoxide because of this web site. "It's embarrassing. We had a paralegal who did bad research," said the City Manager. What is it? We usually call it water!
Evaluating While Reading
One great thing about the Internet is that anyone can publish a web site. This, of course, can also be a negative when you have to decide if the information you find is accurate, credible and balanced (and can be used in your classes). Recent studies have found that 46% of respondents judged (or misjudged) the credibility of a site based on the "design look" such as layout, font size and color schemes 1. But a pretty site does not necessarily contain accurate information! YOU have to look at more than the design, read everything carefully and evaluate the content critically.
Evaluating While Reading
So far, we have been talking about evaluating the "container" the content comes in. Now let's look at ways to evaluate and break down the content itself. Sometimes reading scholarly writing can be difficult.
Make your reading more productive. While reading, briefly write down the main points:
Even if you are short on time these notes will be helpful as you write--so you won't have to reread the article later.
Using the 4 steps to get the most out of reading, try your skills at translating part of Mizael's article:
Title: Perceptions of Drinking and Related Findings from the Nationwide Campuses Study
"Almost 2 decades ago, Perkins and Berkowitz (Perkins 1986) reported that college students, indeed, have misperceptions of campus drinking norms. Both social contexts and perceived norms have been found to be related to drinking intensity among college students.( Thombs 1997 ) Substantially inflated perceptions of the frequency of "average students'" alcohol use have been reported by students at campuses attended by abstainers or infrequent drinkers and at colleges attended by more frequent drinkers.( Perkins 1999 ) "Pluralistic ignorance" is a psychological state that may explain such drinking behavior: individual students are driven to increase their drinking by social pressure, but they assume that other students' drinking behaviors are an accurate reflection of the true desire for alcohol, unaffected by any social influences.( Prentice 1993 ) Core survey data indicate that about one-third of college students would rather not have alcohol available and used at social events in and around campus, but only about one-eighth of those students actually abstained from drinking during the previous year.( Presley 1993 )"
Lost in Translation?
Everyone should have gotten these points:
Do You See the Bias?
One important thing to be aware of is bias. There is bias in almost everything you read. Authors try to convince you that their point of view is the best one out there. Depending upon the topic, there are differing levels of bias. Topics like abortion, religion, animal rights and politics lend themselves to bias. Here are some factors that will determine the degree of bias in your source:
Remember: Watch out for your own bias! Do not eliminate relevant information if you think it disproves your hypothesis. Try to balance your arguments.
Do You See the Bias?
Books and journal articles have more checks and balances in the publication process than web sites. For example, an academic book deal is not given to just anyone--only an expert in the field. But even this gatekeeping process does not eliminate all biased materials. Take a look at this example from testimony given before Congress of how language changes depending on a personal view of an issue.
Remember: False or biased information may be presented as a factual statement. But there may be signs that the facts may be flawed or misinterpreted. Read closely to see if the author is objective and impartial or emotionally charged.
Done With Your Research?
Research is an ongoing process. Once you begin to evaluate your sources, you may need more information to fill in the holes. For example, you might need to find statistics to validate your argument. To find specific types of information, check the library's Research Guides. Here are some sample guides:
View all Research Guides. Remeber to Ask a Librarian if you are having trouble.