Evaluating Print Sources

Print Sources

You will need to evaluate each resource you use for your research. Use the questions below to critically analyze materials and to assess how useful they will be for your research. Keep in mind that most publications have a particular bias or agenda. If the resource is in the UBC library it has some academic relevance and/or credibility, or it represents different opinions on a topic. University Librarians and other professionals make evaluative decisions about resources and sometimes collect resources about contentious issues or less accepted viewpoints. Remember that resources that were written at different times in history may contain outdated information, opinions, and attitudes. You may not be able to answer every question for all resources, but the questions should help you define whether resources are relevant to your research topic.

Author	You might recognize the author’s name as someone who is credible in his/her field of research. Have you seen the author’s name cited in other sources or bibliographies? Take note if an author appears repeatedly as this might indicate works of importance. A substantial body of work by the same author can also indicate expertise in a particular subject area. Note that not all works by important authors are important or even show expertise in a particular field. For example Erwin Schrodinger, the Austrian physicist who received the Nobel Prize in 1933 in recognition of his development of the wave formalism of quantum mechanics, published a paper in 1947 on general relativity and unified field theory. Schrodinger was so excited about his results that he rushed to publish without thinking critically about them. The work was significantly flawed and was dismissed by Einstein. Schrodinger is a very important author, but that work is of no importance (other than as a fine example of human fallibility). You’ve never heard of the author? Look at the biographical information in the publication for information about the author’s credentials. Also look on the internet where you can often find information on people who write textbooks and other academic/scholarly materials. Look for: where they work, what other materials they have published, and what others engaged in similar research have to say about their work/ideas/theories/beliefs.
Date of Publication	When was the material published? Is it current or out-of-date for your topic? For rapidly changing topics it may be necessary to use very current information, depending on what kind of report or research you are doing. Some older works are good at presenting a historical perspective which may be especially important for some disciplines or topics. Some research though dated may be the 'seminal' work in a field, or represent a summary of everything known to date about a particular topic. Such research might represent the starting point of a new discipline, or the jumping off point of a new way of looking at a problem. An example of such a publication is Alan Turing's article, "The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis," in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, 237B, 37-72, 14 August 1952.
Publisher	Many publishers specialize in particular areas. Over time you will begin to recognize publishers in your field of study. University presses, government bodies, professional associations and scholarly societies are generally reputable. Examples: University of British Columbia Press, Harvard University Press, American Chemical Society. Keep in mind a reputable publisher does not guarantee quality.
Edition or Revision	Be aware that multiple editions may exist. Further editions can include revisions, changes in information, or updates in knowledge that may be important to know for your research.
Content	To evaluate content begin by asking is there a table of contents, an index and a bibliography. These criteria indicate a navigable and hopefully well written work. Keep in mind that your topic may be covered in one chapter, or one part of a book or proceedings. Is your topic covered in enough depth to be useful? If at first you don't find your topic discussed, try searching for it by synonyms in the index.
Coverage	Does the work update other sources, support other works you have read, or add new information? Does it cover your topic extensively, or minimally? Make sure to analyze enough sources to obtain a range of viewpoints. Don't get drawn into one author's way of viewing things!
Audience	Who is the intended audience? Is the publication aimed at a general or a specialized audience? Is the source too elementary, too technical, too advanced, or just right for your research needs? Is the information in the resource fact, opinion, or propaganda? What is the difference between fact and opinion? Facts are usually verifiable. Opinions may be based on factual information, but evolve from the interpretation of facts. Keep in mind that in scientific writing more options exist than these three. For example, scientists develop interpretations of data from several points of view successively in their writing; each point of view expresses the implications of a different assumption. Think of these writings as the interpretations themselves (i.e. a record of the process of interpreting). That record of process is extremely valuable to you when you find and recognize it because it gives you models for your own thoughts (either to emulate or avoid). Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched? Or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence? Academic or scholarly materials are usually based on extensive and thorough research. Do the ideas and arguments agree with other works on the same topic? Disagreement does not discount the work, but if an author radically departs from the views of others in the same field be extra careful when evaluating the work.

Types of Materials

Be sure to follow your instructor's guidelines on the types of materials that are required for an assignment.

Scholarly and Popular Journals

If you are required to use articles from scholarly publications and/or popular magazines use the table below to compare the differences between the two. Not all the criteria will be met for every journal, and there will be exceptions, but being aware of the differences will help you to select sources appropriate to your research needs.

	Scholarly Journals	Popular Magazines
Examples	Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Water, Science and Technology Foreign Affairs Science Nature	Time Newsweek Psychology Today
Authors	Researchers Professors Scholars Professionals who are usually experts in narrow fields	Journalists Laypeople Anonymous
References	Includes references, bibliographies or footnotes	Rarely includes references, bibliographies or footnotes
Edited by?	Submitted articles are subjected to a rigorous peer-review process by researchers, professionals and/or students of the field	Submitted articles may be reviewed by journalists and lay people
Language	Specialized language of the discipline is used Often includes tabulated data, graphs and diagrams	Language is non-technical
Contents	Always includes an abstract Lengthy articles of original research In-depth analysis of topic Substantial book reviews	Shorter articles of general interest Coverage of current events/news Some brief book reviews
Presentation and Graphics	Less flashy, more "serious" in appearance Advertisements are rare (an exception is medical journals) Articles are often divided into explicitly named (and sometimes numbered) sections	More eye-catching appearance Many pictures Many advertisements
Where Indexed?	Found in specialized indexes such as Anthropological Index Georef Medline	Found in general periodical indexes such as Academic Search Elite Canadian Periodical Index Reader's Guide Abstracts (But keep in mind that general periodical indexes also include scholarly materials)

Types of Sources

It is important to know the differences between primary, secondary and tertiary sources. See below for characteristics and examples of these three forms of texts as appropriate to the sciences:

Characteristics and examples of primary, secondary and tertiary sources in the sciences

Primary

In research journals
Usually only include references to other primary sources
Covers very focused and specialized topics

Example: The journal Boundary-Layer Meteorology

Secondary

Research writings or graduate level text
Generally include a large bibliography
Usually bibliographic references are primary sources
Topic coverage is more focused than tertiary, but less focused than primary

Example: The book Atmospheric Boundary Layer, by J.R. Garratt, 1992.

Tertiary

Undergraduate text, or a textbook designed for a course
Sparse references, generally secondary sources
General and very broad topic coverage

Example: The book The Atmosphere, by R.A. Anthes, et al., 2nd ed. 1978

Resources

Evaluating Print Sources from Bowling Green State University Library
Evaluating Print Resources from the University of Alabama Libraries
Evaluating Resources from Duke Libraries
Handout/Word document version of this resource

Credits

This page developed by Aleteia Greenwood, with invaluable expertise from Deb Wilson, Douw Steyn and Lee Gass
Maintained by
Aleteia Greenwood
Head Librarian
Science and Engineering, UBC Library
University of British Columbia
(604)822-0689
Please send questions and comments to
aleteia.greenwood@ubc.ca