Evaluating Criteria Quiz: Importance of Citing Sources

Study Notes

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating sources is crucial to ensure the credibility and reliability of the information used in a research or academic work.
Criteria for evaluating sources include:
- Relevance to the topic
- Author's qualification and background
- Date of publication (should be at most five years earlier)
- Accuracy of information

Relevance to the Topic

Check the title and headers of the text
Review the table of contents, summary/abstract, and introduction
Ensure the source supports the topic

Author's Qualification

Check the author's background and its relation to the topic
Verify the author's name, previous works, contact information, sources, and citations
Be cautious when using sources without an author

Date of Publication

The date of publication should be at most five years earlier (2019-present)
Data from older publications may no longer be valid in most fields

Accuracy of Information

The tone of the author should be formal and unbiased
Avoid sources with unacceptable language or biased tone
The author's style of writing should be formal and professional

Citing Sources

Citing sources gives credit to the original author
It promotes scholarly writing and helps the target audience identify the original source
Forms of citation include:
- Reference citation
- In-text citation

Reference Citation

Refers to the bibliographic entries of all references used by the writer
Appears in the references list at the end of the paragraph

In-text Citation

Requires the writer to cite the details of the reference used in a specific part of the essay
Dependent on the reference citation
Forms of in-text citation include:
- Parenthetical citation
- Narrative citation

APA Style

Introduced in 2019, replaces the 6th Edition published in 2009
Regulates style and language, document format, in-text citation, and references
Used in disciplines such as education, psychology, sciences, and social sciences

APA Style Guidelines

Use clear, concise language, avoiding contractions and colloquialisms
Use "I" instead of "we"
Use "that" and "which" for animals and inanimate objects, instead of "who"
Numerals under 10 should be spelled out, and 10 and above expressed as a number
Avoid using "he" or "she" as a generic pronoun, and instead use "they" or rephrase the sentence
Avoid using adjectives as nouns to label groups of people, and instead use descriptive phrases
Use past tense to refer to events that occurred at a specific point in the past
Avoid biased language that reveals sex, gender, race, disability, or socioeconomic status
Use exact age ranges instead of broad categories

Description

Learn the importance of evaluating sources and the criteria used in the evaluation process. Explore factors such as relevance to the topic and author qualifications in determining the credibility of a source.