Evaluating Sources - Critical Analysis & Argumentation PDF

## Evaluating Sources ### Evaluating Sources 45 Searching the Health Source database for information on the incidence of meningitis among college students, you find seventeen articles. A Google search on the same topic produces over 10,000 hits. How do you decide which sources to read? This chapte...

## Evaluating Sources ### Evaluating Sources 45 Searching the Health Source database for information on the incidence of meningitis among college students, you find seventeen articles. A Google search on the same topic produces over 10,000 hits. How do you decide which sources to read? This chapter presents advice on evaluating sources–first to determine whether a source might be useful for your purposes and is worth looking at more closely and then to read with a critical eye the ones you choose. ### Considering Whether a Source Might Be Useful Think about your **PURPOSE**. Are you trying to persuade readers to believe or do something? To inform them about something? If the former, it will be especially important to find sources representing various positions; if the latter, you may need sources that are more factual or informative. Reconsider your **AUDIENCE**. What kinds of sources will they find persuasive? If you're writing for readers in a particular field, what counts as evidence in that field? Following are some questions that can help you judge whether a possible source you've found deserves your time and attention: * Is it reliable? Is it **SCHOLARLY?** peer-reviewed? Published in a reputable journal or magazine, or by a reputable publisher? Did you find it in a library database? On the web? Evaluating web-based texts may require more work and scrutiny than results from library databases. But whatever kind of search you do, the results need to be scanned to quickly evaluate their reliability. * Is it relevant? How does the source relate to your purpose? What will it add to your work? Look at the title and at any introductory material–a preface, abstract, or introduction–to see what it covers. | Page | | :---- | | 3-4 | | 5-8 | | 453 | | 433-35| ### DOING RESEARCH * What are the author's credentials? What are the author's qualifications to write on the subject? Is he or she associated with a particular position on the issue? See whether the source mentions other works this author has written. In any case, you might do a web search to see what else you can learn about him or her. * What is the **STANCE**? Consider whether a source covers various points of view or advocates one particular point of view. Does its title suggest a certain slant? If it's online, you might check to see whether it includes links to other sites and if so, what their perspectives are. You'll want to consult sources with a variety of viewpoints. * Who is the publisher or sponsor? If it's a book, what kind of company published it; if an article, what kind of periodical did it appear in? Books published by university presses and articles in scholarly journals are reviewed by experts before they are published. Books and articles written for the general public typically do not undergo rigor-ous review and they may lack the kind of in-depth discussion that is useful for research. If it's online, is the site maintained by an organization, an interest group, a government agency, an individual. Look for clues in the URL: .edu is used mostly by colleges and univer-sities, .gov by government agencies, .org by nonprofit organizations, .mil by the military, and .com by commercial organizations. Evaluate the publisher's or sponsor's motives: to present information even-handedly? To promote a certain point of view, belief, or position? To sell something? * What is the level? Can you understand the material? Texts written for a general audience might be easier to understand but not authoritative enough for academic work. Texts written for scholars will be more authoritative but may be hard to comprehend. * When was it published? See when books and articles were published. Check to see when online sources were created and last updated. (If the site lists no date, see if links to other sites still work.) Recent does not necessarily mean better some topics may require very current information whereas others may call for older sources. | Page | | :---- | | 12-15 | ### 45 Evaluating sources 455 * Is it available? Is it a source you can get to hold of? If it's a book and your school's library doesn't have it, can you get it through interlibrary loan? * Does it include other useful information? Is there a bibliography that might lead you to other sources? How current are the sources it cites? Once you've decided that a source should be examined more closely, use the following questions to give it critical scrutiny. ### Reading Sources with a Critical Eye * What **ARGUMENTS** does the author make? Does the author present a number of different positions, or does he or she argue for a particular position? Do you need to **ANALYZE THE ARGUMENT**? * How persuasive do you find the argument? What reasons and evidence does the author provide in support of any position(s)? Are there citations or links and if so, are they credible? Is any evidence presented wihtout citations? Do you find any of the author's assumptions questionable? How thoroughly does he or she consider opposing arguments? * What is the author’s **STANCE**? Does the author strive for objectivity, or does the content or language reveal a particular bias? Does the author consider opposing views and treat them fairly? * Do you recognize ideas you’ve run across in other sources? Does the source leave out any information or perspective that other sources include or include any that other sources leave out? * Does this source support or challenge your own position – or does it do both? Does it support your thesis? Offer a different argument altogether? Does it represent a position you may need to **ACKNOWLEDGE OR REFUTE**. Don't reject a source just because it challenges your views; your sources should reflect a variety of views on your topic, showing that you've considered the subject thoroughly. * What can you tell about the intended **AUDIENCE** and **PURPOSE**? are you a member of the audience addressed–and if not, does that affect the | Page | | :----- | | 83-110 | | 411-12 | | 12-15 | | 104 | | 105 | | 5-8 | | 3-4 | ### DOING RESEARCH way you interpret what you read? Is the main purpose to inform read-ers about a topic or to argue a certain point? | Page | | :------ | | 462-74 | | 475-79 | **IF YOU NEED MORE HELP** See **QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, AND SUMMARIZING** for help in taking notes on your sources and deciding how to use them in your writing. See also **ACKNOWLEDGING SOURCES, AVOIDING PLAGIARISM** for advice on giving credit to the sources you use.