Credible, well-chosen resources are the cornerstone of a well-written research paper. To evaluate the value and credibility of your sources, please review and apply the following five criteria to all of your potential paper sources: |
Authority is in essence a measure of the experience, knowledge, integrity, and interests of its creator or creators of a source. Knowing who is "behind" a resource is an important factor in its evaluation. By choosing works of high authority, you place your paper in a better position to be respected and understood by other credible figures in your field.
Source: XKCD
Questions to ask yourself:
1.Who is the author of this source?
2. Who is the publisher of this source?
Accuracy is a measure that relates to the quality and verifiability of a source's content -- everything from its core methodology to its written construction. A good source will present its content in a way that is clear and logical, and will encourage others to check the accuracy of its statements through the inclusion of citations or a final bibliography.
image source: XKCD
A work that is poorly constructed on a grammatical level is also suspect for inaccuracy, as grammar can be an important indicator of the dedication of a source's author and/or its publisher.
Questions to ask yourself:
1.What is the accuracy of the author's ideas?
2. What is the accuracy of the source's written presentation?
Currency measures how "up to date" a source is relative to a given research topic. A potential source may be of the highest authority and accuracy -- but can still be a dubious choice for your research if it was published prior to crucial developments or events in your field of interest. It is also important not to confuse currency with "time" -- as different fields of inquiry develop and change at different rates.
Source: XKCD
Questions to ask yourself:
1.When was the source published?
2. Has this source been updated?
Objectivity is the evaluation of a source's bias(es), including those of its author, publisher, and research sponsor. As humans, we all have biases (e.g. "subjectivity"). However, in research it is important for authors to mitigate their biases through the logical presentation of facts and arguments, and through the acknowledgement of different points of view on matters of opinion. When evaluating a source, be sure to consider how it presents and copes with issues of bias -- as well as how such bias might impact your research, if used.
Source: XKCD
Questions to ask yourself:
1.What are the values, views, and biases of this source?
2. How will the values, views, and biases of this source affect my research?
Relevance is the question of how well the information contained within a source fits the question or argument for which you are considering it. Like currency, the questions of relevance depends very much on your individual research topic. Many researchers have made the mistake of citing resources that are of excellent quality -- but that do nothing to help truly further their research interests. Make sure you choose sources that fill your papers needs, and that are not overly redundant with resources that you have already cited.
Source: XKCD
Questions to ask yourself:
1.How does this source relate to my research?
2. How will using this source affect my research?