7 Evaluating the Research You Find

Evaluating the sources you find

Does this article reflect the current understanding of this topic? (Is it too old?)

Does the article directly address your research question? Just because the key terms appear in the article doesn’t mean it will be helpful.

Do the authors of this article have extensive expertise in this area? (Do they work at an academic or research organization? Have they published other articles on closely related topics?)

How does the experimental design and data lead to the conclusions the researchers make?

Do the researchers do a good job of positioning their work in the larger scholarly conversation on the topic?

Questions to Ask

Who are the authors? Are there any author qualifications or affiliations provided? (This information is generally somewhere on the first page)

Have the authors written other articles related to the topic?

What specialized terms would you need to look up to understand this article?

Is there information about the funding of the research? (often found at the end of the article) Could this bias the information presented?

How recently was the article published? Does the bibliography have up-to-date references?

If this is a controversial topic, do the authors seem have a bias or agenda?

What hypothesis are the authors trying to prove?

Do the tables and graphics make the points clear?

What is the one paragraph or idea in the article that most got your attention?

How would this source help you to write a paper?