LibGuides: ENGL 153 Studies in Narrative: Evaluating Your Sources

Evaluating Information - Literary Research

The Internet and the Library make it is easy to find information, but it is more difficult to identify sources you can rely on. Evaluate your sources carefully to ensure you've selected material that is trustworthy and appropriate for your assignment. Keep in mind that searches for literary research will often result in short book reviews being returned. Strictly speaking, these do NOT count as an academic source!

Use this checklist to help you evaluate your sources:

	Scholarly Academic Publication	Popular Publications
Author	Written by an expert in the field of study (an academic or trained specialist)	Written by those without expertise in the field (a member of the public or journalist) or no author is stated
Date	Date of publication is provided	Popular publications, especially WWW publications, often do not give a date of publication
Publisher	Colleges/Universities, professional associations, scholarly publishers + research institutes	Commercial for-profit publishers or members of the public
Purpose	To report on experiments, theories, case studies + other research	To sell advertised products, inform, promote a point of view or entertain
Editing	Peer review by experts in the field	Review by a generalist (a magazine editor) or no review
Documentation	Sources used in the author's research are cited in a reference list or footnotes	Sources are rarely cited or are inaccurate
Other	Accurate spelling + grammar, few advertisements, logical + well written	Spelling + grammar errors may occur, many advertisements, poor or variable writing quality
(Modified, original source UBC Library)

For more information:

Authority	Who is the author and/or owner of the site? Does the author have authority and expertise in the area? What is the link's domain, .edu, .gov, or .com? Are references or related links available?
Accuracy	Can you verify the information on the site elsewhere? Is there a list of sources or references? Has accuracy been proven through a review process?
Purpose	What is the purpose of the information? Is it fact, opinion, selling something? Is there advertising on the site, or is something being sold?
Currency	When was the site last updated? Is a copyright date available? Do the links work? Is the information up to date for your research?
Relevance	Is there enough coverage of the topic? Does the information support the research you have already found? Are links provided to find more information? Have you looked at a variety of sources?
Wikipedia etc.	Wikipedia can be great to find background information! Wikipedia has an absence of accountability, people do not need to verify the truthfulness of the information "You see, any user can change any entry, and if enough other users agree with them, it becomes true." ― Comedian Stephen Colbert

Examples	Internet	Databases
Examples	Search engines, such as Google, websites	Academic Search Premier, PsycINFO
Access	Any computer with Internet connection	On-campus or off-campus with login
Cost	Free	Free to students, but Library pays subscription & licensing fees
Content by	Anyone	Scholars, professionals, experts, journalists
Content	Anything and everything, pictures, personal opinions, blogs, articles, etc. Biased or often misleading to change visitors' opinion of site or organization.	Full-text articles from reputable publications, often peer reviewed content. Full-text books and book chapters. References or links for related information.
Appearance	Personal pages, corporate pages, pages that look reliable but have no affiliation with reputable source, visually appealing pages to distract from content.	Little or no advertising, range of limiters available. Affiliated with reputable source, organization, individual or company. Contact information available. Often uses .org or .gov domains.
Publication	Anytime by anyone, irregular schedule.	Typically published daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually. Journal/periodical issues usually identified by volume and/or issue number.

Books and DVDs which are not located at your Okanagan College campus library may be requested in the Library's catalogue.

Resource Type	Example	Characteristics	When would I use?	Find & Locate
Reference Sources	Encyclopedia	Brief factual articles on many subjects, divided into articles or entries, which are usually accessed alphabetically by article name. Two types: general and subject. General - overviews on a wide variety of topics. Subject - entries focusing on one field of study. Authors: Scholars in the field, academics or researchers. Sources: always cited with many references and/or footnotes Length: Long and in-depth	Find background information or an overview of a topic Answer quick, factual questions, locate background information, find key ideas, important dates or concepts Find additional sources within bibliographies or footnotes	Find: Library catalogue Find: OCtopus Find: E-Resource Listing Locate: Reference section Locate: Online
Reference Sources	Dictionary	A collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information.	Confirm spelling Confirm meaning of a word Find the definition of a word
Books (& E-Books)	Book (fiction & non-fiction)	Authors: Scholarly and experts in the field.subject Sources: Cited, many footnotes or references Long, in-depth Often published by university presses	Need background information or overview of a topic Need extensive or in-depth information on a topic Put your topic in context with other important issues Find historical information Find summaries of research Find additional sources within bibliographies or footnotes	Find: Library catalogue Find: OCtopus Locate: Library "stacks" (shelves) Locate: Online Locate: Reserves (At circulation desk)
Edited Books	Textbook, anthology	All characteristics of a book plus: May have multiple authors, as well as editor(s)
Magazines	Time, Newsweek, Chatelaine, Shape, GQ	Articles on topics of popular interest and current events, written by journalists and are for the general public. Authors: usually staff writers or journalists, often a generalist. Sources: rarely cited, original sources may be obscure. Length: Brief, unless a feature Appearance: glossy, have graphics and full page advertisements even online.	Looking for up-to-date information on current events find information or opinions about popular culture Find up-to-date information about current events Find general articles written for people who are not necessarily specialists in the topic area Commentaries, expert or popular opinions	Find: Library databases Find: Library catalogue Find: E-journal listing Find: OCtopus Locate: Print in library Locate: Online
Journals	Journal of Canadian History	Often peer-reviewed, an editorial board reviews articles to decide whether they should be published. May cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research. Authors: written by scholars in an academic or professional field. Sources: always cited with many references and/or footnotes Length: long with sections such as abstract, literature review, methodology, results and conclusion. Appearance: similar to books, usually don't have color and never ads, even in online versions.	Need scholarly or peer reviewed information on a topic find additional sources within bibliographies or footnotes when doing scholarly research To find out what has been studied on your topic find bibliographies that point to other relevant research
Peer Review		A peer reviewed journal is a special type of publication. Before articles are published within these types of journals, they are sent by the editors of the journal to other scholars in the field ("peers"), often anonymously, to get feedback on the quality of the scholarship, review research methods, as well as relevance or importance to the field. The article may be accepted, often with revisions suggested, or rejected for publication. Considered the most respected, researchers wish to have their works published in them. Many often have low acceptance rates.
Web Sites	Okanagan College Website			Find: Search engine Find: Links Find": E-Resources listing Locate: Online
Media (YouTube video, DVD)	YouTube video, video clip from website, DVD played in class			Find: Library catalogue Find: OCtopus Locate: In library Locate: Online (Streaming)
Newspapers	New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Capital News	Articles published each day about current events. Good source for local information. Authors: Staff writers, guest writers, journalists Sources: Rarely cited, few references Articles: Usually brief, longer feature articles Made of newsprint or online format	Up-to-date information on current events Find current information about international, national and local events Find editorials, commentaries, expert or popular opinions	Find: Library catalogue Find: OCtopus Find: Databases Find: E-Journal listing Locate: Online Locate: On display Locate: Microfiche/microfilm
Conference Proceeding	Proceedings of the 28th Annual NASIG Conference	Collection of papers on cutting-edge research presented by researchers in a particular field of study. Some published as individual book; some may be published as an annual periodical; some may not be published at all but may only be available as an abstract. Authors: usually scholars in the field, academics or researchers. Sources: almost always cited with references and/or footnotes Length: long and often have sections such as abstract, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion. Appearance: no color, no ads even in online versions, and some have graphs and tables.	New research ideas, emerging trends, or to gain an historical perspective on research identify leading researchers and institutions in various fields of study historical insight into various scientific and technological approaches to problems back in time	Find: OCtopus Find: Databases Locate: Online Locate: ILL
Technical Report		Scientific and technical information. Most commonly generated by government agencies, corporations, and universities. Authors: Scholars or scientists, engineers, government contractors, or technical personnel. Sources: always cited with references and/or footnotes Length: Long and often have sections such as abstract and appendixes. Often includes tables, images and charts. Appearance: No ads, and only sometimes have color graphics.	New research ideas, emerging trends, or to gain an historical perspective on research discover new developments or findings from science and technical research before its publication in journals see how the research in specific topic areas was approached from an historical perspective	Find: OCtopus Find: Databases Find: Search engine Locate: Online
Trade Journals	Advertising Age, Business in Vancouver	Industry-specific news and advertising targeted at those who work in a particular profession or trade Authors: Staff writers or journalists, often with expertise in subject area. Sources: Rarely cited. Length: Brief, unless feature Appearance: glossy, have graphics and advertisements, many are large format or online	Current news, products, and trends within a specific trade or industry or practical information from practitioners Find practical information within a field from practitioners in that industry	Find: OCtopus Find: Databases Find: E-journal listing Find: Library catalogue Locate: Online Locate: In print

Primary Sources	Examples
In the sciences, primary sources, or "primary literature" are sources which report the results of original research. Generally in research journals; report research done by the authors. Usually only include references to other primary sources. Cover very focused and specialized topics. Primary source journal articles (and sometimes conference papers/proceedings) are usually peer-reviewed or refereed ie. independent experts in the field review, or "referee" the manuscript before publication to check the accuracy and validity of its claims.	In the sciences: typically journal articles or conference papers which describe a new theory or the results of an experiment or study. Also: Technical reports; dissertations and theses; patents; numerical data & statistics; samples, field notes and specimens; lab notes & journal entries.
Secondary Sources	Examples
In the sciences, sources which review the existing literature are "secondary sources." Generally include a large bibliography; usually the bibliographic references are primary sources. Topic coverage is more focused than tertiary sources, but less focused than primary.	In the sciences: "review articles" in journals, research or graduate level books, specialised scientific encyclopedia entries, and scientific news reports.
Tertiary Sources	Examples
Synthesize and report on secondary sources for general readers. Sparse references, generally secondary sources. General and very broad topic coverage	Undergraduate or course textbooks, encyclopedia articles, Wikipedia

Adapted from The CRAAP Test, developed by librarians at California State University, Chico

ENGL 153 Studies in Narrative

Evaluating Information - Literary Research

Scholarly Academic Publication

Popular Publications

Author

Date

Publisher

Purpose

Editing

Documentation

Other

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

Currency

Relevance

Wikipedia etc.

Examples

Internet

Databases

Access

Cost

Content by

Content

Appearance

Publication

Resource Type

Example

Characteristics

When would I use?

Find & Locate

Reference Sources

Reference Sources

Books (& E-Books)

Edited Books

Magazines

Journals

Peer Review

Web Sites

Media (YouTube video, DVD)

Newspapers

Conference Proceeding

Technical Report

Trade Journals