Dietel-­‐McLaughlin

 /  FYC  13100  /  Fall  2010  

Dr.  E’s  Handy  Guide  to  Evaluating  Sources  

 
STEP  I:  Scan  for  Relevance.  The  purpose  of  this  step  is  to  determine  which  sources  to  continue  
reading  and  which  ones  to  set  aside.  Some  tips  for  specific  types  of  sources  are  listed  on  the  next  page  of  
this  guide,  but  in  general,  your  scan  of  a  source  should  take  the  following  into  account:  Is  the  source  going  
to  help  you  demonstrate  the  existence  of  a  trend  or  illustrate  the  severity  of  a  problem?  Does  the  author  
provide  an  important  perspective  or  counterargument  to  some  aspect  of  your  topic?  Does  the  source  
provide  data  you  can  use  to  support  your  own  claims?  Does  the  source  provide  important  background  
information  about  the  controversy?  How  else  might  the  source  be  relevant  to  your  argument?  
 
STEP  II.  Record  Source  Info.  Once  you’ve  decided  to  continue  working  with  a  source,  it’s  
important  to  record  complete  bibliographic  information  right  away.  Doing  so  will  keep  your  research  
organized  and  accurate.  It  will  also  help  you  to  avoid  unintentional  plagiarism.    Create  an  MLA-­‐style  works  
cited  entry  for  the  source  and  record  all  of  your  notes,  quotes,  paraphrases,  and  page  numbers  underneath  
that  entry.  Take  the  time  to  be  accurate  now  and  you  will  thank  yourself  later!  
 
STEP  III:  Read  with  Purpose.  Research  involves  careful,  focused,  systematic  reading.  Do  NOT  
read  a  source  without  taking  notes—EVER!  Instead,  take  note  of  particular  topics,  claims,  evidence,  and  
quotes  that  may  help  your  argument.    Consider  these  three  approaches  to  reading  source  material**:  
 
1) Read  for  a  problem:  introductions  and  conclusions  are  good  places  to  find  ideas  for  what  kinds  
of  problems  exist  within  the  field  the  source  is  addressing.  Conclusions  to  scholarly  articles,  for  
example,  often  nod  toward  areas  where  further  research  is  needed,  which  may  give  you  a  
starting  point  for  directing  your  own  research.  
 
2) Read  for  an  argument:  Get  a  sense  not  only  for  what  kinds  of  claims  are  being  made,  but  also  for  
how  the  argument  is  organized  and  developed.  This  analysis  not  only  gives  you  a  deeper  
understanding  of  the  conversation  at  hand,  but  it  also  may  give  you  useful  ideas  for  how  to  
structure  and  develop  your  own  argument.  
 
3) Read  for  evidence:  Even  if  the  argument  you  are  reading  is  not  relevant  to  your  own  claims,  the  
information  being  presented  may  be.  Do  any  of  the  case  studies,  statistics,  survey  data,  or  
examples  have  relevance  to  your  own  claims?  
 
STEP  IV:  Synthesize  Sources.    As  you  read  and  take  notes  on  your  sources,  look  for  opportunities  
to  put  those  sources  into  dialogue  with  each  other.  Does  source  A’s  study  support  the  claims  made  by  
source  B?  Does  source  B  provide  an  example  of  the  phenomenon  being  discussed  in  source  C?  Does  source  
C  discuss  a  potential  objection  to  the  fundamental  assumptions  of  source  A?  Does  source  B  offer  additional  
information  to  support  the  findings  of  source  D?  This  type  of  synthesis  helps  to  illustrate  the  complexity  of  
your  topic  and  also  shows  your  credibility  as  a  researcher.  
 
STEP  V:  Include  Your  Voice.  When  doing  research,  it’s  very  easy  to  get  overwhelmed  by  the  
source  material  and  lose  track  of  your  own  perspective.  To  avoid  this  common  problem,  make  sure  to  
include  your  own  analysis  when  taking  notes  on  sources.  Frame  quotes  with  your  own  words,  record  your  
own  analysis  of  data  you’ve  pulled  from  a  source,  respond  to  the  claims  of  a  source  with  your  own  
questions  or  objections,  and  so  on.  Remember:  the  most  important  voice  in  this  paper  is  YOURS,  so  make  
sure  every  piece  of  source  material  you  provide  has  your  voice  attached  to  it  somehow.    
                                                                                                               
*  Adapted  from  Booth,  Wayne  C.,  Gregory  G.  Colomb  and  Joseph  M.  Williams.  The  Craft  of  Research.  2nd  edition.  Chicago:  University  
of  Chicago  Press,  2003.  90-­‐95.  Print.  
Dietel-­‐McLaughlin  /  FYC  13100  /  Fall  2010  

Tips  for  Scanning  Certain  Types  of  Sources  

 
BOOKS.  A  book  usually  reflects  one  author’s  extensive  research  on  a  topic  and  includes  a  list  of  references  
that  may  be  useful  for  locating  additional  sources.  To  evaluate  a  book:  
• Skim  the  preface  or  introduction  to  get  a  sense  for  the  purpose  of  the  book.  Why  was  the  book  
written?  What  is  the  overarching  claim?  What  type  of  research  does  the  
book  draw  from?  
• Scan  the  table  of  contents—what  are  the  main  ideas  of  the  work  as  a  whole?  
Which  chapter  titles  seem  like  they  might  be  most  relevant  to  your  project?  
• Scan  any  relevant  chapters—read  the  introduction  and  conclusion  and  then  
look  for  subheadings  to  get  a  sense  for  how  the  chapter  might  relate  to  your  
project.  
• Scan  the  index—what  kinds  of  key  words  are  cited  most  often?  How  do  
those  key  words  connect  to  your  project?  Can  you  type  some  of  these  key  
terms  into  research  databases  to  find  more  sources?  
 
EDITED  COLLECTIONS/ANTHOLOGIES.    Edited  collections  compile  articles  by  different  authors  
under  one  cover,  usually  centered  on  a  specific  topic.  Collections  can  be  useful  for  locating  multiple  
perspectives  on  a  topic.  Each  article  within  the  anthology  counts  as  a  separate  source  (but  be  sure  not  to  rely  
too  much  on  one  collection,  as  that  may  hurt  your  credibility  as  a  researcher).  To  evaluate  an  edited  collection:  
• Skim  the  preface  or  introduction  to  get  a  sense  for  the  purpose  of  the  collection.  Why  have  the  
editors  brought  these  articles  together?  What  issue  is  being  engaged  by  these  pieces?  
• Scan  the  table  of  contents—what  perspectives  are  presented  on  the  topic?  Which  titles  seem  most  
relevant  to  your  project?  Note:  The  introduction  may  also  list  brief  summaries  of  each  article,  which  
will  give  you  a  better  idea  of  which  pieces  you  may  want  to  read  in  full.  
• Scan  any  relevant  articles—read  the  introduction  and  conclusion  and  then  look  for  subheadings  to  
get  a  sense  for  how  the  chapter  might  relate  to  your  project.  
 
SCHOLARLY  JOURNAL  ARTICLES.    Journal  articles  are  written  and  reviewed  by  experts  in  a  given  
field,  which  lends  credibility  to  your  own  research.  Full-­text  versions  are  often  available  online  through  library  
databases  like  Academic  Search  Premiere  or  CQ  Researcher.  To  evaluate  a  journal  article:  
• Read  the  abstract  (typically  a  summary  placed  before  the  text  of  the  article  itself).  
• If  you  are  still  interested  in  the  piece,  read  the  introduction  and  conclusion  to  get  a  sense  for  the  
overall  purpose.  Look  also  for  remaining  questions  or  concerns  suggested  by  the  authors,  as  those  
questions  may  be  useful  for  directing  your  own  research.  
• Scan  the  article  for  subheadings  and  significant  key  words  that  may  be  relevant  to  your  topic.  
 
NEWSPAPER/MAGAZINE  ARTICLES.  Newspaper  articles  typically  reflect  current  debates  or  
developments  related  to  a  particular  topic.  These  sources  can  be  useful  for  demonstrating  the  timeliness  of  a  
topic  or  for  showing  how  public  discussion  of  a  topic  has  changed  over  a  period  of  time.  To  evaluate  
newspaper  and  magazine  articles:  
• Find  out  what  newspaper  or  magazine  the  article  appeared  in—it  can  make  a  difference  in  terms  of  
the  way  readers  may  perceive  the  article’s  credibility.  
• Look  carefully  at  the  publication  date.  If  the  article  was  published  several  years  ago,  then  be  sure  to  
analyze  whether  the  discussion  is  still  relevant  to  your  project—or  does  it  reflect  an  earlier  stage  of  
thinking  about  the  issue?  
• Read  the  piece  and  get  a  sense  for  whether  the  article  is  more  informative  or  editorial  in  nature—is  
the  author  staking  a  claim,  or  reporting  on  the  facts?  
 
 
Dietel-­‐McLaughlin  /  FYC  13100  /  Fall  2010  

 
WEB  SITES.  Web  sites  can  be  useful  for  getting  a  sense  of  the  public  debate  about  or  attitude  toward  an  
issue,  and  many  organizations  (universities,  government  organizations,  newspapers,  and  so  on)  use  web  sites  
to  provide  information  and  commentary.  To  evaluate  a  Web  site:  
• Find  out  who  the  sponsoring  organization  is.  If  you  have  trouble  finding  this  information,  then  that  
may  be  a  red  flag  in  terms  of  the  site’s  overall  credibility.  
• Find  out  who  the  author  is.  What  is  this  person’s  experience  with  the  topic?  Are  they  credible?  
• Note  the  publication  date  or  the  date  of  last  update.  If  the  page  hasn’t  been  updated  in  a  while,  or  if  
you  have  trouble  locating  the  copyright  date  information,  then  this  may  be  another  red  flag.  
• Determine  the  context  of  the  page  you’re  reading—is  it  part  of  a  larger  series  of  articles  on  the  
subject?  Does  the  page  belong  to  a  larger  resource  that  might  be  helpful  to  your  project?  
• If  the  site  seems  credible,  then  evaluate  the  source  as  you  would  any  other  piece.  
 
SURVEYS/INTERVIEWS.  When  conducting  surveys  or  interviews,  you  become  the  primary  researcher.  
This  type  of  research  can  be  especially  helpful  when  your  topic  engages  a  
local  population  or  issue.  Since  you  are  the  one  crafting  the  questions,  you’re  
sure  to  get  information  directly  related  to  your  topic.  But  beware:  this  type  
of  data  collection  is  often  more  time-­consuming  and  intense  than  library  
research.  Survey  data,  for  example,  often  requires  a  large  data  set  for  
credibility,  reliability,  and  validity.  Additionally,  setting  up  interview  times  
with  participants,  formulating  good  interview  questions,  and  analyzing  the  
results  requires  as  much  or  more  time  and  energy  as  working  with  secondary  
sources.  When  it  works  for  your  topic,  though,  this  type  of  data  can  be  incredibly  insightful  and  persuasive.  
• At  Notre  Dame,  you  do  not  have  to  get  special  approval  to  conduct  interviews  or  surveys  for  class  
projects  UNLESS  you  are  working  with  an  “at-­‐risk”  population  (children,  pregnant  women,  
prisoners,  the  mentally  ill,  etc).  See  Dr.  E  if  you  have  more  questions  about  IRB  guidelines.  
• Craft  your  questions  carefully  and  ethically.  Avoid  biased,  confusing,  or  “leading”  questions  that  
may  skew  yours  participants’  responses  (the  question  “Do  you  feel  parking  is  a  problem  on  
campus?”  is  probably  a  better  choice  than  “Isn’t  it  obvious  that  parking  is  a  problem  on  campus?”.  
For  interviews,  try  to  avoid  yes/no  questions  and  instead  ask  open-­‐ended  questions  that  encourage  
more  discussion  from  your  participant  (i.e.,  “Why  does  the  University  require  first-­‐year  students  to  
live  on  campus?”).  
• Be  sure  to  analyze  your  survey/interview  data  as  you  would  any  other  source.  Select  the  most  
relevant  or  compelling  parts  and  show  how  they  connect  to  your  larger  purpose.    
• You  will  also  need  to  cite  your  interview  or  survey  data  according  to  MLA  guidelines  (i.e.,  Doe,  Jane.  
Personal  interview.  25  Oct.  2010  or  Smith,  Joe.  “Title  of  Survey.”  Survey.  Notre  Dame:  University  of  
Notre  Dame,  2010).  
 
 
If  you  run  into  problems,  be  sure  to  ask  for  help.    Consider  contacting  Dr.  E  (edietelm@nd.edu)  or  the  
first-­‐year  librarian  (lmorgan1@nd.edu)  for  guidance—and  as  always,  consider  utilizing  the  Writing  
Center!  
 
Happy  Researching!