Evaluating Source Purpose & Use
Key Questions:
- What is the intended purpose of the source?
- How might I use the source for my own purposes?
- What other types of sources will I need for my purposes?
Evaluating Sources Rhetorically
Evaluating Sources: Key Questions
Currency
- When was the source published?
- Do you need current information?
Some research topics will require more up-to-date information than do others. (For example, scientific topics tend to require more current sources than do many humanities-focused topics.)
Audience
- For whom is the source intended?
- What is the publication's purpose or scope?
- Is this a scholarly or popular source? A professional/trade journal?
- Is the language difficult to understand?
(If so, you may wish to first gather more background information or sources written for a general audience.)
Relevance
- Is the content appropriate for your purpose?
- What does the source add to an understanding of your topic or argument?
- How does the source relate to other information you have found?
- How does the source relate to your ideas or argument?
- Is there a list of references? It can point you to other relevant sources.
Authorship
- What are the authors' credentials or background in this area?
- Has this author written other articles, papers, reports or books on this same topic?
Bias
- Is the information primarily fact or opinion?
- Does the author appear to have a strong bias, whether explicit or implied?
- Does the author present multiple sides of issues?
- Is the information supported by other research?
- Has this author provided sufficient evidence?
- Does the author use highly charged or emotional language?
(Almost all sources have some degree of bias. A well-reasoned argument, however, considers multiple viewpoints.)
Writing Style
- Are ideas logically and clearly presented?
- Is the writing clear and grammatically correct?