SOAD R209 Apparel Industries

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?

Relevance

• 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

• Does the author present multiple sides of issues??
• 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.)