8. Evaluate Materials

Ten Steps to a Research Paper
Evaluate Materials

Do not use material indiscriminately. Use these 10 criteria to decide if the material you have found is appropriate for your research.

Ten Criteria for Judging

Author's qualification or credential (Who wrote it, is the author trustworthy, knowledgeable?)
The timeliness of the publication (Is it recent, does it fall within the time period you are interested in?)
Accurate and factual information supported by evidence (Is there support for the claims?)
Coverage of information (Is it firsthand, or secondary?)
Organization and arrangement of information (Is the arrangment logical and easy to use?)
Bibliography, references included
Reputation of publisher
Type of publication (Is it for scholars or experts, or is it for everyday people?)
Editorial board of periodical (Are the editorial board members reputable?)
Review process of periodical (Is it peer reviewed? Edited?)

Go to Evaluating Sources in the Library's "Evaluating and Citing Web Resources for Research" Subject Guide for more advice and techniques.

Other Evaluation Information

Consult the following Web sites: