HIST 257: Evaluate Sources

Screenshot of scholarly article heading.

Article title:

Mapping Out Climate Change: Assessing How Coastal Communities Adapt Using Alternative Future Scenarios

Authors:

Eva Lipiec, Peter Ruggiero, Alexis Mills, Katherine A. Serafin, John Bolte, Patrick Corcoran, John Stevenson, Chad Zanocco, and Denise Lach

Institutional affiliations of the authors:

College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331, U.S.A.

School of Public Policy
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331, U.S.A.

Biological and Ecological Engineering
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331, U.S.A.

• Are they experts on the subject?
• Do they have an obvious bias? 
• Do they represent some organizations?

• A political think-tank?
• A university? A non-profit?
• A government agency? 
• A corporation? 
• No one but the author?
• Who funded the research?

• The general public?

• College students?
• Scholars or experts?
• People with the author's political beliefs?

• Is it a scholarly journal article?
• A website from a government agency?
• Is it fact-based or opinion-based?

Title: Reading Scholarly Material

1. Start by reading the title and abstract
2. Read the introduction
3. Skip to the conclusion for a broad look back
4. Look at the literature review
5. Review the methods section
6. Look at the citations
7. Read the results and discussion

• Does the author cite their sources?
• Do you have enough information to verify the claims being made?

• Does it relate to your own thesis or argument?

• Do they state this clearly, or maintain a more neutral position, and does it matter?
• Do they acknowledge multiple perspectives respectfully?

• Is your topic in an area that requires current information (such as science, technology, or current events)?  What time period is covered in the source? 
• Is it critical that you use the most current information, and does your source reflect that?  
• Could information found in older sources still be useful and valid? 

• Are the references up to date? Do the links work? 
• Is the information in this source still accurate? 

• Does that fit the focus of your topic or research question?  

• Was it through MC Library’s resources? Which one(s)? 
• If not obtained through the MC Library, does it still meet all requirements for your assignment?

• What field(s) of study is the source focused upon? 
• What are some different perspectives on this topic, and how does this source fit with these? 
• Is this source part of a larger debate or discussion ? 

• Is the purpose to educate or inform?
• Is it to persuade, sell, or entertain?
• Is the purpose stated or disguised?

Title: What is Lateral Reading?

Lateral reading is when you look outside of your source to seek additional information about a source's credibility, reputation, funding sources, and biases.

Image of three desktop computer screens with arrows pointing from left to right between the computers.

• First (leftmost) computer screen: shows a website. Caption reads "unfamiliar source."
• Second (middle) computer screen: shows Google. Caption reads "new browser tab."
• Third (rightmost) computer screen: shows Wikipedia. Caption reads "info. about source."

• Did the author choose a peer-reviewed journal because of the high quality of their research?
• A magazine or newspaper to inform the general public?
• Did they choose a blog or web page because the content is more informal?
• Is it a trade journal to inform professionals in the field?

• Do they provide evidence to support the author's claim?
• Do they show more than one perspective?
• Does the author argue against any of the sources they reference?

• Does it give background information that helps you understand your topic?  
• Is it an opposing view that you can use as a counter-argument? 
• Is it a source of statistics or useful data? 

• Does it answer your question or support your argument?  
• Does it add new and important ideas to your understanding of the topic? 

• Are there spelling, grammatical, or other stylistic problems? 
• Is it too simple or too complicated for what you need? 

• Was it peer-reviewed, approved by an editor, or reviewed in some other way?