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ENGL 101 & 011: Evaluate Sources

Evaluate Information

Evaluating information is an important part of the academic writing process. Your professor may have provided you with sources to use for your assignment. Even so, it's a good idea to think about the credibility and reliability of those sources. (For example, consider: Why might your professor be recommending each individual source? What makes them helpful sources for your assignment?)

When you need to find sources on your own, you should always select them carefully and be able to explain why you think they are reliable. The major elements to consider when you evaluate sources include currency, authority, credibility, purpose, objectivity, writing style, and relevance.

Research Skills & Tips:

There are different types of sources for various audiences and purposes. When reading a source to use in an assignment, it's helpful to consider what kind of information you'll learn from it, and how it might be useful in your paper. 

  • Scholarly articles (also called peer-reviewed articles) contain detailed research on a narrow topic, written by experts in the discipline. It takes a long time to collect data, write, and publish a scholarly article, so you may not find the most recent information here. 
  • Newspaper and magazine articles report on a specific event or topic, and are written for the general public. They are usually very current. 
  • Books, films, and websites may contain scholarly information, be intended to educate the general public (like a documentary or public health website), or simply be for entertainment. Consider the content of the source, not just what kind it is. 

Research Skills & Tips:

As you prepare to write your assignments, think about ways to apply your research to your topic and the argument you are making. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are commonly used writing strategies to help you integrate your sources in your own words without losing the original context.

Quotation: Quoting is putting the source ideas word for word in your paper and inserting quotation marks.  Show your reader why the quote is important.  Provide a context and explain why or how the quote supports the argument you want to make.  Avoid using too many quotations in your writing.

Summary: A summary is a short overview of a larger text in your own words. Focus on preserving the most important ideas and leaving out the details. Do not insert quotation marks when summarizing. 

Paraphrase: Paraphrasing is when you rewrite the author’s original ideas into your own words without losing the main points of the original text. It enables you to demonstrate your understanding and interpretation of the original idea about your topic. It gives your readers an understanding of the sources' specific ideas, but it is in your own words.

Key points to remember: 

  • Provide a context in your own words how the original source relates to your argument 
  • Use correct citations to guide your reader to the original text

Research Skills & Tips:

Evaluate Sources

"Evaluate Sources." Stack of folders.

To ensure the quality of your research, think critically about whether the sources you selected are credible, reliable, and relevant for your research goal. 

Consider the evaluation tips on this page, and assess each article, book, website, or other source that you find.