PURPOSE
& AUDIENCE
• Does the article try to persuade, inform, or prove something?
How so?
• Is the article a primary or secondary source?
• Who is its intended audience? How might this influence
its content?
• What type of periodical published the article (scholarly,
popular, trade, etc.)? |
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Checking
purpose and audience:
-- Read the purpose/mission statement for the periodical.
-- Read the article submission guidelines.
-- Notice the tone and terminology used in the article.
-- Note the presence/absence and types of advertising and announcements.
-- Examine the types of information, evidence, and examples
used.
-- Find out about the periodical using Genamics
JournalSeek and Magazines for Libraries (a reference
work available in most libraries).
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AUTHORITY
• Does the author have adequate qualifications/expertise?
• Is the work cited in other writings (especially articles
in comparable fields)?
• Are the author's qualifications given? Where is the author
employed?
• Who is the sponsoring agency, organization, or institution
for the periodical?
• What are the agency's/organization's credentials and
reputation? |
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Checking
the writer's authority:
-- Use biographical dictionaries and critical essays to investigate
the author.
-- Search appropriate databases for works that cite the article.
-- Read articles that cite/critique the article (and other works
by the author).
-- Find out if the author has written other articles, reports,
etc. on the topic.
-- Check the online home page for the periodical or its sponsoring
organization.
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ACCURACY & RELIABILITY
• Is a bibliography or reference list available so information
can be verified?
• Does the article offer trustworthy information?
• Is the information protected by copyright? Who is the
copyright holder?
• Does the article indicate editorial quality (free of
errors)? |
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Checking
accuracy and reliability:
-- Examine the text for evidence of careful research.
-- Check if data, statistics, and facts are documented (and
current).
-- Double-check information in the article with other sources.
-- Read critiques and analyses in reputable sources.
-- Determine if the periodical is peer-reviewed, editor-reviewed,
etc.
-- Examine the quality of items listed in the bibliography,
if one is present.
-- Check the publisher: academic, commercial, non-profit, etc.
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OBJECTIVITY
• Is the information biased or balanced, subjective or
objective?
• Is the text mostly fact or opinion? Is that appropriate?
• Does the text acknowledge the above?
• Does the writer use logical or emotional appeal? |
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Checking objectivity:
-- Examine the writer's claims. Are they logical and reasonable?
-- Examine the evidence presented. Is it adequate and credible?
-- Read critical essays about and responses to the article.
-- Notice the presence/absence and types of advertising.
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CURRENCY
• When was the article published? Does that matter?
• Is the information current? Should it be?
• Are current research findings and/or theories evident?
Should they be? |
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Checking work's currency:
-- Check dates on references, if any are given.
-- Check dates given for any data presented in the text.
-- Compare the information with that presented in other sources.
-- Check the publishing history (date on the periodical, footnotes
about previous publishing, presence in databases, etc.).
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COVERAGE
• Does the article adequately cover its topic?
• Does the article present original ideas or rehash those
of others?
• Are significant aspects of the topic omitted?
• Are omissions acknowledged and explained? |
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Checking
coverage:
-- Examine the introductory paragraphs and editor's notes about
the article.
-- Analyze the breadth of content. Does it meet expectations?
-- Read articles that discuss or analyze the article in question.
-- Compare the article with similar works.
-- Look at the article's length. Is it long enough to adequately
cover the topic? |
