A Guide to Evaluating Information Sources

Some Criteria for Evaluating Book-Length Biographies and Other Research Materials

The process of evaluating an information source for your Critical Evaluation Paper can be separated into three stages. Do your best to address the following factors and questions as preparation for the paper.
Note that the following is not a cookbook formula for writing the paper itself, but rather a guide to evaluating your source.

I. Develop a description of the work.

1. Type of Source

   Is this a primary or a secondary source?

   Example: For biographical information on Herman Melville, his autobiographical works, letters, speeches, or papers would be primary sources; books or articles about him by other authors would be secondary sources

2. Purpose and Intended Audience

   Is this an in-depth scholarly study, a shorter introduction to the subject, or a mere collection of facts about the subject?
   Is it directed toward children and young readers, a popular audience, college level readers and researchers, or professional historians?
   Does it seem have been written and/or published by people who are economically and politically "independent" of the subject, or by people with a vested interest in it?

II. Evaluate the work's quality as an information source.

The following are some standard criteria for evaluating information sources:^{[note 1]}

1. Authority

   Who is the author?

   What are the author's qualifications or credentials? (E.g., scientist, journalist, historian, or an independent researcher.)
   Is he or she a respected figure in this field?
   What is the author's relation to the subject?
   Has this author published other works related to the subject?
   Has this author written other biographical or historical works?

   Who is the publisher?

   Is the book published by an established academic press (e.g., Oxford University, University of Nebraska) or a well-known commercial press (e.g., Macmillan, Norton)?
   Is it from a smaller private press or "vanity" publisher?
   Is it some kid's webpage on geocities.com?

2. Credibility

   NOTE: The author of an autobiography is obviously a great authority on his or her own life; an autobiography is not necessarily always credible on certain points, however.

   Does the author identify areas where facts and motives are uncertain, or instead write as if he or she knows everything?

   Does the author provide reasons and evidence to support views on controversial or uncertain matters?

   Does the author take an appropriately objective tone and attitude toward the subject?
   Loaded language, omissions of fact, or especially sharp attacks on those who offer different interpretations of the facts may be evidence of bias.

3. Currency

   How recent is the work?

   Consider the "Twenty-Year" rule of thumb: if your source is more than twenty years old, are there more up-to-date sources available? Biographies on living figures probably require more frequent updates.

4. Useability

   Is the work itself readable and accessible?

   Note the work's organization: Does the author follow chronological order, or explore lifelong themes one at a time?

   Note whether the work's structure seems appropriate to the subject. Are there, for example, nine chapters on the person's childhood and one covering everything else? Does the author explain, perhaps in the introduction, why he or she structured the work in a particular way?

   Does the work include supplementary resources?

   These might include an introduction, a chronology, a glossary, photos and illustrations, footnotes or endnotes, a bibliography, recommendations for further research, and a thorough index.

5. Relevance

   Is the work's focus and level of detail appropriate for your research needs?

6. Accuracy and Verifiability

   Does the author identify his or her own sources and other supporting works?

   Does the author provide complete citations and reference information for these sources?

   Is there a suitable variety of works cited? Hint: Watch for the occasional author who provides lots of references to his or her own works, but little else!

   Are the sources used by the author themselves authoritative? For biographies, primary sources are especially important.

7. Thoroughness

   How long is the work?

   How much supporting detail does the work provide about the subject?

   Does the author discuss and respond to works on the same subject by other authors?

III. Compare the work to other sources of related information.

1. Compare the book to other sources you have identified.

2. What have other reviewers said about the book?

   This last step (III.2.) is optional for LIB 100, more suited for advanced research--to be done last, if at all. But it will make me very happy if you pull it off!

   Professional reviews are published in magazines or journals. Online sites such as amazon.com often provide professional reviews of featured books. They also provide two other kinds of "reviews": descriptive blurbs from the publisher and "Reader's Comments." The publisher obviously wants to make the book sound good; Reader's Comments can be informative, but realize that anyone can post such comments (even without reading the book--you might try it yourself!).

The MLA Handbook. Fifth ed. Section 1.6, pp. 25-28.
http://milton.mse.jhu.edu:8001/research/education/net.html
http://www.stedwards.edu/hum/drummond/research.html
http://libwww.syr.edu/research/refshelf/evaluat.htm