- Determine if the author is an expert by trying to find out where the author is employed and the author’s credentials. These are often listed under the article title, introduction, or following the conclusion.
- Determine the audience the material is written to reach - academic or layman. Scholarly journals are usually original research written for academics. Popular magazines are written for a wide audience on topics of general interest.
- If it is a scholarly journal, check to see if the information has been peer-reviewed. What did the peer review process look like? Could there be a possibility of biases effecting this process?
- Determine the accuracy of the material by comparing to other sources to see if there is agreement and looking for documentation such as a bibliography or a list of references.
- Check the currency of the material by finding the date the article was published.
- Determine the relevancy of the material found to the topic you are researching. Don’t use material that is too general or trivial.
- Determine if the material is biased - are all sides of the issue presented or only one side?
Watch any of these videos or view the video below, How to evaluate articles in journals and magazines, to learn more:
