- Ensure search results meet assignment requirements and relate to your thesis or research question
- Ask additional questions to ensure that remaining sources are useful and appropriate for the assignment
Now that you have identified potential sources, evaluate them for usefulness and quality to determine whether to include those sources in your research assignment.
Ensure search results meet assignment requirements and relate to your thesis or research question
After collecting your sources, perform an initial evaluation of your sources. Each source must adhere to the requirements of your assignment and be relevant to your topic. Review your assignment instructions. Can you say YES to the following questions about your sources? If not, then do NOT use the source(s).
ASK YOURSELF
Ask additional questions to ensure that remaining sources are useful and appropriate for the assignment.
Now that you’ve completed your initial evaluation, continue to ask questions about your remaining sources. Depending on your research needs, you may find sources that may not reach the highest standards for scholarship but could be useful to your research project.
Example: Imagine that you are researching hate crimes and run across a social networking site for extremists. Even though the views on this site are clearly slanted in support of a cause, the site provides a first person view of how extremists think. Therefore, this source would be useful and appropriate for your assignment.
Ask yourself the following questions about your sources to decide whether to include the source in your assignment. If you have any concerns about whether or not to use a source, contact your professor or a librarian for more direction.
ASK YOURSELF
If you have any concerns about whether or not to use a source, contact your professor or a librarian for more direction.