Once you have found sources for your research, the next step is to
evaluate them: most articles and books are written from the author's or
publisher's point of view. For some sources, the point of view can be
obvious (e.g., National Rifle Association, National Organization for
Women, etc.). But what point of view might you find in the following?:
- an opinion on universal health care by Norman Podhoretz of the American
Enterprise Institute
- a publication on Central America from the Christic Institute
- Articles from The Nation or from National Review
What, if any, are the biases of these sources? What is the slant they put
on the information in their publication(s)? Before accepting information as
truth, consider the following factors which will help you examine resources
in terms of your own research needs:
- Authorship
- What are the author's credentials which gives credibility in this field?
What is his/her area of expertise? Is the author affiliated with an organization
or institution? If possible, try to determine the author's bias or perspective
on the topic. Has he/she been cited in sources by others in the field? Biographical
resources (e.g., Who's Who books, located in the library), and information in
the publication itself, may help you determine the author's credentials.
- Publisher/Journal
- Identify the publisher and try to determine whether it is a reputable or scholarly
publisher. If the information is in a serial, determine whether it is a scholarly
journal or a popular magazine: who is the intended audience?; are sources of
information cited?; are credentials of authors given?
- Date of publication/Currency
- When was the resource published? Do resources for your particular topic need
to be current? Is the information contained in the resource current enough to be
accurate and useful?
- Content
- Try to determine the purpose of the information and evidence of bias, its intended
audience, its suitability for your purposes, and its comprehensiveness. Check
for accuracy: can the information provided be verified elsewhere? Note whether
the information is supported by evidence and appears to be valid.
- Reliability
- Is the information factual or is it just opinion? Can it be backed up
by other sources?
- Suitability/Relevance
- How readable is the text? Can I read or understand the information?
What is the purpose of the resource? Is it to entertain,
to inform, or to promote a viewpoint? Is the information clearly presented?
Is the information from this source pertinent to my need?
The following reference tools, located in the library, can be used to find
background information on the sources or authors you located in your
research (who finances them, political platforms with which they're
aligned, etc.):
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Reference Z5305 U5 B57)
online at: Biography Resource Center
- Biography Index (Reference Z5301 .B61)
- Encyclopedia of Associations (Reference HS17 E5)
online at: Associations Unlimited
- Magazines for Libraries (Latest edition in Reference Z6941 M23)
- From Radical Left to Extreme Right: a Bibliography of Current
Periodicals of Protest, Controversy, Advocacy, or Dissent, with
Dispassionate Content-Summaries to Guide Librarians and Other Educators
(Reference JK1726 .S5 1987)
Evaluative information can also be found online, such as in a search of articles
through the
Academic Search Complete database.
EXAMPLE 1: Let's say you found an article by Michael Kinsley, "War and
Powers," in the New Republic and you'd like to know more about the author
and his views. Search the Academic Search Complete database
using the author in a "People" search:
People: kinsley, michael
Display and then read the text of any of the relevant articles to find out
more on Kinsley.
EXAMPLE 2: Use the web to find out more about an interest group or
association from their own webpages. Either search for a group by name, or use
the following sites to find out which groups there are on a particular issue:
National Political Index
Provides links to political parties and other political groups.
Project Vote Smart's Issue Organizations
Provides links to interest groups related to each issue.
Lobby Group Web Sites
Provides links to lobby groups.
Political Resources on the Net
Listings of political sites available on the Internet sorted by country, with links to Parties,
Organizations, Governments, Media and more from all around the world.
Author:
Janet Martorana
Updated: August 2008
Direct questions or comments about this page to the author or to
webmaster@library.ucsb.edu.