Cascadilla School Library Day (Fall 2022): Evaluate

How to Critically Analyze Information Sources

A guide to the critical questions you should ask when you consider the appropriateness of a particular book, article, media resource, or Web site for your research.

Book

Baum, L. Frank, and W. W. Denslow. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago: G.M. Hill Co, 1900.

Article

Updike, J. "A CRITIC AT LARGE The Secret Life of the Wizard of Oz." The New Yorker. (2000): 84-88.

Article in Book

Hatch, Kristen, "Maiden voyage: from Edwardian girl to millennial woman in Titanic" in Gateward, Frances K., and Murray Pomerance, eds. Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Cinemas of Girlhood. Contemporary film and television series. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2002.

Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of scholarly research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, or multimedia sources are similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item or have the item in hand.

This segment discusses how to recognize and find scholarly journal articles.

Wondering how to tell if the article you're reading is from a scholarly journal?

Take a look at:

Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria

It will show you how to evaluate periodicals by looking at their format, intended audience, and appearance.