Source Evaluation
Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of library research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, web pages, or multimedia sources are similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item or have the item in hand.
- How to Critically Analyze Information SourcesLists some of the critical questions you should ask when you consider the appropriateness of a particular book, article, media resource, or Web site for your research.
- Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of CriteriaShows how to evaluate periodicals by looking at their format, intended audience, and appearance.
- Five Criteria for Evaluating Web SitesOffers a list of questions to ask.
"Magazines for Libraries" as an Evaluation Tool
There are reference books which describe and evaluate periodicals. For evaluations of specific periodicals, use:
- Magazines for LibrariesCall Number: See Catalog Record for call number and location.1969 to date.
An annotated listing by subject of over 6,000 periodicals. Each entry gives name of periodical, beginning publication date, publisher, editor, address, price and such information as indexing, size, and level of audience. Short abstracts describe the scope, political slant, and other aspects of the publication. Arrangement is topical, bringing magazines and journals on like subjects together. To find an individual title, use the title index at the end of the volume or ask for assistance.