Evaluating Information and Information Sources
Is This Information Appropriate?
Recall that Chapter II examined types of information sources. Its last section, focusing on scholarly versus popular sources of information, is very relevant when considering what kind of information is appropriate for inclusion in your academic work. Why might it be appropriate to include some of these categories while excluding others?
The reason is that not all information is created equal. Information and information sources vary: in terms of the purpose for which they were created, the authority or level of trust they offer, how comprehensive the information, and more. Not all information needs call for information that has been comprehensively researched or formally accredited: finding out the opening hours of the cinema would not require you to search for academic sources to confirm this. Selecting sources to include in your academic work deem the identification and use of scholarly sources essential, however. Sometimes you will use other kinds of information sources such as grey literature, however scholarly information is core to your academic work.
Information obtained from popular sources is not usually acceptable in academic work. This will vary somewhat depending on your academic discipline however, for example in some disciplines newspaper articles are a valuable information source. It may also, on occasion, vary according to your research question.
The the first step is to establish what kind of sources are required, as in practice this will influence where will you search for the information. Make sure you are aware of the category/categories of sources your lecturer has requested, and if you are unsure check back with them. In many cases your lecturer will stipulate that you include scholarly sources only. Even when the discipline, topic, or research question call for the use of other catagories of information, scholarly sources are almost certainly also required.
Don’t forget to ensure that your sources meet any other criteria that your lecturer may have given you, for instance, lecturers in the humanities may say that some of your sources must be primary sources.
Identifying Scholarly Material
Most of the sources found in the Library catalogue and its databases will fall into the catagory of scholarly information – however not all. The Library catalogue and databases also contain some types of grey literature such as conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, as well as trade, and some popular sources.
Therefore, you still need to evaluate the sources you find via the catalogue and databases. When searching for scholarly journal articles the first step is to filter your search to “journal articles” and even narrower to “peer reviewed articles” where peer-reviewed material is required (articles contained in some databases are almost exclusively peer-reviewed, you can find more in the scope note of the particular database). The majority of books that you will find in the Library catalogue are either textbooks or scholarly sources.
Click on the tabs below for some more pointers on how to identify scholarly articles and books.
Identifying Scholarly Articles
* Click here to access the video “Guided Tour of a Scholarly Journal Article”
Identifying Scholarly Books
Scholarly information can also come in the form of books, particularly in the humanities and some social sciences. These can be in monograph form (an extended analysis of a single topic by a single or several authors) or in an edited volume (where many authors contribute different takes on a theme, each writing up a contributory chapter).
*Textbooks are not scholarly sources. Consider the following:
- The primary audience for textbooks is not other experts in the field – therefore they do not fit a crucial part of the definition of scholarly sources.
- Textbooks are not looking to convey new knowledge that has been built on existing knowledge or report on original research – they seek to provide an overview or a “how to”.
- They are not peer-reviewed.
- However textbooks are great for reading around your subject and getting an excellent basis and understanding of your subject.
Watch a Video Summarising the Above
Popular vs Scholarly Sources by Evelyn & Howard Boroughs Library licenced under Creative Commons Licence CC BY 3.0 DEED
