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English: English 2: Analyze Search Results

English 2 - Research Guide

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Analyzing & Evaluating Information Sources

As you come across sources in your research, it's important to take some time to analyze and evaluate them.

Analyzing a source involves...

  • knowing how to identify the parts of a book or article citation, or the elements of a web site address
  • determining the level of the intended audience
  • determining if it's a popular publication (written by journalists) or a scholarly journal (written by peers in the field)
  • determining if it's a firsthand primary source (e.g. diary, autobiography), or a secondary source (e.g. written by a journalist or researcher)

Evaluating a source involves...

  • looking for information about the credentials of the author
  • determining if it's biased with an agenda to get across only one view
  • checking if the information is current enough or has been updated recently
  • understanding the domain of the web site
  • checking if the information can be verfied in other sources

Website Evaluation