COLS 1000: Food for Thought

Popular Articles (Magazines)

• Contain colorful photos and pictures
• Shorter in length (1-5 pages)
• Written by journalists, staff writers, and freelance writers
• Generally no credentials provided, sometimes no author named
• Easy to understand vocabulary
• Few, if any, references
• Many ads
• Written for general readers, lay people, non-experts
• Vetted by staff editors

Scholarly Journal Articles

• Contain graphs, charts, and tables that support the text
• Longer in length (10-30 pages)
• Written by scholars, researchers, and experts in the field
• Author credentials are provided
• Use highly specialized, technical vocabulary
• Lengthy list of references
• Minimal advertisements
• Written for scholars, researchers, and students
• Articles are usually peer-reviewed [critically evaluated by a board of experts in the field]

Evaluation Criteria

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
• Are the links functional?*

Relevance: The importance of the information to your needs.

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority:  The source of the information.

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
• Is the organization or sponsor well known and highly credible on the topic?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?  (examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net)*

Accuracy:  The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content.

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free from emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammatical, or typographical errors?

Purpose:  The reason the information exists.

• What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain, or persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

*criteria for evaluating websites