ENGL Composition: Evaluating and Analyzing Resources

You've all heard it before: You need scholarly/peer-reviewed sources.  Vetted, authoritative sources.

• Looking at a source and deciding whether it applies to your paper  is more than just deciphering  whether it is scholarly and from a peer-reviewed or refereed source (journal, book, or a solid website). 
• A source can be scholarly, but not meet the criteria or purpose for your assignment.
• A subject may require non-scholarly sources if it involves new subjects or subjects that aren't adequately discussed in academia. 
• If you use websites, how do you determine if they are reliable.

Here are some things to consider when looking at any resources:

1. Who wrote it and why? Is it a politician, a journalist, a researcher in a particular field? Are they trying to persuade you or inform you?

2. Where is it posted or published? For example, is it a government website, an educational institution, a personal blog?

3. Who is the audience? Was it intended for the general public, people in a particular field? 

4. What do they use for proof? Where are they getting their supportive information? How recent is their supportive information? 

5. When was it written? How timely is it?