ENG 102: English Composition II

"As locating information has become easier, evaluating information has become more difficult" (Brookbank and Christenberry 55).  

There is a great deal of information available from several sources both across the open web and within library databases. Just because the information is available does not mean that it is factual or correct. It is often recommended that you search within library databases for sources, as they are "more precise and effective than internet search engines" (Brookbank and Christenberry 55), but you must still evaluate the information that you locate within them. One must take the time to properly evaluate and think critically about what it is that they are looking at. There are many methods, such as the CRAP Test, to help with evaluating information, but these can cause people to only take information at face value. Instead of simply making sure an article or source checks a few boxes, look at the article or source and ask yourself some questions, think critically about what you are looking at. This may take a bit longer however, it will provide a greater return on the investment of your research time.

1. What is this?
   • What type of source are you looking at? Why was the source placed/published where it is? What type of document is it? Is it an article that has been published in a scholarly journal, or is it perhaps a term paper for an undergraduate student? If it is on a news website, what sort of bias does that site have? Need help determining this? Check out one of the media bias links under the "Suggested Resources" tab to the right.

   • Instead of looking at the source and wondering what information you can get out of it, ask questions such as “How is this text argued? How is the evidence (the facts, examples, etc.) used and interpreted? How does the text reach its conclusions?"
      

2. What is my initial response to this article/website/source?
   • When researching we often have an initial feeling about an article or source. You haven't investigated the source fully, but you feel like something is not right about it, or, you feel like it is a strong source that will help support your research. Most times you can trust your gut on things, however, be sure that you're not simply suffering from a dose of confirmation bias. To do this, investigate the source further. If it's a website, what do the ads make you think? What type of site is it (.gov, .edu, etc...)? Is that a good domain, why or why not? Is it fact or opinion? If it's an opinion piece, is the opinion backed by facts? Are the sources referenced cited in some fashion (links, names, complete citations, etc...)? Can the information presented be verified through other sources? Do your findings back up your initial gut reaction? If so, how?
      
3. Who is responsible for this article/website/source?
   • Most sources will have an author, editor, or group attached to them, are these authors, editors, or groups experts in their field(s)? If it is an individual, do they have the academic background to write on that subject? (i.e. For health information, did a doctor or nurse write it? For science information, did a scientist or researcher write it?) Who published the information? Was it a news outlet, an organization? A scholarly journal? What type of reputation do they have? Who are their constituents? You can typically find a great deal of information about publishers on the "About Us" page of their website. 
      
4. When was this article/website/source written or published?
   • Depending on the topic that you are writing about, this question may not matter. If you are writing about literary criticism, then a source published in 1954 would be acceptable. If you are writing about social media usage amongst teenagers then you wouldn't want to use data published ten years ago, as that is a current and timely topic. 
      

Asking questions should lead to more questions, this is a good thing. You should always dig deeper. Doing so will make you a better researcher, and it will enable you to find, use, and share credible sources more easily. 

​Brookbank, Elizabeth, and H. Faye Christenberry. MLA Guide to Undergraduate Research in Literature. Modern Language Association of America, 2019. 

Knott, Deborah. "Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing." Writing Advice, U of Toronto, advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/critical-reading/. 
     Accessed 7 Aug. 2019.