Research guides: Arts 130: Just a Game? Sports and Society: Evaluating sources

Selecting quality resources

Why Evaluate?

It is important to evaluate the information you are considering for your research. Your professor will know if you are using biased or inaccurate information in your assignments. Incorporating poor quality sources and information will have an effect on the grade you receive on your assignments.

RADAR

The RADAR Framework can help you remember what kinds of questions you should be asking about an information source as you evaluate it for quality and usefulness in your research.

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

Does the information relate to your topic?
Who is the intended audience?

Authority: the source of your information

Who is the creator or author?
What are their credentials?
Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?

Date: the timeliness of the information

When was the information published?
When was the information updated?
Does your topic require recent information?

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

Supported by evidence
Provides logical analysis
Cites quality research and studies

Reason for writing: the reason the information exists

What is the purpose of the information?
Is the information fact, opinion, propaganda?
Is the language or tone unbiased and free from emotion?

Mandalios, J. (2013). RADAR: An approach for helping students evaluate Internet sources. Journal Of Information Science, 39, 470-478. doi:10.1177/0165551513478889

When should I use peer-reviewed journal articles for my assignment?

Peer-reviewed journal articles should be used for your assignments and research as they are written by expert researchers and critiqued by specialists in the field.

It is important to note the difference between a peer-reviewed article and a popular article. Peer-reviewed articles refer to those that have been edited and reviewed by the authors’ peers who are experts in the same field.

Popular articles are not peer-reviewed and are written to inform the general public.

How do I know if an article is peer-reviewed?

It is important to note that it is the JOURNAL which is designated as peer-reviewed, not necessarily the individual article. For example, some journals will have editorials or opinion pieces and these will not necessarily be peer-reviewed.

Some of the Research Databases have a limiter/facet for peer-reviewed and sometimes, the article itself will indicate original submission date and date of acceptance, which generally indicates that a review process has been undertaken.

However, if none of these indicators are present, there is a Research Database, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, which allows users to get information about the journal, such as whether or not it is peer-reviewed. In Ulrichsweb, search the name of the journal in which your article is located. Under the Basic Description of the journal, look for “Refereed.”

What's the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources?

Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Primary sources are first-hand accounts or individual representations. They are created by those who have directly witnessed what they are describing.	Secondary sources interpret and/or analyze primary sources, as they offer different perspectives, analyses and conclusions on a given topic.	Tertiary sources are a compilation or digest of primary and secondary materials. Generally, they are agreed upon fact.
Examples: Research data and surveys Letters or diaries Original photographs Speeches or autobiographies Newspaper reports Original research in math and science (journal articles and conference proceedings)	Examples: Essays or reviews Articles that analyze or discuss ideas and events Criticisms or commentaries	Examples: Dictionaries Encyclopedias Guidebooks Almanacs

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Primary sources are first-hand accounts or individual representations. They are created by those who have directly witnessed what they are describing.

Secondary sources interpret and/or analyze primary sources, as they offer different perspectives, analyses and conclusions on a given topic.

Tertiary sources are a compilation or digest of primary and secondary materials. Generally, they are agreed upon fact.

Examples:

Research data and surveys
Letters or diaries
Original photographs
Speeches or autobiographies
Newspaper reports
Original research in math and science (journal articles and conference proceedings)

Examples:

Essays or reviews
Articles that analyze or discuss ideas and events
Criticisms or commentaries

Examples:

Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Guidebooks
Almanacs

How Can I Tell If an Article is Peer-Reviewed?

Peer-reviewed articles may also be called “scholarly articles,” “academic articles,” or “referreed articles.” They are articles that have been reviewed by peers or experts in the author’s field of research/study.

Is an article is peer-reviewed?

Search for the journal title within Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory *note not the article title
If the journal is listed as “referreed” in Ulrich’s (it would have this referee image: ), it is a peer-reviewed journal

Some clues that an article is peer-reviewed:

It's long. Generally peer-reviewed articles are at least 10 pages long
It references other research articles and has a list of citations
It has the author's contact information and scholarly credentials (i.e. where they work, their education)
It is published by an academic publisher or academic/professional association

If you're still not sure, contact your instructor or a subject librarian.