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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 influence the grade you receive on your assignments.
You can use this "RADAR" guide to help you assess an item's quality and usefulness in your assignment.
Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs
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Authority: the source of your information
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Date: the timeliness of the information
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Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content
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Reason for writing. Ask the question: is this item meant to inform, educate, persuade, sell something ...?
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Mandalios, Jane. “RADAR: An Approach for Helping Students Evaluate Internet Sources.” Journal of Information Science 39, no. 4 (2013): 470–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551513478889
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 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 resource, 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.”
For more information, see Identifying Peer Review Articles and The Peer Review Process.
Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
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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:
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Examples:
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Examples:
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