Evaluating Information

Not all articles you find will be suitable for use in your assignments, and that includes information you find in the library and through our databases. You are more likely to find good quality academic sources through the library's resources, however you need to be able to tell the differences between a Scholarly (or Peer-Reviewed) Journal, a Trade Journal and a Popular Journal (Magazine) and Newspapers.

The library has all these sources and each is suitable for use in different ways. Remember though, a typical assignment should include at least 5 references to scholarly articles, so these must come from Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals. 

How can you tell the difference between a scholarly and popular article?
 

Scholarly or Peer-Reviewed Articles

• These are written by and for faculty, researchers, or scholars.
• They use scholarly or technical language and tend to be longer and include full citations for sources.
• They are peer-reviewed or refereed, which means articles are reviewed by other scholars before being published.

Trade Articles

• These are usually written by a staff writer or industry specialist.
• They contain organisational news and the argument will be based on professional knowledge.
• They are not peer-reviewed.

Popular Magazines and Newspapers Articles

• These are usually written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience and are shorter, with a broader overview.
• They are not evaluated by experts but by the magazine editors or staff.
• They usually lack citations for sources used.

CRAAP Test: Use this model to help you evaluate an article

CURRENCY: What date was the article published? Depending on your topic you might need the latest research. Check the dates of the references referred to – are they also up-to-date content?  

RELEVANCE: Read the article abstract which summarises key findings. This will help you determine if the content of the article is relevant to your topic and worth reading.

AUTHORITY: Consider the journal that the article is published in – is it a reputable journal? Is it one you recognise and have used before? Limit your searches to Peer Reviewed articles so you know they have been evaluated by other experts before publication. Consider the author – have they written other articles on the topic? Are they qualified in their area & affiliated with an institution?

ACCURACY: Can you verify the argument - are other articles or textbooks saying something similar? Also follow up the references – read those articles to check the author has used reputable sources. They might also contain useful content for you.

PURPOSE: Was it published for educational reasons? Is the author objective in their arguments or are they showing bias? Are they consistent in their argument throughout the article?