Research Methodology

1. Evaluating
Sources

2. ➢ AUTHORITY
➢ ACCURACY
➢ CONTENT
➢ RELEVANCE
➢ OBJECTIVITY
➢ AUDIENCE
➢ WRITING STYLE
➢ CURRENCY

3. AUTHORITY
Evaluate sources on the authority of the author and the
publisher by asking the following:
Who is the author ?
Can you find the authority or credentials of the author ?
Can you find the authority or credentials of the
publisher ?
What if there is no author for an internet source ?

4. ACCURACY
Evaluate sources on the accuracy of information and
bibliographic information by asking the following
questions:
Does the information in the article appear correct ?
Does the article have a bibliography or reference list ?
Is it clear where the author got his or her information ?
Is it obvious who is responsible for the information ?

5. CONTENT
Evaluate sources based on the content by asking the
following questions:
Does the content address the topic effectively ?
Are the key questions about your topic answered within
the content ?
Does the content seem like it is likely to help your
research ?
Does the content provide any information that is new or
useful ?

6. RELEVANCE
Sometimes a source’s relevancy is not apparent until
you have read all or most of the information. In many
instances, however, you can judge the relevance by
looking at the following aspects of a source:
TITLE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
INDEX,
when applicable.

7. OBJECTIVITY
Evaluates sources on their objectivity and bias by
asking the following question:
Is the objectivity of the source clear ?
The nature of your assignment and your topic
determine how important it is for your sources to be
objective.

8. AUDIENCE
Evaluate sources based on the intended audience of
the author by asking the following questions:
What audience does the author appear to be
addressing ?
Is the intended audience a group of experts or a more
general audience ?
Is the content too simple, technical or advanced ? Or Is
it well-suited to your topic and assignment?

9. WRITING STYLE
Evaluate sources based on the writing style by
asking the following questions:
Is the organization of the content logical ?
Is there a clear presentation of the argument ?
Is the text easy to read ? Too wordy ? Too formal
? Too informal ?

10. CURRENCY
Evaluate sources based on currency by asking the
following questions:
When was the source published or written ?
Is the time of publication or writing important for your
topic ?
Is there more current research available on the same
topic ?
Is the date evident for any visual aids, such as graphs,
charts or tables ?

11. SUMMING UP
Evaluate all sources you use for
your research .Focus on the
authority,accuracy and currency of
the sources.