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ENG 104 Composition II
Evaluating Source Materials:
An Overview
| Contents |
Here are important things to take into account as you launch into your major Research Project:
Primary sources: The original products of a writer's experience, observation, and mind, reproduced in the writer's own words. ALWAYS USE THEM, WHEN AVAILABLE (AND WHEN APPROPRIATE).
Secondary sources: Those which summarize, evaluate, or comment upon primary sources. MAY VARY WIDELY IN QUALITY. USE ONLY THE BEST. READ THEM CRITICALLY AND EVALUATE THEM SKEPTICALLY.
Ask the following questions when evaluating sources and their evidence:
2. What publication or organization do the data come from?
3. Whom do the data come from? What is the person's or organization's authority?
4. How old are the data?
5. How relevant are the data to your focus?
6. Are there any perceivable biases in the data?
7. Does the writer or speaker ignore relevant or conflicting evidence?
8. Does the writer or speaker think within arbitrarily fixed limits?
9. Is the writer's or speaker's reasoning sound and logical? Are fallacies present?
10. Does the writer deliberately or accidentally commit statistical errors?
Definitions
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How To Evaluate
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1. Primary source or secondary source?
Have a question about the research process? Send me an e-mail.
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