writing workshop evaluating research questions and sources in history quiz

History 300: A Guide to Research: Evaluating Sources

• Getting Started
• Reference/Tertiary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Primary Sources
• Phillips Academy Archives Collections This link opens in a new window
• Addison Gallery Resources
• Requesting Items Outside the OWHL
• Historical Eras / Time Periods
• Indian Removal Act of 1830 and its after-effects in the US
• Labor and Industrialism in the US
• Personalities from Early America through the Civil War
• Progressive Reformers
• U.S. Imperialism
• World War II
• Cold War in the US
• US History through a Different Lens This link opens in a new window
• Constitution Essay
• Topics & Research Questions
• Evaluating Sources
• Reading Scholarly Articles This link opens in a new window
• Analyzing Primary Sources
• Annotated Bibliography
• Writing Strategies (Harvard University) This link opens in a new window
• Historiography

C.R.I.T.I.C.A.L Method

Information can come from anywhere, anyone, and for any purpose, which means that critical evaluation is an essential part of your research process. The CRITICAL guide helps determine if a source is appropriate and prompt you to think about how your search for, select, and engage you research materials.

C.R.I.T.I.C.A.L.

from Queen's University Library

ACT-UP Method

The ACT-UP: Evaluating Resources for Social Justice method of evaluating sources was developed by librarian Dawn Stahura, now at Salem State University. 

ACT-UP asks you to consider important questions about your research:

Author : Who is the author and why did they present this information? Where did you find it? On a reputable website?

Currency : When was it published and does this fit the time period of your project?

Truth : Is the information correct? Does the author use sensationalizing words to evoke an emotional response? Are there typos?

Unbias : What point of view is the information showcasing? Is it trying to get you to think a certain way? Bias is present in all resources, so knowing what type of bias (even if it includes missing information), is important!

Privilege : Does the author of your information come from the dominant culture, or do they come from a marginalized group? Particularly if the author is writing about a community they do not belong to, make sure to include other sources that do represent that community.

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Evaluating Sources in History

Throughout your studies, you may be required to locate and reference primary and secondary sources when writing a history paper. After finding a promising source, you may wonder how you can tell whether a primary or secondary source is credible and worth using. To determine the credibility of a source, you must discern if the source’s content is reasonable, trustworthy, accurate, and verifiable.

Listed below are questions to evaluate and measure the credibility of primary and secondary sources.

• Do the author’s claims or statements seem plausible?
• Does anything the author states seem outlandish or exaggerated?
• What does not make sense logically? Why does this material not make sense?

Trustworthy

• What makes the author credible (e.g., credentials, expertise, skills)?
• Was the author present at the time of the historical event?
• How soon after the historical event did the author write about it?
• Does any of the historical information sound biased?
• Are any of the author’s conclusions biased?
• Does a museum, archive, or historian provide any criticisms of the source?
• Do the dates, people, and places of an event match across primary sources?
• Do primary sources describe the event in similar ways?
• If information differs among primary sources, what might account for that difference?
• Does the secondary source describe a historical event or person using multiple primary sources?
• Do multiple accounts of a historical event exist, or is it only one?
• Do the people providing the historical accounts agree about what happened? If not, about what do the accounts disagree?
• Does the secondary source acknowledge the existence of multiple historical accounts?
• Does the secondary source objectively consider the value of each historical account?
• Does the secondary source cite the work of other historians or experts?

History is full of conflict and controversy, so historical figures may disagree over what happened in the past. Therefore, keep in mind that even if historical accounts of an event differ, the accounts may still be considered credible. When multiple, relatively credible accounts exist, evaluate each perspective fairly to understand the full historical context surrounding an event.

Work Consulted

Marius, Richard, and Melvin E. Page. 2014. A Short Guide to Writing About History . 9th ed. London: Pearson.

Page last updated July 25, 2023.

Guide to Historical Research: Evaluating Sources

• Catalog Search
• Evaluating Sources
• Citing Sources

Criteria for Evaluating Sources

Why evaluate.

It's important to evaluate all information sources for reliability and credibility -- but especially web sources, because almost anybody can put content on the web. 

Using quality sources shows your professors, fellow students, and other readers that you have done your research and know what you are talking about. 

How to evaluate?

An easy way to evaluate sources is to think of a journalist's questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how . Think about questions like these for each of your sources:

Who made this? 

• Who is the author? 
• What is their academic training, life experience, or some other skill set that makes them knowledgeable about this subject?
• Look for an About Us page (especially so if there is no author name). With what organizations is this site affiliated?
• If it is attributed to an organization or department (e.g., Department of Justice, Pew Institute, American Medical Association), what is its authority on the topic?

What is in it?  

• Is it relevant and sufficiently detailed to support your area of study? How can you tell?
• Are there references to other sources that back up what the author says? What kinds of other sources are they -- are they all from the same ideological "side?
• What type of evidence is provided? Is it discussed fairly, or is the author cherry-picking certain facts or taking things out of context? How can you tell that the author considered all sides of the issue, and not just her preconceived ideas?
• Is it logical? Well-written? Grammatically solid?

When was it made? 

• When was it first published? Last updated? Are there newer editions or versions?
• How much has changed in this field since the publication date?
• If it's an older source, is it useful to view for historic reasons? Or do you need current info?
• Are there more recent reviews, responses, or rebuttals to it, and how might that change the original's argument?

Where was it made?  

• Look for a Mission, Vision, or About Us page.
• A university or school (often .edu)
• State, local, or national government (often .gov)
• Non-profit or religious organization, interest group, political party, club, museum, etc. (often, but not always, .org)
• Some of these may be credible, but others may have a bias or an obvious agenda to promote. What is their reason for existing and sharing this information?

Why was it made?

• To inform? To persuade? To entertain? To make money? (Be suspect of clickbait-y or social media-only stories here)
• Look for advertisements for a clue. "Sponsored content," "Recommended content,"  "You might also like," and other similar links also mean those are paid ads! 
• Look for funding agencies for foundations or scholarly research. For example, in the now-discredited study that linked autism to vaccines, it was later proven that the researcher, Andrew Wakefield, was being paid by lawyers who wanted to sue vaccine manufacturers -- a clear conflict of interest that should have been revealed. 

How was it made?  

• Did it go through the peer-review process  -- a process by which other experts in the field review and quality-check the research before publication? 
• If not, is there evidence of other editorial review, such as an editorial board, a single editor, or no editor?
• How much was it updated or corrected after publication? NewsDiffs.org is a great site for tracking corrections or additions to popular news articles. 
• How is it vetted and reviewed by editors? Is it written with the intent to be factual reporting or strictly "Opinion" (a.k.a. "Contributors," "Commentary," "Other voices," or other terminology)? 

Other Web Evaluation Tools

• Evaluating Across Sources (University of Wisconsin - Madison) Beyond evaluating a source for its own merits and relevance, sometimes you will also need to fact check a source, particularly when using websites and news articles.
• Evaluating Web Pages (Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University) Tutorial includes types of websites, evaluation criteria, and other tutorial activities.
• Identifying Fake News (University of Madison - Wisconsin) This tutorial will show you how to recognize indicators of fake news online.
• Tips for Evaluating Library Resources (University of Wisconsin - Madison) Video tutorial presents some of the important reasons why scholars evaluate sources, as well as why and how you can evaluate the sources you use and cite in your assignments.

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ENG 3560 - Writing Workshop: Evaluating Sources

• Finding Sources
• Evaluating Sources
• Citing Sources

Identifying Quality Information

People write for many different reasons - to inform, entertain, persuade, mislead, satirize, describe, etc. and the quality of the information can depend on the reason it was written or shared. Information changes as new facts, data, and knowledge comes to light. In an academic assignment, it is important to use information that is  reliable, accurate, objective , and  up-to-date.  You will need to  evaluate  each source you locate, to determine if it is something that will support or contradict your thesis and/or topic. You will look at more sources than you need, and that is okay, and encouraged! The more sources you read, the more informed you are about the topic and can pick the best resources for your assignment.

Below is a list of videos, eBooks, and websites that can help you evaluate information and sources.

• Evaluating Information: Media Sources - Video Playlist 6 part video series Learn strategies for evaluating sources whether you find them on the Internet, in the library, or in the library’s databases.
• Evaluating Sources Using the SIFT Model - eBook "One of the biggest challenges that writers face is finding credible sources. Mike Caulfield created the SIFT acronym to describe four moves that writers should make to evaluate their sources."
• Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research by Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries - eBook Section 6: Evaluating Information includes chapters on thinking critically, evaluating for relevancy and credibility, and identifying degree of bias.
• How to Spot Fake News Infographic "IFLA has made this infographic with eight simple steps (based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News) to discover the verifiability of a given news-piece in front of you." -- IFLA

What Does Peer Review Mean?

Peer Review is "the process by which an academic journal passes a paper submitted for publication to independent experts, or others in the same occupation, for comments on its suitability and worth." Reviewers will evaluate the article for quality, credibility, and accuracy. - Oxford English Dictionary  

There are different types of Peer Review:

• Authors and reviewers both know each other’s identities and affiliations
• Authors do not know who the reviewers are
• Reviewers know the identities and affiliations of the authors 
• Reviewers do not know who the authors are
• All indicators are removed (names and affiliations)

Not all journals are peer-reviewed - verify a journal is peer-reviewed by checking the author guidelines and publication information on the journal's website (a simple Google search of the journal title will work). Peer-reviewed journals do contain information that is itself not peer-reviewed, such as editorials, opinions, or letters. 

Remember to evaluate the article, not just the journal! 

• Video: Peer Review in 3 Minutes by NCSU Libraries
• Video: All About Peer Review by CSUDH Library
• Video: Identify a Peer Reviewed Article by USC Libraries

Study Help: Evaluating Information - University of South Australia

People write for many different reasons - to inform, entertain, persuade, mislead, satirize, describe, etc. and the quality of the information can depend on the reason it was written or shared. Information changes as new facts, data, and knowledge comes to light. In an academic assignment, it is important to use information that is  reliable, accurate, objective , and  up-to-date.  You will need to evaluate  each source you locate, to determine if it is something that will support or contradict your thesis and/or topic. You will look at more sources than you need, and that is okay, and encouraged! The more sources you read, the more informed you are about the topic and can pick the best resources for your assignment. 

The video below, created and produced by the University of South Australia Librarians, provides tips on evaluating information using the C.R.A.A.P. test.

Study Help: Scholarly Sources Explained - University of South Australia

A scholarly article, sometimes referred to as a peer-reviewed article, is one that's been written by a scholar in the field. Its intended audience is other scholars in the area and it is intended to share research about a topic. When it is peer-reviewed, other scholars and experts in the field review the article and make recommendations before it is published.

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• Last Updated: Jan 17, 2024 6:16 PM
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• Research Guides
• Sources for Courses

Writing Workshop: MSP 3196

• Evaluate & Read Sources
• Get Started
• Find Local Issues & History
• Find News Coverage
• Find Statistics & Data
• Create & Find Multimedia
• Write Using Sources
• Cite Sources

Evaluating Sources

There is no simple formula for evaluating sources; evaluation always depends on the facts of your own rhetorical situation.

Here is a basic framework you can use to evaluate your rhetorical situation and analyze how well your sources support it.

Is the source useful to you?

• Does it provide the kind of information you need?
• Does it meet your assignment requirements?
• Does it make you think? Did it spark further questions or suggest additional lines of inquiry?
• Does it help you contextualize or understand other sources?

Is this the type of source your audience expects you to use?

• Is it at the right level — not too difficult nor too easy for your audience?
• Will it give you more credibility with your audience if you use it?
• If you are not sure about what your audience expects, how can you find out?

Who created the source?

• Is the author identified AND if they are, are they someone you find credible?
• If the author is not identified, is there a group or institution responsible for the source? Do you find that group credible?
• Have you done whatever additional research you need to do to decide if the author is credible or useful?

What is the author’s (or institution’s or agency’s) purpose in creating this source?

• Are they trying to persuade you to do or think something specific?
• Are they selling something?
• Does their purpose or agenda affect the quality of their evidence? Did it affect how they presented it?
• Do they articulate their agenda themselves?
• Does what they say about their agenda match what others say?

(If the source is a scholarly one) is it a good example of research in the discipline?

NOTE: For many of these questions, you may need help figuring out the answers. Do you know enough about research in this discipline to answer this question? Asking professors in the field, or librarians who work with this literature, may help.

• Do they use citations, footnotes, etc. to connect their work to the rest of the field?
• Is the source referenced (used and cited) by other scholars you’ve found?
• Is it current enough to meet your needs?
• Was it published in a journal or other source important in the field? How do you know?

This framework is adapted from one created by Oregon State University librarian Anne-Marie Deitering in The Academic Writer, by Lisa Ede

Tips for Doing Your Own Fact-Checking

What is a fact.

A fact is a statement that can be verified. A statement of opinion is not a fact. As a fact-checker, you are working with content that is written, not researching new material. Therefore, you must read the document and identify and extract all content in need of fact checking.

How Do You Fact-Check?

The first step is to read through the entire document. Next, read the document again, this time highlighting, underlining, or marking all facts that can be verified, including phrasing and word choices such as “always” and “exactly." The following are common places to start when fact-checking:

• Always ask yourself, “Who would know this?” to find the best resource.
• Always ask, “Does this make sense?”
• Check assertions about scientific theories and evidence. Sometimes, the easiest way to do this will be to contact scientists in the field; other times, the information will be well-established in the literature.
• Confirm statistics.
• Check all proper names, titles, product names, place names, locations, etc.
• Check terms used. Are they commonplace and agreed upon in the scientific community? Do they need clarification?
• Check declarative statements, for example, “…this is a big deal,” “the area is huge,” "always," "exactly," etc. The reason it is a “big deal” (how “huge” is the area?) should be explained in the text. If it isn’t, find out why: Is it a big deal because of money, time, compared with something else?
• Be particularly cautious of facts stated absolutely.
• Verify any numbers used in the article.

Verify Facts

Choose quality resources to verify facts. In addition to many of the resources listed throughout this guide, databases that provide background information contained in dictionaries/encyclopedias are good starting points because of their quick overviews and easy-to-read nature. Try some of the following:

• Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Contains a collection of core reference materials across many subject areas.
• Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window Contains a collection of core reference materials across many subject areas.

[Some of this text is from  www.scienceliteracyproject.org  authored by Jennifer Jongsma. ]

Fact Checking Websites

Fact-checking sites are useful tools for helping users distinguish between the truth and rumors. Like all websites, fact-checking sites may have biases towards a certain group or issue. Take time to evaluate who is running the site, how the site is funded, and what type of information is being provided when using these types of sites.

• Politifact Rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.
• FactCheck.org Monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
• Snopes.com Attempts to debunk and validate urban legends, Internet rumors and other stories of uncertain origin.

Videos on Evaluating Sources

Evaluating sources for credibility.

Assessing Expertise

Lateral Reading

Videos on Reading Strategies

E-reading strategies.

Understanding Academese

Reading & Interpreting Sources

• How relevant is this material to your research question?
• Does the source include counterarguments that you should address?
• How persuasive is the evidence? Does it represent opposing viewpoints fairly? Will the source be convincing to your audience?
• Will you need to change your thesis to account for this information?
• What quotations or paraphrases from this source might you want to use?

Adapted from  Easy Writer (4th ed.)

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Presentation

This presentation was used for the Savvy Researcher workshop Developing a Strong Research Question.

• Research Question Presentation

Developing Research Questions

• Video from Laurier Library
• A Perfect Research Question
• Finding a Topic
• Developing a Topic
• From Topic to Research Question
• Choosing the Best Search Words

A research project is more than collecting data and explaining what you've read. A college-level research project or paper has five general goals ( Turabian ch. 2 ):

• Ask a question worth answering
• Find an answer that you can support with good reasons
• Find reliable evidence to support your reasons
• Draft a report that makes a good case for your answer
• Revise that draft until readers will think you met the first four goals

Watch the video below for an explanation for why a research question will help to guide your research.

Research is not research until you have focused it a round a solid research question that addresses a problem or issue ( Badke ch. 2 ). Go through this Prezi to learn how to identify a good research question.

Here are a few tips to help you find a topic that is appropriate for your class assignment.

• Are you limited to certain types of sources?
• In what class is this assigned? Should the topic be related to the subject matter of the class? What topics can be chosen?
• Is this an informative or persuasive paper?
• Which style or format should be used for the bibliography page?
• Is anything besides the final paper required? (This may include an outline, rough draft, or photocopies)

How do you find an interesting topic? READ! LISTEN!

• Browse for topics in articles and books that you read for fun or that relate to your course work.
• Surf the web in your favorite general newspapers. HuffPost , NYT and Wichita Eagle are popular choices.
• Talk to your classmates or your instructor.
• Go to the WSU Writing Center at 601 Lindquist Hall or call them at 316-978-3173.
• Browse library databases that post current events and hot news topics, like Newsbank   a nd Opposing Viewpoints .  Reference sources Credo and Gale Virtual Reference Library are also great choices.

Ask yourself the following questions about your topic to make sure you've picked a topic that will keep both yourself and your audience engaged. If you can answer yes to all the questions, you're ready to create a research question so you can search for information. Source

• Am I interested in the topic?
• Will I enjoy researching this topic?
• Will I enjoy talking about this topic and sharing my information with my audience?
• Will my audience be interested in my topic?
• Am I passionate about this topic?

The perfect topic for a college-level research paper will require you as the researcher to evaluate and reflect about the issues revolving around this topic. It will require your readers also to reflect and think deeper about his or her previous assumptions about the topic. Here is a basic topic:

This is a good start, but needs to be developed. You as a researcher should not be attempting to write an encyclopedia article, and this topic will not require any evaluation. 

Here is a better topic:

• Quilting among those of Native American descent

Now we can take this topic to the next level and develop it into a research question.

A concept map (sometimes called knowledge maps or mind maps) is a great way to organize your research topic and brainstorm keywords for searching. It's also a good way to visually lay out how the different parts of your topic fit together. 

The main idea (your topic) is at the center of the concept map, with the subpoints and keywords surrounding it.  Use lines and arrows to show connections between the various aspects of your topic.  Since most topics/research questions usually have multiple aspects, create a separate "bubble" for each one, then brainstorm synonyms or alternate keywords.

The following are some online tools that will allow you create a concept map for your topic:

MindMeister bubbl.us Popplet

We all search for information probably almost everyday. Without thinking too hard about it, we ask a question and find an answer (or find out there is no answer). Sometimes these questions even lead to more questions. This is the normal research process, and students sometimes get frustrated writing research papers because they do not understand how normal and common the whole process is.

Turning your research topic into a research question will provide you with a reason to search for information.

• What purpose do quilts have in modern Native American culture?
• How did Native Americans get started on quilting in the mid-ninteenth century?
• Why are quilts used during burial services and other ceremonies related to death in many Native American tribes?

You would want to pick one research question on which to focus your paper or research project. Sometimes it is necessary to learn more about your topic to create a good research question. Encyclopedias such as Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia are great for background information. The reference databases Credo and Gale Virtual Reference Library are also great choices.

SmartSearch   is a good place to research a topic as you develop it into a research questions. One search wil locate print books, ebooks, journal articles, digital items, and more - all related to your topic. SmartSearch is a product from EBSCOhost, but the tool searches all of the Unveristy Libraries' subscription content. For a link to Smartsearch as well as information on how to use this search engine, go to http://libraries.wichita.edu/smartsearch.

To get even more specific with your searching, you will want to use a disciplinary database such as ERIC (for education) or PsycINFO (for psychology). Using these databases individually will allow you to use advanced search features to find relevant articles. Use the "Subject" menu on the Databases A-Z list to find the best databases in your topic's discipline.

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Module 8: Writing Workshop—Analysis and Synthesis

Why it matters: writing workshop—analysis and synthesis.

Figure 1 . Effective scholarship is often a matter of making connections.

Why Analyze?

In college courses, you will be asked to read, reason, and write analytically. Effective analysts can distinguish the whole, identify parts, infer relationships, and make generalizations. Those skills enable individuals to connect ideas, detect inconsistencies, and solve problems in a systematic fashion. Understanding what analysis is, how to apply it, and how to convey the results effectively will be invaluable to you throughout your college and professional careers.

Analysis is at the heart of academic work in every area of study. Literary critics break down poems and novels, examining how the different parts of the text work together to create meaning. Sociologists conduct field research to observe how gender roles influence pay discrepancies in developing nations, often arriving at policy recommendations that might result in more equitable arrangements. Business students scrutinize data on consumer behavior in different markets to better understand why some products fail in one place while nearly identical ones succeed in a different place.

Note that each researcher started with a question. The literary critic asks: how does this text create meaning? The sociologist wants to know: how are gender and inequalities of pay related to broader economic development? And the business student is trying to get a sense of what regional market differences might account for success or failure for a given plan. The work of analysis gives each researcher an opportunity to complicate their initial question, to compile useful information, and then to draw–or infer–some conclusions based on this new, more thorough level of understanding.

While analysis is the term we use to describe the process of breaking something down, say a poem or novel, a transcript of interviews with workers and business owners, or a regional market overview, this is not the only work we perform as scholars.

In an academic context, we are often occupied by a kind of transaction. As students we demonstrate our learning in exchange for credits, and ultimately we redeem these credits for a degree. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with learning for its own sake, without any broader framework of approval or evaluation, if you are working toward a degree it is helpful to understand why your professors value particular demonstrations of ability. In short, your teachers are looking for complexity and thoroughness in your thinking and writing. They want to see that you can propose and sustain a defensible line of inquiry, and that you can select and utilize appropriate evidence to support your guiding questions.

But how, exactly, do you utilize your material? Two complicating techniques that you can employ, and that will increase the complexity and credibility of your work are inference and synthesis. Let’s say that our hypothetical sociologist writes a draft of her paper that describes the types of labor performed by men and women in different lines of work in a recently urbanized region. If she categorically breaks down and examines in detail these differently compensated positions, we can say that she has performed an analysis. However, if she cites her interview transcripts and argues that her subjects are implying that pay rates in newly established professional settings should be based on “traditional” pay rates from earlier forms of gender-segregated agricultural labor, then she has inferred this is an unspoken framework of inequality in need of more scrutiny. Her inference has complicated and built on the existing analysis. If she goes on to find similarities in this notion of “traditionally” gender-based pay discrepancies among company mission statements, her interview transcripts, and studies conducted by other sociologists in other developing countries, then she has synthesized these different viewpoints and sources. This will also demonstrate a more thorough and credible thought process, and one that is valued within her chosen academic discipline.

As we work through the next few pages you will have an opportunity to consider how analysis, inference, and synthesis can work together. You will also get to test your own ability to identify these concepts in action, and to practice applying them to a scholarly essay.

Writing Workshop: Your Working Document

Every component of the working document will be introduced throughout this module in a blue box such as this one.  Open your working document now and keep it open as you progress through the module .

• Go to the assignment for this module in your LMS. Click on the link to open the Working Document for this module as a Google Document.

• Now hold onto this document—we’ll need it soon! (You’ll submit the link to your instructor once you’ve completed the Writing Workshop activities).
• Photograph of Women Working at a Bell System Telephone Switchboard. Provided by : The U.S. National Archives. Located at : https://flic.kr/p/6zqGGV . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright
• Why It Matters: Writing Workshopu2014Analysis and Synthesis. Authored by : Scott Barr for Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

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