You decide! Judge if information is credible and make an informed decision about the appropriate use of a source for your research. See the tab "Infographic version" for more criteria.
Download the PDF worksheet:
When exploring a topic and formulating a research question it is important to consult different types of sources as well as points of view. Use this page to be able to identify types of information sources and distinguish between scholarly and popular sources. Your professor may also require a minimum number of sources and types (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles) that you need to use in your research assignment.
Popular Periodicals
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Substantive News Periodicals (magazines and newspapers) |
Trade Publications
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Scholarly Journals (also called academic, peer reviewed, or refereed journals)
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Purpose: |
Entertainment | Information about current events and issues | Information about current trends and news in professional, business, and industry areas | Original research and findings (research articles), reviews of research (review articles), and reviews of scholarly books (book reviews) |
Authors: | Staff writers, journalists, or freelancers | Staff writers, journalists, or freelancers | Staff writers, journalists, or freelancers. Sometimes a journalist with subject area expertise. | Experts in their field: researchers, practitioners, professors and scholars |
Audience: | General public | General public | Practitioners in a field | Scholars (professors, researchers, students) knowledgeable about a specific discipline |
Level of Review: | Editors working for the publication review the articles; these editors are most likely not experts on the topic of the article they are editing. | Editors working for the publication review the articles; these editors are most likely not experts on the topic of the article they are editing. | Editors working for the trade publication review the articles; these editors are more likely to know about the topic than a magazine or newspaper editor would, but they still are not experts on it. | An editorial board made up of other scholars and researchers review the articles. Many, but not all, scholarly articles are peer reviewed. Peer reviewed articles are considered the gold standard of tested information. |
What to look for: |
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Advantages: |
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Disadvantages: |
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Purpose: Inform the scientific/engineering world about a new technology faster than a peer-reviewed or journal article could.
Authorship: Written by the experts in the field that did the research.
Accuracy: Organized by an editorial team. The amount of scrutiny applied to these proceedings varies with the conference; some are read and either accepted or rejected right then, while others go through more vigorous scrutiny via peer-review or some other system before they are released. Editors are allowed to make changes in papers without the permission of the author, although it is not common for them to do so.
Look for:
Purpose: Advance research in the discipline
Authorship: Each author is a scholar or researcher in the field (e.g. a historian). May be one author for the whole book or each chapter may be written by a different scholar.
Accuracy: Published by university presses (such as Stanford, University of California Press, etc.). Manuscripts are reviewed by experts in the field.
Look for:
It's also important to think about how you will use the source in your paper, project, or performance.
Joseph Bizup developed a model called the BEAM model that helps us think about the usefulness of a source in the research and writing process.
"Writers rely on background sources, interpret or analyze exhibits, engage arguments, and follow methods." (Bizup 2008)
BACKGROUND: Using a source to provide general information to explain the topic.
Example: The use of a CQ Researcher or Opposing Viewpoints article on the California drought to explain the severity of California's drought and recent legislation passed to manage water resources.
EXHIBIT: Using a source as evidence or examples to analyze.
Examples: For a literature topic, the short story you are analyzing. For a history topic, newspapers from the period of study. For an art history topic, a painting or photograph you are analyzing. For a political science paper, data from polls or surveys. For a science topic, an experimental study.
ARGUMENT: Using a source to engage its argument. Most will be scholarly sources written by researchers and scholars. These are the sources you engage in conversation.
Example: An analysis of recent water usage data and ramifications for California's drought. It is an argument about the exhibit.
METHOD: Using a source's way of analyzing an issue to apply to your own issue, whether it's to borrow an approach, concept, idea, or method.
Examples: References to critical theories or theorists (e.g., post-colonialism or Edward Said), or research methodologies (e.g., Mixed Methods Research Design).
Citation: Bizup, Joseph. “BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing.” Rhetoric Review 27.1 (2008): 72-86. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 4 February 2014.