Introduction to Evaluation:

Where do you find information? How do you determine if information is relevant to your question?

Evaluating Sources: A Brief Overview of determining Relevance

Scholarly JournalMagazines and newspapersWebsites

Evaluating Relevance of Sources

What are some ways you can be sure the information you found is relevant?

Relevance is the extent to which a source provides information you can use in your research writing project.

Evaluating a Web Site

One way to evaluate the relevance of a Web site is to look at the domain name (part of the URL).

Some common domain names: .com (for commercial sites)

.org (for nonprofit organization sites) .gov (for government sites)

.net (for network related sites) .edu (for educational sites).

Evaluating a Web Site

Look at the page title, navigation headers, and menus for more information about the content and organization of the site.

Follow links included on the site to give you a general idea of the outlook of the site.

Evaluating a Magazine or Newspaper Article

The first step in evaluating the relevance of a magazine or newspaper article is to quickly scan the article.

read bold-faced, colored, or underlined text; the first and last sentences of paragraphs; highlighted quotations; photo captions; illustrations; and tables.

Evaluating Scholarly or Professional Journals

Scholarly or Professional journals use one of two main strategies to help readers determine whether their article is relevant to readers needs and interests.

– An abstract—a brief description of the article and its results

– When an abstract is not used, an article's introduction often provides similar information.

Evaluating Scholarly or Professional Journals

The next step is to evaluate its relevance in greater depth. Ask yourself:

Will this information help me accomplish my purpose?

Is there any new information or information that will add something new to the conversation?

Is the article relevant in terms of how it treats the subject? Always ask yourself not only "Will this do?" but "Would something else be better?"

Possible Topics

Healthful eating Oil and gas prices Education Media in the courtroom Cosmetic surgery Tattoos or body piercing Language in the United States A topic of your choice, approved by your instructor