Photo: choose from miki** on Flickr

Let's say you're new to campus. You've decided to join an organization so that you can meet people. How do you choose which organization suits you best?

You gather information about several organizations:

• Club web sites list social events and service opportunities
• Your advisor identifies activities that would look good on your resume
• Club officers invite you to sit in on a meeting and ask questions

You evaluate your choices in light of your own interests and goals. You find the organization that fits you best.

Doing research is similar.

You'll find plenty of sources of information, but some will fit your assignment better than others.

Finding information is not the end of research.

You want information that offers high quality evidence for the answer to your research question. Some sources can be outdated, biased, or just plain wrong, and using that information makes it a lot more difficult for you to present a convincing argument.

Taking the time to critically evaluate information as you find it will help you to avoid wrong turns in the research process.

The criteria for choosing which sources are most likely to help with your research are not rules, but guidelines. Being aware of them will help you think critically about the information you find.

• Relying on more than one source of information
• Thinking about how new information fits in with what you already know
• Organizing information and making notes about what may or may not be useful

How can you know if information is appropriate for your research?

Use the following criteria to evaluate the source:

1. Currency
2. Relevance
3. Authority
4. Accuracy
5. Purpose

Criteria 3: Authority

Authority is important in judging the credibility of the author's assertions. In a trial regarding DNA evidence, a jury gives far more authority to what a genetics specialist has to say compared to someone off the street.

How do you know if an author is an authority on your topic?

• What are the author's credentials?
• Is the author affiliated with an educational institution or prominent organization?
• Can you find information about the author from reference books or the Internet?
• Do other books or articles cite the author?

Top photo: Larry Lessig by Robert Scoble at Flickr. Bottom photo: lessig x 2 by laihiu at Flickr. Both images are CC BY-NC 2.0.

Criteria 4: Accuracy

Accuracy is important because errors and untruths distort a line of reasoning. When you present inaccurate information, you undermine your own credibility.

How do you know if your source is accurate?

• Are there statements you know to be false?
• Are there errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar?
• Was the information reviewed by editors or subject experts before it was published?
• What citations or references support the author's claims?
• What do other people have to say about the topic?
• Is it clear who the authors are?
• What is the date of the material?

Applying Criteria Example:

Q. Which source would be more authoritative on your topic?

1. A peer-reviewed article published in UNLV Gaming Research and Review
2. An article published in Sports Illustrated

A. The peer-reviewed article is written by an expert and evaluated by other experts before being published. It was not written by a paid journalist.

Applying Criteria Example:

Q. Which source is likely to be more accurate?

1. Employment statistics from a newsletter published by a grassroots organization opposed to gambling.
2. Employment statistics from the U. S. Department of Labor web site.

A. The best choice is the U.S. Department of Labor statistics. The U.S. government is considered a reliable source. While a grassroots organization opposed to gambling may use legitimate statistics but exclude those that do not support a specific agenda.