Evaluating Sources
Many of the articles you find by searching BULS and the journal databases, e.g., MLA Bibliography, are peer-reviewed. But the databases label all articles "peer-reviewed" even when they are actually "scholarly/academic." What is the difference?*
Peer-reviewed (sometimes called "Refereed"). Before they are accepted for publication, these articles are closely read and critiqued by several scholars who study and do research in the same or a similar subject area.
Scholarly/academic. These articles might be written by researchers but are accepted for publication by the journal's editor (or editorial staff) without peer review.
The Johns Hopkins website below provides clear explanations of what to look for in sources.
When you Google for sources, be sure you understand where they come from!
Evaluating Information, Johns Hopkins University.
A guide to evaluating sources including internet resources and social media plus a presentation on "peer review."
Evaluating Sources (YouTube)
*If you are required to verify the status of a journal, use the database, Ulrichsweb: The Global Source for Periodicals.
Citing Sources
Why cite?
1. to recognize and credit an author’s work and ideas.
2. to enable the reader of your paper to find the article (or book, etc.) and read it.
3. to avoid possible copyright and plagiarism problems.
Most of the research tools you use will create a citation in the required style for you:
Google Scholar. Click on More. Click on Cite.
Citation Management Programs (e.g., RefWorks, Zotero, etc.)
Research and Citation Resources
Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)
Who has cited the article? Cited reference searching.
Finding out who has referred to your article connects you to the scholarly “conversation” or discussion of the topic. You might find articles that agree and other articles that disagree with your author’s methodology, interpretation, conclusions, etc.
Web of Science: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
Cited Reference Search.
Google Scholar See Cited by #.
How Was the Book Reviewed? Masterful! Flawed!
Books are reviewed by scholars and researchers working in the same general area.
Some book reviewers might be from another discipline and have a different perspective.
Book reviews are published as journal articles or by scholarly institutions.
BULS.
Type (or copy/paste) the complete title of the book in the search box. The results begin with the BOOK and follow with REVIEW(s).
Example: Slyvia Plath Method and Madness
Databases and Other Resources are listed in this guide:
Book Reviews Research Guide by Donald Altschiller.
Plagiarism
Your professor will review plagiarism with you. The website below provides examples of how to paraphrase and correctly cite the original source.
Avoiding Plagiarism, University of Arizona Libraries.
