Research+Evaluate


 * But wait a Minute!**

Remember that to locate fair, objective material, you must be fair and objective, too. A major error that too many researchers make is to look only for sources whose ideas, findings, or arguments they already agree with. It's fine to have a sense of where you think you are going, but you should be open to opposing ideas and not discount them just because you don't like them or because they conflict with your planned direction. The best researchers usually don't start out "to prove X." Instead, they start out "to find out about X." Be careful not to fall into that circular reasoning trap by thinking, "Books expressing that view are unreliable."

Noodletools helps you to evaluate a source you may want to use. Choose your source in the box below and enjoy the read... media type="custom" key="26063776"

**Evaluating Printed Materials**

 * When you are using books, check the **__table of contents__** and the **__index__** of the source to identify the sections that are relevant to your topic.
 * Determine **__relevance__** to avoid wasting time and energy. To what extent does this source address your research question?
 * Note the copyright date to see that the **__source is recent__**. For many topics there may be developments that an older source may not address. However, an older source can provide important background information.
 * Determine the **__reliability__** of your source. Keep in mind that some periodicals may distort or oversimplify information. Be sensitive to the writer's possible bias. Generally, scholarly journals are careful to document information and encourage responsible scholarship from their contributing authors. The online databases our school is subscribed to, offer reliable information.
 * Maintain accurate bibliographic information**,** so that you can produce __complete citations of all works used__ in your bibliography**.** See Write a Bibliography for detailed help with that.

Evaluating Websites
Click on the video to watch it.

Make sure you are ''net-savvy" and don't believe everything you see. Use the CARS criteria below to check whether the information you have found is worth using for your purpose.
 * ====Credibility ====
 * ====Accuracy ====
 * ====Reasonableness ====
 * ====Support ====

For more information, download CARS information sheet.