English 2: Mad Quests: Evaluating Information

"Scholarly" and "authoritative" are words that get thrown around a lot when we talk research. What do they mean?

• Originality: The work represents an original argument that is based on research-- in the humanities, this means looking at primary sources, other scholarship, or, most often, a combination of both.
• Expertise: The author is an expert in her field and usually has a terminal degree (PhD, MFA, etc.). Compare this to a journalist, who may be very knowledgable but in most cases is not conducting scholarly research.
• Specialized publication: The publication is typically (but not always!) intended for a narrow audience comprised of specialists. On the other hand, popular works aimed at a broad audience can be authoritative (based on the author's credentials) and may even be scholarly (based on the quality of the author's research).
• Peer review: Most scholarly journals adhere to the principle of peer review. Before an article is selected for publication, it is read by other experts in its field and critiqued for the quality of its arguments and research methods.

Sources can include books, journal articles, magazine articles, and all kinds of websites.

To be a critical consumer and a responsible creator of information, it's important to consider:

What are you looking at?

• This sounds basic, but: read the title. Is it relevant to your research?

Who made it?

• Who is the author, and what qualifies her to write on this topic? Has she published other works on this topic? Is her work cited by other scholars?

When was it made?

• Check the year of publication. Knowing when something was published will help you contextualize it. Newer isn't always better, but it is important to know the latest thinking about your topic.

Where does it come from?

• Who published the information-- a peer-reviewed journal? A popular magazine? A university press? Is it self-published (in the form of blogs, ebooks, etc.)?

Why does it exist?

• Consider whether the author or publisher has an agenda. It might simply be to propose a new idea and further the scholarly conversation surrounding a topic, or it may be to sell something, or it may be to promote an opinion that is not necessarily grounded in research. Look out for strong, biased language and claims that are not supported by outside evidence.

How will it help you fulfill your research goals?

• This is the most important consideration. Think about it before, during, and after you engage with the source.
• Which of your original research questions does the source help answer?
• Keeping in mind that scholarship is a conversation, how does this source relate to other stuff you've read on your topic? Does the author refer to ideas from those sources? Does she agree or disagree?
• How does this source change or challenge your thinking on your topic? Do you agree or disagree with any of its arguments? Can you draw in other sources to support why you agree or disagree?

A word about websites

Information on the "free" internet (not accessed through subscription databases, purchased ebooks, etc.) can be a lot trickier to evaluate than traditionally published books and articles. The same criteria apply, but it is often harder to answer questions like author, date of creation, etc. Information found on the free web will generally not be considered scholarly*, but it may still be valuable to your research. See Finding and Evaluating Websites, from the English 1 guide, for more information.

*Notable exceptions are journals published under the open access model, or works in the public domain.

Database and library catalog searches are a great way to start finding information, but an even better way is to read that information and let it guide you further. The more you know about a topic, the easier it is to find out more about it!

Some tips:

• Read the footnotes/endnotes. Does the author refer to another intriguing source? Follow the citation (and if you're reading a scholarly work, there should be a citation!). If it's a book, you can search for it in the FLO catalog. If it's an article, try searching Art Source or JSTOR. If you can't find something, get in touch with a librarian!
• Make note of prominent scholars on your topic. If you've found a great article, search the FLO catalog and article databases for more work by the author. You can also try searching the author online-- you may be able to find a CV or other comprehensive list of her publications.

Please feel free to get in touch with a librarian at absolutely any stage of your research process.

We encourage you to schedule a research consultation with Ashley Peterson (apeterson@smfa.edu, 617-369-3653)  for an in-depth discussion about your research goals. 

For quicker questions, please feel free to stop by the Library's front desk (located on the third floor of the B side of the Fenway building). You can also email or call the front desk at library@smfa.edu/617-369-3650.

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