How Reliable Are My Sources?

If helpful, review the library's guide to Evaluating Sources.

Imagine you are writing a paper on the role of religion (esp. Christianity) in the treatment of depression. Look at your assigned source, and use the checklist handout to evaluate the appropriateness of your source for this topic.

SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

SOURCE 3*

SOURCE 4

*NOTE: For Source 3, you will only have the citation information available, so use clues in the citation to answer the questions as best as you can.

NOT ALL SOURCES ARE CREATED EQUAL:

Primary Sources

• Manuscripts
  
• Pamphlets
• Books, Newspapers, Magazines
• Other resources, depending on your project
  

Secondary Sources

• Popular magazines
• Popular books
• Professional or Trade Publications
• Academic (peer-reviewed) Journals
  (See Hekman Library Guide to Finding Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed Articles)
  
• Academic Books

Tertiary Sources

• General Encyclopedias
• Subject Encyclopedias
• Handbooks, Guides

ENTER THE WEB - and with it a gloriously disorderly profusion of resources



Evaluating Web Resources:

Check Hekman Library's guide to Evaluating Sources
Use the relevant criteria to evaluate one of the following web sites:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

Example 6

Example 7

Example 8

Example 9

Example 10

Example 11