Introduction to Research Skills: Evaluating Library Resources

Evaluating Library Sources

Compared to sources found online through search engines like Google, sources found on a library database have a number of advantages (See the Advantages of Using Library Databases for Research graphic below). The most notable of these advantages is that sources found on library databases have undergone some form of evaluation for authority and accuracy. Because of this, your primary focus for evaluating library sources should be on determining the source's relevance for your research.

This page of the research guide discusses many of the considerations and questions you should ask when evaluating an information source found in a library database. If you have any questions about evaluating a library source, please reach out and contact a librarian!

Reading Scholarly Research Articles

You do not need to read a journal article in full to evaluate whether or not it will be relevant to your research. There is a simple and effective way to skim research articles using their structure as a guide. 

1. Read the abstract, if available. This will provide a general summary of the article and its findings.
2. Follow this up by reading the article's introduction and conclusion. These sections provide a more detailed look at the hypothesis, or argument presented in the article, and outline any major findings.

If this initial read-through indicates that the article is relevant to your research, you can continue to read the other sections of the research article.

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