Week 2A - Prepare an Annotated Bibliography 2

Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 | Activity 5

Activity 2: Evaluating Resources for the Annotations

During your search for print and online sources, you will likely discover more than you can possibly use. How do you decide what is most important and relevant to your research question? First, determine the reliability of your sources. Look at the credibility and the reliability of your authors and whether they have published anything previously. Notice where these authors are mentioned in professional organizations. Also, if you use a web site, notice whether the web site is questionable or authoritative. Web sites are created at the drop of the hat and the author is not often named, which makes the information more questionable than in situations where authors are reviewing their writing through a network of peers.

• During your search for print and online sources, you will likely discover more than you can possibly use. How do you decide what is most important and relevant to your research question? How credible are your authors?
  

• To determine this, ask yourself: Have your authors published anything previously in a network of peers? Are they mentioned in professional organizations, at other universities, or in professional corporations?
•  Is the website you found questionable or authoritative? Websites are created at the drop of the hat and the author is not often named, which makes the information more questionable than in situations where authors are reviewing their writing through a network of peers.
• It is also  important to question yourself about these aspects:
•  Are these publications reviewed by other experts?
• Who wrote this book or article? What are this person’s credentials?  Who published this book or journal? 
  
• When was this source published? Is this publication current enough or too dated for your topic?  
• Where does the information come from originally? Is this source reliable?   Are other authors talking about this author? Does this author write with other authors?  
  
• Is the source highlighting a particular bias? Who benefits by this source? Are commercial interests apparent?