Evaluating Scholarly Sources

Exploring scholarly sources is often a daunting task, especially when having to review many sources with limited time, or trying to identify which would work best in a project. Having a plan for efficiently moving through and evaluating the relevance of dense texts can help you get into a flow, organize your writing, and save time.  

  1. Analyze the source. Take a quick glance at the type of source and ask yourself if it will meet your needs based on the kind of source (Subramanyam, 2013) (Original research article * Case study * Editorial * Systematic review * Meta-analysis * Conference proceeding * Primary source * Secondary source * Other: _____________) and the scope. Based on your topic, is the source too broad or too specific? 

Close up of a book with the word "research" highlighted
Student in a library reading on a laptop with a stack of books next to them

  1. Evaluate credibility. Before skimming a source, it’s important to evaluate its credibility before moving forward.  

  • When was the source published? Is the timeframe appropriate for the research you do?  

  • Who are the authors of the source? Are they cited by others? What information can you find about their education and level of expertise?  

  • Who is the publisher of the source?   

  • Who is the intended audience?  

  • Are there citations throughout the text? Is there a bibliography?  

  • Is the source objective? Is there evidence of overt bias?   

  • Is the publication peer reviewed?  

  1. Search for visual & verbal cues. This is the first step to skimming a text! The goal is to be intentional in previewing what the literature has to offer. Skip fine details and instead look for both verbal and visual cues that can highlight big-picture ideas.   

  • Bolded, underlined, or italicized text. These fonts generally work to indicate important vocabulary and ideas.  
     

  • Graphics (pictures, charts, graphs) and their captions, as well as information pulled out into text boxes   
     

  • Keywords in the field or discipline of interest 
     

  • Signal words or phrases that can indicate authors’ direction(s). Examples of these are “however,” “although,” “moreover,” and “in addition to.”  

Person on a laptop that displays a research article with vivid graphics and data visualizations
Person using a smartphone to search for documents in online archives

For more support evaluating scholarly sources, ask a librarian at OSU, or visit the Undergrad Research & Writing Studio.

  1. Read the summary areas. Authors’ main ideas are often present at the start and end of sections within the text. With some familiarity about how the text is structured, you can start dissecting and laying out its content. Use annotations and underlining to pull out key phrases and passages that you may want to use later.  
     

  2. Make a decision. After this quick skim, ask yourself whether this source fits well with your research focus and direction. Even if a source doesn’t fit well with the topic and overall goal of your project, it can still be beneficial and maybe even a good branch point. Browse the reference page(s) for other sources you can explore. Revisit your search keywords and narrow or broaden the search parameters.  
     

  3. Catalog it. For the sources you want to keep, you’ll have to decide if you want to review it fully now, or save it for later. Regardless, develop a strategy for saving and cataloging your sources over time: a folder in your email, bookmarking websites, a notebook or Google doc, or an online research organizing tool like Zotero.