Now that you've found things, what to do? How do you know if they're any good? This page will go over the difference between popular and scholarly sources, as well as how to evaluate sources for academic use.
Popular vs. Scholarly Articles
It is very important to be able to tell if you are working with a popular or scholarly source. Popular sources can be useful, but they do not always contain the level of depth you need for academic research. For any college level assignment, it is best to stick to scholarly sources, unless your professor says otherwise.
These handouts give you guidance on how to evaluate both scholarly and popular sources. When researching, it is critical to always put your sources to the test. These are just a few questions you can ask yourself:
While this may look like many steps, evaluating sources can go very quickly, once you understand what you are looking for in a source.
You can also view this handout as a flow-chart (same information, but in a fun flow-chart form):
You are welcome to contact us individually at:
Jaeda Calaway - Information Literacy Instructor and Student Research Support Specialist
217.245.3207
McKenna Jacquemet - Research Services and Information Literacy Librarian
217.245.3117
Bree Kirsch - Director of the Library
217.245.3573