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Environmental Studies 100: Koontz

What to Look for in a 'Quality' Source

With every source you find - regardless of where it comes from - you MUST assess its quality to determine if it is worthy of being included in your research. Generally speaking, your college-level research assignments will ask that you consult scholarly, peer-reviewed research from reputable publishers.

*Note that you should always follow the instructions given to you by your professor. There are certainly instances in which other (non-scholarly) sources may be useful and important to include!

Assessing the Quality of Your Sources

For every resource you find, a good place to start is with the CRAAP test!

Currency (C)

  • When was the resource published? 
  • Is this the most up-to-date information available? 
  • Does this matter for your topic? 

 

Relevance (R)

  • Can you see a clear connection between the resources and your own research? 
  • Is the scope of the material appropriate for your needs? 

 

Authority (A)

  • Is there a listed author(s)? 
  • Can you determine the author(s)' credentials or qualifications to discuss such topics? 
  • Does the source cite other experts? 
  • Are both the publication and the publishing company reputable? 
  • Has the resource undergone peer review? 

 

Accuracy (A)

  • Is the information correct?
  • Are there any noticeable errors or questionable content?

 

Purpose (P)

  • Why was this information written and made available to you? 
  • Was it written for academic purposes, for interest reading, to sell you something, to influence you? etc. 
  • Is it biased or promoting an agenda? 

 

Predatory publishers, also known as predatory journals, are publications that will accept virtually any article as long as they are paid to do so. The result of this is poor quality scholarship that is made widely available under the guise of having merit. Pay attention to the following warning signs when assessing the quality of a publication. 

  1. Misspelled words or grammar errors;
  2. Formatting errors or inconsistent styles; 
  3. Broken links or 'dead' pages that indicate poor site maintenance; 
  4. Missing images or graphs; images or graphs that are distorted or fuzzy; 
  5. Unprofessional or poor quality websites; 
  6. Lack of information on the publisher or information that seems suspicious (i.e. using a P.O. box instead of an actual address; or addresses that do not match where the publication says they are from)