FYS: Destiny Research Guide

Questions to help with a concise summary:

• What is the topic that this source covers?
• In brief, what does the author say about the topic and the topic’s importance or significance (major names, dates, places, developments, themes/thesis)?

Questions to help with a concise evaluation:

• How familiar with the relevant material for the topic is the author? Are the materials clearly indicated, and are they mostly primary? mostly secondary?
• Are there any important things about the topic that the source does not cover? If so, does the author explain why?
• How well-written is the source (clarity, organization)?
• How much do the author and the source help you (or readers in general) know and understand about your own topic? Why?

When determining whether a book is something you want to investigate further, look at a few items:

• Title
• Table of contents
  This gives clues as to what material will be covered.
• Preface or introduction
  Often the authors summarize the arguments they make in the book, outlining the discussion that will occur.
• Author’s affiliations
  Check the biographies of the authors. Often there's a summary; if not, try a quick Google search on the author. 
• Date
• Notes or Citations
  You want to make sure the sources you’re relying on verified and checked their statements.  Footnotes or endnotes will indicate that. 
• Index and bibliography
  Both an index and a bibliography make it easier for other researchers to do their studies.  The presence of these features helps indicate that the work is indeed scholarly. 
• Publisher
  The type of publisher -- academic, trade, general -- can tell you more about the type of book it is or the audience for which it's intended.

AUTHOR

• Who is the author of this site or page?
• What are his / her credentials (occupation, position, education, years of experience)?
• Is the author an expert on this topic?

AFFILIATION

• What institution or organization supports this information?
• What is the viewpoint or bias of this group?

AGENDA

• What is the purpose of this site?  Why was it put on the web?
• What opinions are expressed by the author?

ACCURACY

• When was the site last updated?
• Are statistics and other facts correctly cited?
• How does this information compare with other sources?