Read the materials you have found and determine whether or not they meet your research needs. It is important to check the reliability and validity of the sources. 

AUTHOR
Who is the author?  What affiliations does the author have?  Has the author published before?  What is the author's reputation in the subject area?  Who published the book or article?

BIAS
What is the intention of the book or article?  Is it written for a specific purpose?  Who sponsored the publication? 

METHODS
Examine the method used in conducting the research reported in the article.  If the article uses statistics, find out how the data was compiled and what the parameters are (e.g., empirical, descriptive, experimental, evaluative, qualitative, etc.). 

TIME
When was this material written? Has there been a new edition since? If it is a Web site, when was the last time it was updated?

Step 1 -- Step 2 -- Step 3 -- Step 4 -- Step 5

To ask a librarian for help, you can:
stop by the Reference Desk in the University Library, call 742-2236
or (toll free) 1-888-270-3369, or email/chat via Ask a Librarian online service.

TTU Libraries are not responsible for the content of external sources. For questions about this page, contact Jon Hufford, Coordinator for Information Literacy. [v] (806) 742-2238 X277 [f] (806) 742-1964 [e]

This page last modified on 23 Oct 2006, 17:19.