Library Guides: EdD in Educational Leadership: Evaluate Sources

Anatomy of a Research Article

Anatomy of a Primary Research Article
Document that goes through a research artile highlighting evaluative criteria for every section. Document from Mohawk Valley Community College. Permission to use sought and given. (Lynda Hanley)

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article (NCSU-North Carolina State University Libraries)
Click on highlighted areas to learn more information about the particular section of the article.

Evaluating the article, chapter, page

ABC's of Evaluating Information Sources
Basic criteria (audience, authority, bias, currency, scope) to use when eveluating your surces of information.
Adapted from Eugene McDermott Library: UT Dallas. (2021, May 18). Where do I start?
https://libguides.utdallas.edu/c.php?g=330758&p=2220642 Permission to use sought and given.

Reading Scholarly Articles

Before you write about an article, you need to understand it. However, do not plan to read a scholarly or scientific journal article the same way you would a book or a magazine article. This page focuses on the elements of the scholarly article and offers recommended steps to reading it. For information on writing your paper, quoting from what your read and avoiding plagiarism, visit the links below.

Thank you to Melanee Vicedo, Head, Education & Social Work Library Services, University of Southern California (USC), for permission to use this material from her Library Guide: Evaluating Information Sources: Reading Scholarly Articles. Thank you to Lynda Hanley, former Manhattanville Doctoral Education Librarian for compiling and revising this information.

Structure of Scientific Papers
Research papers generally follow a specific format. Here are the different parts of the scholarly article.
Reading a Scholarly Article
A scholarly paper can be difficult to read. Instead of reading straight through, try focusing on the different sections and asking specific questions at each point.
Additional Reading Tips
When you read these scholarly articles, remember that you will be writing based on what you read.

Peer Review in 3 Minutes (North Carolina State University)

13 Ways to Tell Good Research from Bad

13 Ways to Tell Good Research from Bad
The following scholars help create this Journalists’ Resource tip sheet: Adam J. Berinsky, professor of political science at MIT; Marybeth Gasman, professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania; Morgan L. W. Hazelton, assistant professor of political science at Saint Louis University; Thomas E. Patterson, professor of government and the press at Harvard University; Eric A. Stewart, professor of criminology at Florida State University. (Provided by Dr. Kenneth Mitchell EDAD 8300)

Evaluating the Journal or Publisher

Cabell's Educational Directories This link opens in a new window
Cabell's is a directory providing information on journals including manuscript and review process guidelines, journal quality metrics, submission criteria and other information for evaluating and selecting academic journals for publication of research.

Journal Evaluation Tool
This article from the William H. Hannon Library describes and presents a rubric that can be used to determine the credibility of a journal (source) that you are considering.
Think - Check - Submit
Think. Check. Submit. helps researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research. Through a range of tools and practical resources, this international, cross-sector initiative aims to educate researchers, promote integrity, and build trust in credible research and publications.

Think Check Submit Publication Checklist
The checklist is a tool that will help you discover what you need to know when assessing whether or not a publisher is suitable for your research

Google Scholar Metrics-Social Science
Google Scholar Metrics provide an easy way for authors to quickly gauge the visibility and influence of recent articles in scholarly publications. Scholar Metrics summarize recent citations to many publications, to help authors as they consider where to publish their new research. To get started, you can browse the top 20 publications in several languages, ordered by their five-year h-index and h-median metrics.
Google Scholar Metrics
Provides an overview of Google Scholar Metrics

Fact-checking websites can help you investigate claims to help you determine whether what you hear or read is true. These resources can help you determine the legitimacy of a claim. They can also help you determine if a site is legitimate.
You can practice lateral reading, like a fact checker. Google the site, open up multiple tabs, read several different sources about the information or site in question.
However, even fact-checking websites should be examined critically.

The CRAP Test

Currency
Is the copyright or publication date current?
If the material is dated, justification should be included for using outdated material.
Is the material to be used for background or historical purposes?

Relevance
How is this document useful to your research?
How does it directly relate to the research that you are investigating?

Authority
Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What are the credentials of the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What is the author’s occupation, position, titles, education, experience, etc.? Is the author/publisher/
source/sponsor qualified (or not) to write on this subject?
Does the source provide accurate information (cite its sources) and is it trustworthy?

Purpose
What is the purpose for writing this document or doing this research? Does the author/publisher/source/sponsor have a bias or make assumptions within the source? Does the author have a hidden agenda? Is the source trying to sell you something, or is it trying to persuade you to think a certain way? Is it fact or opinion?

Evaluate sources using the CRAP Test.
• Use the CRAP to help you evaluate sources.
• The CRAP Test is not a checklist.
• These criteria can help you choose and select sources that are appropriate for your needs.
• Each criteria includes points and prompts to consider when evaluating a source.
• Use the prompts as a guide. It is not necessary to answer every prompt.

What is Lateral Reading? (3.33 minute video)

Evaluating online sources using Lateral Reading (3.33.minute video)
Lateral Reading,” a strategy used by professional fact-checkers to investigate the reliability of online sources.
This video is part of a series created by Citizen Literacy
Citizen Literacy was created by Robert Detmering, Amber Willenborg, and Terri Holtze for University of Louisville Libraries.
Citizen Literacy
Citizen Literacy is an online toolkit that promotes the development of key information skills for democratic citizenship and features short videos, handouts, and activities that faculty across all disciplines can integrate into their courses and assignments.

EdD in Educational Leadership: Evaluate Sources

Importance of Evaluation