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PHYS 250 Elteto (spring 2019): Evaluating Sources

Is my source good enough for a college research paper?

This short Website Evaluation Exercise is designed to give you some practice deciding whether articles found on the internet are appropriate for a college level research paper. Instructions:

  • The librarian will divide the class into small groups, and assign each group one of the articles linked from one of the Web Pages to Evaluate lists).
  • Skim the article on your own (2-3 min.)
  • Work as a group to apply/answer the criteria question(s) on the right (Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages and Websites). (7-8 min.)
  • Be prepared to answer the criteria questions out loud as a group - you'll want to elect a spokesperson. 

Web Pages to Evaluate- Acoustics

  1. The Physics of Music- Answer Authority and Purpose
  2. Music and Acoustics- Answer Relevancy and Purpose
  3. Physics of Woodwinds- Answer Currency and Authority
  4. Acoustics of Brass Musical Instruments- Answer Accuracy and Authority
  5. Physics Breakthrough- Answer Purpose and Relevancy
  6. Why Restaurants Are So Loud These Days - Answer Authority (hint: click on the author byline to see their other works), Accuracy and Purpose.

Web Pages to Evaluate - Safe Braking Distances

  1. The physics of braking - Answer Relevancy and Purpose
  2. Stopping Distance Formula - Answer Relevancy, Authority and Purpose
  3. What is the physics behind cars skidding on snow or ice? - Answer (for all authors)  Authority and Accuracy.
  4. Stopping distance, reaction distance, and braking distance - Answer Relevance, Authority and Purpose
  5. Stopping Distances - Answer Authority (hint: look at the URL) and Purpose.
  6. Braking Capabilities of Motorcycles (Read the first paragraph, skim the section headings and introductory sentences for each section, skim the tables, and read the "about" the author paragraph at the end.) - Answer Authority,  Accuracy and Purpose.

Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages and Websites

Evaluate the article based on the following criteria, sometimes called the CRAAP test:

  1. Currency of Information.  How recent is the information provided?  Is up-to-date information important for your topic, or is older information just as useful for your topic?

  1. Relevancy: Who is this website written for - professionals in that field, or educators, students, family members, adults or youth, etc.?

  1. Authority. What organization or person is responsible for the article or website?  Tip: look for an “about us” or “contact us” page.  What credentials (degrees, expertise, or experience) does the author of the article have? Can you easily tell if that author has written other pieces on this topic (and if so, is the webpage meant as to advertise?)

  1. Accuracy. Is it based on the author’s opinions or does the information represent researched results? Does the author cite his or her sources? Is the content biased towards one particular viewpoint?

  1. Purpose: Why was this website created?  To inform, entertain, advertise a product or service, etc.? Does the URL (.com, .org, .gov, etc.) tell you anything about the website and its purpose, mission or goals?

What is peer review, and why check for it?

Peer review matters, especially in the sciences.

If an article has been peer-reviewed, that means an independent group of experts in that subject area have evaluated the research methods used, looked closely at the author's conclusions (including any statistical analysis), and judged them to be good science. It doesn't mean that the experts liked the article - just that they think its science is solid. 

Peer review is expensive and time-consuming, so usually only scholarly, academic journals use it for research articles. If an article in one of those journals has been peer-reviewed, you can trust its Authority and Accuracy.