Evaluating Bibliographic Citations :

When searching for information in library catalogues and online article databases such as EbscoHost or Proquest Direct, you will first find a bibliographic citation entry. A bibliographic citation provides relevant information about the author and publication as well as short summary of the text.


Before you read a source or spend time hunting for it, begin by looking at the following information in the citation to evaluate whether it's worth finding or reading.


Consider the author, the title of the work, the summary, where it is, and the timliness of the entry. You may also want to look at the keywords to see what other categories the work falls into. Evaluate this information to see if it is relevant and valid for your research.


Other Pages in This Section :

Evaluating Sources : Overview : Evaluating sources of information is an important step in any research activity.

Evaluation During Reading : After you have asked yourself some questions about the source and determined that it's worth your time to find and read the source, you can evaluate the material in the source as you read through it.

Evaluating Print vs. Internet Sources : Understanding the difference between what you can find on the web and what you can find in more traditional print sources is key.