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Evaluating Relevance

Issue

Strategies

Does the work address your research question or meet the requirments of your assignment?

  • Review your research question and/or assignment
  • If you created a concept, or brain map, consult it for gaps in your information

  • Is the content appropriate for your research topic or assignment?
    (Consider scholarly vs. popular, fact vs. opinion, format/medium (e.g., book, journal, government report, web site, etc.), subject coverage, language, time period, geographical area, audience, primary (e.g., raw data, diaries, literature, photographs, first-hand accounts of an event, research reports, etc.) vs. secondary (information that has been analyzed and interpreted, e.g., literary criticism, most books, review of an art show or play, etc.)

  • Check the table of contents or scan the subheadings
  • Read the preface, abstract, introduction, and/or conclusion
  • Look for footnotes or endnotes and/or a bibliography
  • Look for reviews
    • Magazines for Libraries
    • Book reviews
    • Internet Scout Report

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