In Chapter 11, you learned the criteria for evaluating an author's argument. When you read authors' arguments, you should look not only at the reasoning in their arguments, but also at the sources from which they draw their support. After all, if they support their arguments with inaccurate, unreliable, or out of date information or statistics, the arguments will not be strong.
There are certain criteria you can use to evaluate the sources from which authors draw support their arguments. It’s also helpful to know them because they are the same criteria you should use when you seek support for a paper, speech, or other presentation you are preparing. When you write papers and prepare presentations, you want to select information that is accurate, reliable, and up-to-date. When the support is not strong, critical readers and thinkers reject an argument.

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Evaluating Print Sources

Evaluating Books Sources
To evaluate books that are used as sources, you can follow much of the procedure described "Handling Textbooks and Textbook Assignments Like a Pro" (pages 00-00).

• Look at the book title, author's name, and the author's qualifications.
  Most books contain information about the author. If not, google the author's name. (Google is a search engine, a website that gather and reports information on a topic available on the Internet.)
1. Is the person an expert on the subject?
2. What credentials does the author have in terms of education, work experience, publications, and professional affiliations?
3. How is the person regarded by others in the same field?
• Check the date of publication, and the publisher.
1. How recently was the book [published? Is the information up-to-date? (This is especially important if the author's argument involves technology, the sciences or social sciences, fields in which things change more quickly.)
2. Is the publisher established and respected?
• Skim the table of contents and read the preface or introduction.
1. The index will also give you an overview of the topics included in the book.
• Examine a representative chapter or selection from the book.
1. Does the author seem to write logically and offer reliable support for his or her opinions?
2. Does the author document the research presented as support?
3. If the author quotes other people, are they knowledgeable and well-respected in the field?
4. Does the material seem to be presented objectively, or does the author have a bias?
• Look at the bibliography of sources the author drew on.
1. Does it seem comprehensive?
2. Are the sources current?
3. If the author has drawn information from the Internet, you should investigate some of those sources, as well. (See the information below.)

Evaluating Articles from Professional Journals
Professional journals are scholarly publications who articles are written by researchers and specialists in the field. Many have panels of specialists who review articles before they are accepted them for publication. The ABA Journal (the American bar Association’s journal for lawyers), The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Reading Research Quarterly are examples.

• Look at the article's title, the author's name, and the author's qualifications.
  (Professional journals contain information about the authors of articles. Also, you can google an author's name to locate additional information.)
1. Is the person an expert on the subject?
2. What credentials does the author have in terms of education, work experience, publications, and professional affiliations?
3. How is the person regarded by others in the same field?
• Check the date of publication, and the organization that publishes the journal.
1. Is the article recent and up-to-date? (This is especially important if the author's argument involves technology, the sciences or social sciences, fields in which things change more quickly.)
2. Is the organization that publishes the journal established and respected?
3. Is the journal a relatively new publication, or has it been published for many years?
4. Does the organization that publishes it have any particular orientation or bias? (Journals typically include a brief statement about their purpose or orientation, and often who their intended audience is.)
5. Is the publication respected by others in the field?
• Preview the article.
1. Articles in many journals begin with a section labeled "Abstract." It summarizes in a paragraph the key points, the topic under investigation, research methods, the subjects, where the research was conducted, and the findings or conclusions. If there is an abstract or introduction, read it.
2. Skim the major headings.
3. Look at any pictures diagrams, or other graphics.
4. Read the first paragraph, the first sentence of each paragraph (if the article isn’t too lengthy), and the last paragraph.
5. If there is a separate section for conclusions at the end of the article, read it. (It may be called "Findings.") If there are suggestions for further research, skim through them.
6. Look at the bibliography of sources the author drew on. (If the author has drawn information from the Internet, you should investigate some of those sources, as well. See the information below.)
7. If the author quotes other people, are they knowledgeable and well-respected in the field?

In addition to professional journals, there are many other periodicals you are likely to draw information from. (A periodical is any publication that is published on a regular schedule.) For example, you may draw on (and need to evaluate) information from newspapers, magazines, and other popular sources directed at the general public. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time, Newsweek, Business Week, Wired, Sports Illustrated, and Psychology Today are examples.