CCOW Source Analysis

Next we need to analyze the claims in the resource. Here are some aspects to consider:

• Is the information supported by other reputable sources?
• Is each claim backed up by evidence?
• Do the conclusions the author develops seem plausible? 
• Is it from a peer-reviewed source? 
• Are there spelling and/or grammar mistakes?
• Is it up to date (if applicable)? 
• Is it arranged logically and consistently?
• Has the article been cited in any other published works? 
• Did the author cite their sources appropriately? 
• What is your overall impression of the source? 

Don't take someone's word that "research says" this or that — follow their research trail and verify it yourself! Credible researchers tell where they got their information. Is there a bibliography, citations, or links to back up each claim or argument?

Having sources isn't the end of the investigation, though. Follow those links and ask: are those sources reliable? And do they truly support the claims being made? (Sometimes people put citations in to look scholarly, but the cited articles don't really support their argument.)

Sometimes, a claim in an article will not have a citation backing it up. If this is the case, ask yourself: is this information original research? If so, are the researchers qualified? Was the research peer reviewed?

Make sure the information you are investigating is current and up-to-date. More recent information is usually better . . .  but not always.

For instance, newspapers and websites often contain instant, up-to-date information about a current event. This timeliness is appreciated in the moment. But it is often the later information in magazines, journal articles, or books that is able to bring together more sources to create a duller picture and broader understanding of what happened.

Information Timeline Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The importance of being up-to-date also varies depending on the academic discipline. Being current tends to be highly important in fields like science, math, medicine, engineering, or any other field that relies on experimentation for data. On the other hand, disciplines like history, philosophy, or religion don't necessarily require the very latest info, often because their primary data is old in the first place.

We know this intuitively. For example, a website from 2002 about technology trends is probably woefully out of date, but a website from the same year about the Civil War might be a great source. That's an easy example. When we're less familiar with the subject we're researching wemight have to think consciously about whether the topic requires the latest information or not, and whether our source is a good match.