Weeding — An Introduction

The steps in the process

Let's say you are researching the causes of violence among teenagers. You do a search — you get back 10,000 sources. That's a vast amount of information to weed through.

The simplest way to handle this is to pick the top few matches and head home to write your paper. But doing this will end up wasting your time as you struggle to use resources that may be poorly written, unreliable, and contain incomplete information.

The first step in filtering out the "bad" from your research is figuring out what type of source you need (is it a book, a journal article, a Web site, an encyclopedia?) and using the right search tool to find it.

WANT MORE on selecting a source?
> Unit 1 > Welcome to the Information Age

WANT MORE on choosing a search tool?
> Unit 2 > Starting Your Search

The next step is to pull out the best matches from your results. You will, of course, want to use only the " best" information, so you have to carefully select your sources. But how do you tell the difference between a " good" source and a " bad" source?

In the past, large publishing companies were responsible for almost everything we read. Since the reputations of these companies depended on the quality of their publications, they used editors to select reliable authors and check the facts in their writings.

Additionally, to be purchased for a library collection, a publication had to be selected by a librarian who would judge whether the publication was appropriate for the specific library collection. Non-scholarly publications didn't usually get added to an academic library's collection.

Today, desktop publishing software, sophisticated printers, and the World Wide Web have made it possible for anyone to be a " publisher." All a person needs is the right technology to distribute a 'zine, create a Web page, or even self-publish a book. Without a large publisher acting as a quality-control agent for all this information, it's now up to the reader — you — to evaluate the quality of each source.

This unit will introduce you to the process of analyzing sources for use in research.

PART 1: Initial appraisal

Your initial appraisal starts when you begin your search for information. Whenever you look at a book, article, or Web site, you should learn to check the basics.

• Author's credentials
• Date of publication
• Edition
• Publisher
• Title of periodical

PART 2: Content Analysis

To analyze content, look at the source. Scan the book, article, Web site, etc. Look at the table of contents and the index. Note whether bibliographies are included. Content analysis is based on the following points:

• Intended audience
• Objective reasoning
• Writing style
• Evaluations or reviews

Following these steps will help you weed the useful from the useless.

PART 1: Initial Appraisal

Author's Credentials

Is this person real?

Make sure that the person who wrote the item you are evaluating is qualified. Ask yourself, " Why should I think this person knows more about the topic than I do?"

To find additional information on an author, you can look at biographical reference sources, which are books containing information about a person's life, work, and professional accomplishments. These sources can help you to determine the author's importance in a particular field. Examples of biographical sources are Who's Who in America and Contemporary Authors, both available in the reference section of most libraries.

Bad signs

• a book by a popular talk show host who gives psychological advice...but the author has a degree in physics, not a degree in a mental health field
• a Web site that doesn't list an author and isn't sponsored by a known organization...and the e-mail link on the page goes to " imright@whoknows.com"

Year of Publication

Is the information out of date?

Bad signs

• a Web site on U.S. presidential election controversies, that was last updated in August 2000
• an article about the Internet, that focuses on gophers and veronica

Edition

For books and periodicals

A later edition can mean that the book has become a standard in the field and is reliable.

Bad signs

• a book that is hailed as a " classic" in its promotional blurbs, but only went through one printing
• a periodical that only published 2 issues, then went out of business

Publisher

Is the publisher reputable?

Publication by a reputable publisher does not guarantee quality of writing, but it does mean the publisher has high regard for the author.

Bad signs

• a book put out by a vanity press (a publisher paid by the author to publish his/her book)
• Be Your Own Electrician: a do-it-yourself book on wiring your home...published by a company whose other books are all for children

Type of Periodical

Magazine or scholarly journal?

Bad signs

• A magazine article cites statistics (" 22% of all Americans have been abducted by aliens" )... without giving a source for the information.
• A seemingly important study is only published in a non-peer reviewed publication

PART 2: Content Analysis

Intended Audience

General or specialized?

QUESTION: Is the material intended for a general audience or a specialized audience?

The language will vary according to the intended audience. If you are researching the use of steroids among athletes for a freshman speech class, information intended for a general audience will probably be okay, but if you are researching the same topic for a graduate physical education course, you will want more specialized information.

A magazine like Sports Illustrated uses language that is easily understood and would be fine to use for a speech class: " Doctors believe the risks of steroids include heart disease, stroke, liver tumors, depression, 'roid rage and testicular atrophy" (" The 'Roid to Ruin." Sports Illustrated, Aug. 21, 2000: 92).

A scholarly journal like Physician and Sportsmedicine uses terminology that is known to sports physicians and others in that field, and would be a good source of specialized information: " Most male AAS users exhibit some combination of acne, gynecomastia, and striae" (" Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Abuse." Physician and Sportsmedicine, 28 (12): 67).

QUESTION: Is the material too elementary or too advanced?

Think about your audience and tailor your research to fit the audience. Let's say you are giving a speech to a freshman English class on the prevention of AIDS. For that group, you will want basic, understandable information. On the other hand, if you are doing research on the prevention of AIDS for a senior level biology class, your information would be more advanced, designed to meet the needs of that audience.

Bad signs

• A book about the effects of steroids on the body that uses technical words that you don't know...and can't even find in a regular dictionary
• A Web site meant to keep kids from using steroids that uses scare tactics...but the language is aimed at elementary school kids and the site doesn't have much solid information

For research, you also need to distinguish between inspirational sources and research sources. For a research paper, you could use scholarly studies of the effects of spirituality on a person's well-being along with biblical references.

Objective Reasoning

Information or propaganda?

QUESTION: Does the information appear to be fact or fiction?

Is there evidence to support the facts? For most research, you only want fact based information. How do you tell the difference between fact and fiction? Can you track down the sources in the footnotes, or does the author cite mainly conversations or other unpublished or obscure sources? Does the bibliography list a number of different writers and publications, or rely heavily on one or two sources? Can you find other sources with similar information? Be especially careful of Web sites that make undocumented claims that you cannot verify elsewhere.

QUESTION: Is there bias?

Does the information appear to be slanted? Does it present only one side of the story? There may be times when you recognize information is biased and you want (need) to use it in your research. Usually when you are using biased information, you will want to find sources on both sides of the issue. For example, if you are looking at information on genetically modified foods, you could look at sources from both Greenpeace, an organization that strongly opposes them, and Monsanto a company that develops genetically modified seeds.

QUESTION: Is the text filled with emotional language? Does the text appeal to your feelings and not your intellect?

Organizations can be an excellent source for highlighting issues involved with a topic, but they can also use information to promote their cause. When you look at information, and you feel as if someone or some group is trying to convince you to think a certain way, scrutinize the information very carefully.

Bad signs

• An article's bibliography lists 15 different sources...but 14 of them are by the author of the article.
• An anti-animal experimentation Web site uses words like 'torture' and 'slaughter' over and over again with exclamation points...but possible alternatives to animal research are never addressed
• You find a Web site that evaluates videos. The description on the home page begins, " An excellent source for reviews of movies which are wholesome, family entertainment." Wholesome is a relative term.

---

The following are external links and will open in a pop-up window.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a site about animal rights that tends to use emotional language to make its point.

Action Alert is a conservative site that can tend to show bias and use emotional language.

Writing Style

Does it make sense?

QUESTION: Is the style similar to other reputable sources?

Every subject of study develops its own style and language. A scholarly journal article that did not use this style and language would probably not clear peer review.

QUESTION: Is the material logically arranged and are the points clearly presented?

Just as your instructor grades you on how well you arrange and present materials, you should judge the information you find on the same criteria.

QUESTION: Is the information in the source referenced?

If a fact is presented, is the source identified? Does the article include a bibliography that indicates that author is familiar with prior research on the topic?

Bad signs

• The article's introduction says it is about scientific objections to genetic engineering, but the article uses terms like " frankenfoods."
• The article is about relativity, but never mentions Einstein.
• You find a Web site on gun control laws that has numerous links that are so confusing you cannot move from one screen to another.

The links on this page will open in pop-up windows.

Evaluation or Reviews

What do others think about this work?

QUESTION: Has a book or Web site been reviewed?

Sometimes a book is reviewed, or evaluated in a newspaper article, a journal article, or a magazine article. A favorable review is usually a good indication of a well-written book.

There are sources (indexes) that point you to reviews of some books. Examples of book review indexes are Book Review Digest on GALILEO and Book Review Index (available in the reference section of many libraries). Ask your librarian where to find book reviews.

Reviews of Web sites are not as common as reviews of books, but they do exist. Try "The Internet Scout Report". Even if your site isn't reviewed, you may find other, better sites!

You can look for sites, such as the Librarians' Index to the Internet or Infomine, that have been selected by librarians. Although you don't see the review, a librarian or authority in the field chose the site as a reliable source of information.

You can also see if your site is included in selective Web directories like "Academic Info" or "Look Smart". One indication of a quality site is that it's consistently included in selective Web directories.

QUESTION: Was the article peer-reviewed?

Another form of review is the review process that scholarly journals put articles through before publishing them. Some journals will explain their review process in the front of the first issue of the year; if its not there, ask your librarian for a list of " peer-reviewed" or "refereed" journals.

Bad Sign

• You find of a book you want to use in a research paper, but the book review for it is very critical indicating the book presents facts that are not supported by evidence.

Evaluating Web Sources

Special considerations for Web sites

Evaluating all sources used in research is essential, but there are some special guidelines you should follow when evaluating Web sites:

Bad signs

• The Web site on treatments for diabetes was last updated in 1997.
• You find a Web site stating the United States has declared war on Canada, but you cannot find any information in any other news source verifying the fact.

WANT MORE on Evaluating Web Sources?
> Unit 7 > Tips for Using the Internet

Analyzing Sources

Four tips for weeding as you go

1. Keep in mind what you are trying to accomplish in your research. Does the source have relevance to the question you are trying to answer?
2. Consider the audience for your research, as well as the audience for which the article you are reading was intended. If you can't understand a word of it, it won't help you. But if your research is of a scholarly nature, some use of the language of the discipline is expected.
3. Analyze, when possible, at every step of the evaluation process. A source that seemed good at the beginning of your research may not be useful to you once your topic has become more focused.
4. Practice, practice, practice — "the more you analyze, the easier it gets."

These exercises have been provided to help students learn about library services and researching. They may be used by an instructor as an assignment.

---

Exercise: Be B-A-D !

Why are these sources of lower quality?

Learning Objective: To scrutinize and categorize "bad" information resources according to type.

On the Internet, in the Library, or through GALILEO find one of each of the following:

• An unreliable source
• A source that reveals bias
• A source that uses emotional language

For each source, document:

• What you found
• How and where you found it
• The category into which the example fits (unreliable, bias, emotional language) and explain why you think it is an example of that category.

Submit your work in to your instructor if required.