Barnard: Research Methods/Religion Lab: Evaluating Resources

1. Who produced the source? authority, credentials, etc.
2. Why was the source produced? audience, motivations
3. What is the scope and date of the source? "fact," "opinion,"  "propaganda"
4. Who published the source? self-published, university press, peer-reviewed

See Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for a list of questions to ask when reading and evaluating sources.

Exercise: Select one source and go through the questions asked in the OWL list.