Research Guides: Research Basics: Finding Scholarly Journal Articles: Evaluating Articles

How to critically evaluate articles?

It is essential that you critically evaluate your article to make sure it is a credible source appropriate for your paper.

Most evaluation strategies are variations of the 5 Ws:

WHO created the information? Who is the audience? Whose point of view is being represented or left out?
WHAT is the article saying? Is it accurate and backed up by credible evidence? What biases are present?
WHEN was it written? Is the timeframe relevant to your research?
WHERE is it published? Is it a reputable and/or relevant source?
WHY was it written? What is the purpose of the source?

Here are a few additional strategies that you can use to evaluate your article:

Lateral reading is a way of evaluating information by looking for outside sources to make sure the information source is credible.

Lateral reading is guided by the following questions:

CCOW is an acronym that can guide critical evaluation of a source.

Credentials
- Is this author an expert in their field? What are their qualifications? Do they include their sources?
Claims
- How accurate is the information? Can similar information be found in more than one source?
Objectives
- What is the purpose of this source? To inform or to persuade?
World View
- What is the author’s point of view? What point of view is missing?
- What are the author’s biases? Will you address these biases in your assignment?

CCOW (Research Guide)
Developed by librarian Anthony Tardiff, Gonzaga University - Foley Library

The CRAAP Test is a commonly used acronym to guide source evaluation.

CRAAP Test
Developed by librarian Sarah Blakeslee at Meriam Library, California State University - Chico