Evaluating materials for inclusion as a scientific reference:

Resources in psychology are critical to the many assignments in a variety of classes. Therefore, you should use some general criteria for evaluation of resources. As a general rule, journal articles are your most important resource, followed by books, and lastly reputable internet sites. The following information should serve as a general guide for evaluation of the sources.  For a more thorough set of evaluation criteria see How To Critically Analyze Information Sources.

Journals

Credibility of a journal should be considered when you are selecting references. First it is important to distinguish between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine. If you are unclear about this distinction, please refer to the library page What is a Scholarly Journal? As a general rule, you will want to select an article that has statistics. In other words, if it does not have statistical results, it probably will not count as one of the minimum number of reference materials.

Once you have selected a scholarly journal, it is important to realize that not all journals are created equal. If the articles contained in the journal have undergone the peer review process, they are considered to have more credibility.

Books

Scientific books are useful for learning about background and the theory associated with your topic. Books are usually used to provide you with a more thorough understanding of complex theory or as a general reference. Although the date of publication may seem important, some older texts are seen as seminal works, and they are sometimes the most important theoretical work in the area. In addition to the publication date, it is important to note who published the text. Information about publishers can be found in Books in Print. Several reference resources can be accessed through your librarian’s reference desk.

Internet Resources

Internet resources are more difficult to evaluate with respect to credibility. Anybody can create a web page! Although the information may be in print, and may look valid, it may not be accurate. If you would like to consider how to evaluate web sites, be sure to use the information in Evaluating Web-based Information.