Writing an Effective Critical Evaluation of Sources to Use in Your Academic Paper
An effective academic paper is a product of rigorous research and consultation of various sources both printed and electronic as well as both primary and secondary. It is thus important to brace yourself for the exercise keeping in mind that not all sources are worth a mention in your paper even if they have some details on your subject matter. For this reason, the knowledge of critically evaluating your sources is imperative if you want to write impressive papers that will earn you high grades.
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For many students, determining the credibility of sources is a challenge but for those that know about the Termpaperchampions.com essay writing service, the experience is different. This is because the service is offered 24/7 allowing them to ask questions and get instant feedback on effective academic writing. If you are there and you have not discovered us, this article contains the crucial steps to determining the credibility of your sources as well as writing an effective critical evaluation of the same sources to ensure you remain at the top of your class by writing first-class essays for all your coursework.
As said earlier it is imperative to critically evaluate the information or details you are using in your assignments. You should always be aware that:
- Just because an article, a book, or any other material is published you don’t have to trust it.
- Just because some information is found on a website, it doesn’t mean that it is automatically disqualified or acceptable.
So, to make sure you use the appropriate sources and write an effective critical evaluation, it is important to ask yourself the following question regarding the book and the author. If you can answer each successfully, I guarantee you a quality academic paper, if you have difficulties, don’t hesitate to contact our highly qualified and experienced writers for an exceptional essay writing service any time anywhere.
AUTHORITY
When evaluating the authority of the source, it basically means focusing on the author or authors, their affiliations, publisher, and sponsor of the book or article. The questions to ask include
1. Who is the author(s)? – Can you identify then author of the material? To find this, check out on the:
- Title page if it is a book or a report.
- Title information at the top of the first page if it is an article or a chapter in the book
- Top or bottom of the page for websites
- End of the article for encyclopedias
2. What credentials does the author(s) have? – Does the author have a relevant university degree? Where does he /she work? Do they have some related experience? Do they have other past works? To help answer these questions:
- Look in the bibliographical sources
- Scrutinize the material for any information about then author
- Search on the web to see if the author has a home page
- If the author has an affiliation with any institution, check out their profile on the institution’s website as well as the details of the organization from other sites and the organization’s website.
- To determine if they have other works, search in then library catalogs or scholarly databases
3. What reputation does the author has among his /her peers? Has it been mention in your class by the lecturer, in your textbook, cited in books, articles, or bibliographies? To get these details; use citation indexes to locate all the articles citing the author. For easier access, you could use Google scholar.
4. Who is the publisher? Is it an institution, commercial, trade, or other? Are they known for quality scholarly publications? Which is their area of specialization and editorial board? To find answers to these questions:
- Search online to learn more about what others say about the publisher
- Check out the publisher’s website
- Look for additional information in the directories
5. Who is the sponsor/ funder? Is it the government, NGO, or an institution? What is the reputation and mandate of the sponsor? How much was given towards the work? Consider finding out if they have been acknowledged in the article and go a step further and visit their websites for more details.
OBJECTIVITY
In this section of your critical evaluation, the focus should be on the author’s goal or purpose of writing. The questions to ask include:
1. Has the author stated the goal of their work clearly? Is it meant to educate, inform, explain, advocate, persuade, advertise a product, etc? To get answers to this question; go through the abstract, preface, introduction, or foreword. Also, looking at the reviews of the work at article indexes will provide all the details you need. If it is not clear or can’t understand the purpose and you need an essay writing service, the place to visit is Termpaperchampions.com.
2. Is the author biased or making some assumptions? Is he/she more committed to a particular perspective? Is there an equal presentation of ideas regarding a controversial subject? How is the author’s view compared to other authors on the same topic? Is their language emotional? Answering this question is simple, carefully read the introduction or abstract and be keen on the following:
- Propaganda
- Conclusions
- Choice of language and words
- Arguments and evidence used by the author
Also, examine the work by searching for articles on the same topic as well as looking to see if the bibliography has multiple perspectives.
3. Is the information provided in the source well researched and valid? Are the assumptions and conclusions made reasonable? Are the arguments and conclusions adequately supported using verifiable evidence and sources cited? Has the author addressed the opposing view if there is any? Answering these questions may seem daunting since you have to verify the statistics, facts, and evidence using other reliable sources but with Termpaperchampions.com essay writing service the whole process is made easy. Not because we have writers who will guide you, but also because you can buy an essay that is written from scratch and that meets your specific needs.
QUALITY
How your work is graded is pegged on the quality which is determined by the quality of your sources. It is, therefore, crucial to assess the quality of all your sources before you cite them in any of your assignments. Wondering how? Ask the following questions and in case you are still confused, we offer an online essay writing service to all students across the globe. Be sure to ask for help.
1. How is the work organized?
2. Does the author have a good command of grammar? Are there spelling and punctuation errors? And if the author has used some graphics, are they well-labeled, easy to understand, clearly, and properly presented?
To find the answers:
- Focus on the headings to look for structural errors
- Read through then work and check for logical flow and coherence
- Focus on book reviews
- Read the work carefully to identify grammar, typing, and punctuation errors
- Consider alternative ways of data presentation
COVERAGE
With coverage evaluation, you will focus on the scope of the work and corroboration, and to get the best out of this exercise, the following questions will be useful:
1. Does the work update on previous so works and other sources? Compare the content and publication dates of the work to other sources you have found.
2. Does it affirm other materials that you have come across or add new insights? Try to look for more views on the topic, incorporate different ideas and use various sources
3. In case the author has quoted from other works directly, are quotes taken out of context? Look for the original book, article, or material where the quote has been taken from and see the context under which it was used.
4. Does the material provide adequate information to support your arguments? Look for gaps in your arguments, facts, statistics, and evidence.
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CURRENCY
Effective academic papers derive their information from recent sources which are dependent on the discipline and the professor as well. However, for most assignments, you will be expected to use sources published in the last ten years as they contain the recent happenings and developments in the field. To determine if it is appropriate for use, seek the answers to the below questions:
1. When was the author published? Check for publication date on the:
- Cover page for magazines, journals
- Title page for books and articles
- Bottom of the age for websites
- Table of contents for some magazines and journals
For web pages, you should be cautious about the dates as they may indicate:
- The date the page was created
- The dates the page was published on the web
- The date the page was last visited
- A date for the entire page but not particular content.
2. Does your topic require current information? Unlike other disciplines like history that rely on old materials, some topics on science, current events, and medicine require up-to-date details.
3. Which edition is the work? Has it been revised, expanded, or updated since then first publication? To determine the edition of the source, catalogs and search databases will guide you. Also, consider using databases that feature book reviews, Amazzon.ca, etc
RELEVANCE
I believe you don’t want to use sources that do not relate to your subject or topic. To avoid any incidence of being irrelevant, and your reader is left wondering the question you are answering or the topic you are writing about, it is necessary to look for the most relevant sources. Sources that will help you answer the question in the best way possible. So, to scoop all the marks in this category endeavor to answer the following questions about the source.
1. Does the source meet the assignment requirements? Does it address your research question fully? To make sure the source is relevant; continually review the research question as you progress with the research process.
2. Is the content the most appropriate for your topic/ assignment? Is it scholarly, based on facts, well covered, etc? To erase any doubt regarding then content, Termpaperchampions.com essay writing service is all you need in addition to the following:
- Go through the table of contents, headings, and subheadings,
- Read through the abstract, introduction, conclusion, or preface
- Look for any review on the book or article
- Check out for footnotes, endnotes, or bibliography
Like any other academic assignment, writing an effective critical Evaluation of sources for your academic papers can be overwhelming if you:
- Do not possess the prerequisite writing skills
- Do not understand the assignment’s requirements
- Do not know where to locate sources, how to determine their credibility, and even use them in your paper.
However, I believe the next time you will be assigned this kind of assignment; you will present a brilliantly written assignment. If you still need to upgrade your writing skills and move from average to excellent, Termpaperchampions.com essay writing service is affordable and customized to meet all your needs and desires. We are open, feel free to talk to any of our writers, and experience the uniqueness of our essay writing service around the clock.