Earlier in the course, we looked at different methods to assess scientific information spread through social media and the news. With some adjustment, you can also use lateral reading when finding academic sources for writing assignments. For example, you can investigate the researcher's background and independence through a simple search. But in academia, you need to dive deeper into the text you assess and evaluate, for instance, the genre's relevance and quality of research.

We have already talked about the quality control that academic texts go through. It is now your task to investigate whether the sources you want to use have been through this type of quality control.

Use the check list below to see what to consider when you choose sources for your assignment. Test this in the quiz on the nest page.

The trustworthiness of the author

Researchers often aim to publish their findings in an article or book. Check the researcher's affiliation with the field and what the author has previously published. The source of funding, ownership interests, and affiliation with interest organizations may influence independence.

The trustworthiness of the publication channel

Scientific journals are the primary channel for publishing new research. Further discussions of published results may occur in books, essays, reports, and other publications. The quality of scientific articles are assured through peer review before publication, meaning other experts read and evaluate the text. Essays, books, and other publication channels may also be quality-assured in similar ways.

The literature basis

When reading academic literature, the reference list shows the academic literature and the platform of knowledge on which the work is based.

A clear research question

To provide clear answers, it is crucial in many disciplines that the thesis statement/research question is clearly formulated and that relevant, updated methods are used to answer the question.

Is the information up to date?

Check the publishing date for your source. Most often, we are looking for up-to-date information, which provides the most recent additions to a field. For instance, make sure you get the latest edition of books.

What is considered 'recent', depends on your discipline. Some disciplines rarely consider publications from more than 5 years a go, while others will be happy to include 20+ years old studies. Occasionally, you will need older sources in order to add historical perspectives, and to avoid having to invent the wheel from scratch.

Relevance

Is the source addressing the question you are asking? How could the source contribute to your insight? Are there alternative sources that better cover your questions? Are the methods of the study suited to answer the question, and are they up to date? Who is the target audience, and is this publication type (essay, chapter, report, peer reviewed article) a suitable source for your assignment? Keywords, summaries, graphs and tables can all help you determine the relevance of a source. You can save time by screening sources carefully before you start any thorough reading.

New insights

Good academic literature clarifies how it contributes to moving the research field forward.

Reproducibility

In experimental research, it is desirable to verify experiments and results to see if repeated attempts/experiments always yield comparable answers. This requires that all methods are described thoroughly, are well considered and founded, and used correctly. It is imperative that results that deviate significantly from existing knowledge are carefully reviewed to ensure that the research represents new insights, and was not just a random result. For research that is not experimental, verifiability may involve the possibility of reviewing the source basis again.

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