MSHAL Literature Review: Step 4: Evaluating Information

Currency

• Is the information current? You want to make sure that the information you are using is current unless you are focused on the history of a topic.
• Normally the past 5 years is considered current in a field.

Author

• Who is the author and what are their qualifications?
• Who published or sponsored the article? Are they reputable? Do they have a bias?

Accuracy

• Is the information verified in multiple articles?

Bias

• Persuasive language-using words and sentences that solicit a positive or negative response from the reaser or that lead the reader to the specific conclusion
• Misquoting a source-when the article rewords, paraphrases or manipulates a statement or source's information
• Selective facts-taking information out of context or picking out only the information that supports the argument
• Flawed Research-basing a claim on too small a sample

Relevance

• Does the article fit into your research?

In evaluating what they've read and deciding what to include in the lit. review, researchers should, of course, be objective. They must:

• avoid shunning information that contradicts their own views.
• keep open minds.
• look at the topic from different vantage points.
• in short, act in a scholarly manner.

In writing a literature review skilled researchers evaluate their sources and evidence very carefully. For example, they ask such questions as:

• Who funded the research studies? For example, what credence can be given to a study on sugar intake funded by Pepsi?
• Who actually performed the research?
• When and where were the studies carried out?
• What were the political, socio-economic, religious, etc. conditions at the time of the research?
• Is there any reason to suspect that the methodology or the interpretation of the results were restrained by some authority? For example, what should a researcher conclude about medical experiments performed in Nazi Germany?