Evaluating Articles
Articles generally undergo review processes but at different levels depending on the type of publication. Newspapers and popular or general interest magazines usually have staff writers who are responsible for writing in certain areas. Scholarly journals generally publish articles that have undergone a more rigorous peer review process: experts in the subject field review the article manuscript before publication.
When
evaluating an article, check these basic points:
- Author(s) - usually on first page of article; position and/or institutional affiliation may be included
- Date of publication - most often in the header or footer of an article
- Intended audience - determined by examining the content
- Purpose of the information - determined by examining the content
Consult these evaluation questions for a more in-depth analysis of a resource. Learn more about different types of articles in the Types of Information section.