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English 76-108 First-Year Writing Research Guide

Basic Questions

When considering a source, ask yourself some basic questions:

  • What's the purpose of this source? Who is the intended audience?
  • What kind of source is it? Is it a book, book chapter, journal article, magazine/news article, trade/professional article, report, etc.?
  • Does this source fulfill the assignment requirements? If it is an article, is it peer-reviewed? 
  • If it is a book, where was it published?
  • Who is the author and what are their credentials?