From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

144 CHAPTER 6 | FRom FIndIng To EvAluATIng SouRCES

index, and the notes and bibliography. Skimming also can mean reading

chapter titles, headings, and the first sentence of each paragraph to deter­

mine the relevance of a book or an article.

Skimming the first chapter of Learning and Not Learning English, you

would find several topic sentences that reveal the writer’s purpose:

“In this book, then, I examine and describe different expressions that

both learning and not­ learning English took among four youngsters.”

“In the chapters that follow.. .”

“What I hope to suggest.. .”

These are the types of phrases you should look for to get a sense of what

the writer is trying to accomplish and whether the writer’s work will be of

use to you.

If, after you’ve taken these steps, a source still seems promising, you

should reflect on whether it might help you answer your research ques­

tion. Keep in mind the critical reading skills you’ve learned and see if you

can discern the author’s overall situation, purpose, claims, and audience.

Assess the evidence used to support the claims — is it recent, relevant,

accurate, reliable? What kinds of evidence does the author use? Primary

or secondary? Popular or scholarly? What kind of data, facts, or statistical

evidence? Note whether facts or opinions seem to predominate. Ultimately

you have to determine whether to set the source aside or commit yourself

to a thorough understanding of its argument and all the note taking and

critical thinking that will entail.

Steps to Evaluating Library Sources

■^1 Read the introductory sections. Get an overview of the

researcher’s argument.

■^2 Examine the table of contents and index. Consider the^

most relevant chapters to your topic and the list of relevant

subjects.

■^3 Check the notes and bibliographic references. Identify the

authors a researcher refers to (do the names come up in

many different books?) and the titles of both books and

articles.

■^4 Skim for the argument. Read chapter titles, headings, and topic

sentences to determine the source’s relevance to your research.

Go deeper to assess the type and quality of evidence the author

uses. Note whether the researcher uses credible evidence to sup­

port the argument.

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