Unit 8: Evaluating Books & Articles

Lesson 4: Purpose


First consider who published the book or article you have found. Ask yourself the following questions to determine if the resource was written by a credible author.

1. Who is the intended audience? Is the resource geared towards a general audience, students, scholars, or another particular group? Resources written for a general audience have simpler vocabulary. Scholarly resources contain subject specific language.
2. What is the book or article’s reading level? Is the resource easy or challenging to read? Is the information basic or technical? Does the author assume subject knowledge? Does the resource contain many ads or images, or does it primarily contain text? Resources with many ads and images generally are not scholarly.
3. Why was the article or book written? Was the resource written to describe research results or an event; provide an overview of a subject or topic; persuade the reader to change an opinion or belief; or prove or disprove a fact?
   

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