Finding & Evaluating Sources
Not all sources are equal — learning to find and evaluate them is the most valuable research skill you can have
📌 Before You Start
Prerequisites: Modules 1–3. A research question from Module 2.
Estimated time: ~45 minutes including the hands-on exercise with Google Scholar.
What you need: Internet access and the research question from Module 2.
By the end of this module you will be able to find peer-reviewed sources, apply the CRAAP test, explain peer review, and write an APA 7th citation.
💡 The Big Idea
Not all sources are equal. Learning to find and evaluate sources is the most valuable research skill you can have — because it applies to everything: your coursework, your career, the news you read, and the medical decisions you make.
🔍 Deep Dive
Types of Sources
| Type | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Original, first-hand research or evidence. The raw material. | Journal articles reporting original studies, datasets, interviews, original documents |
| Secondary | Analyzes, interprets, or summarizes primary sources. | Review articles, textbooks, documentaries, news coverage of studies |
| Tertiary | Compiles and summarizes secondary sources. Often a starting point. | Encyclopedias, Wikipedia, subject guides |
Where to Find Sources
🔍 Google Scholar
scholar.google.com — Free to search. Searches across disciplines. Look for "All X versions" and "Cited by" to gauge importance. Click the library link for full text.
📚 PubMed
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — Free. Biomedical and life sciences. Best for health, nursing, and psychology research. Managed by the National Library of Medicine.
🏛️ JSTOR
jstor.org — Humanities, social sciences, and more. Many articles freely accessible with a free account. Your library likely has full access.
💻 Library Databases
EBSCOhost, ProQuest (available through your college library). Use the "Peer Reviewed" filter. Free through your institution. Ask a librarian — they are trained for exactly this.
The CRAAP Test
Before citing any source, run it through the CRAAP test. Yes, the name is intentional — it helps you remember.
- When was it published or last updated?
- Is the information current enough for your topic?
- For fast-moving fields (medicine, technology), recency matters more.
- Does it directly relate to your research question?
- Is the audience appropriate (scholarly vs. popular)?
- Would you be comfortable citing it to a professor?
- Who wrote it? What are their credentials?
- What institution or organization published it?
- Is it peer-reviewed?
- Is the information supported by evidence?
- Are claims cited with references?
- Can you verify the key facts elsewhere?
- Why was this written? Inform? Sell? Persuade?
- Is the perspective balanced or biased?
- Who funded the study? Any conflicts of interest?
Peer Review: What It Is and Why It Matters
Peer review is the process by which a submitted research article is evaluated by other experts in the field before publication. The reviewers check the methodology, logic, and conclusions — anonymously, without pay, as a service to the field.
The process:
- Researcher submits article to a journal.
- Journal editor sends it to 2–3 independent experts in the field.
- Reviewers evaluate the methods, analysis, and conclusions. They recommend: Accept, Revise, or Reject.
- After revisions and re-review, accepted articles are published.
Reading an Abstract
You do not need to read a full research paper to evaluate it. The abstract tells you almost everything you need. Look for:
| Section | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Background / Introduction | Why was this study done? What problem does it address? |
| Methods | Who was studied? How was data collected? What was the design? |
| Results | What did they find? Are numbers reported? |
| Conclusions | What do the authors claim? Do the conclusions match the results? |
APA 7th Edition Citation Basics
In-text citations appear within your text. The reference list goes at the end of your paper.
According to Walker (2017), REM sleep is critical for emotional memory processing.
Avoiding Plagiarism
| Type | What it is | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Direct plagiarism | Copying text word-for-word without quotation marks or citation | Always quote AND cite. Use "quotation marks" for exact words. |
| Paraphrase plagiarism | Rewording someone else's idea without citing them | Even paraphrased ideas need a citation. The idea belongs to the original author. |
| Mosaic plagiarism | Mixing copied phrases with your own words without attribution | Rewrite completely in your own words, then cite the source. |
📋 Real Example: Three Sources, One Topic
Imagine researching the topic: "Does social media use increase depression in teenagers?" Here is what three different sources might look like:
Source 1: Wikipedia article on "Social Media and Mental Health"
Tertiary source. Good for orientation. Provides links to primary studies. Not citable in academic work. CRAAP score: Low authority, high convenience.
Source 2: Time Magazine article, "Is Social Media Making Our Kids Depressed?"
Secondary source. Readable. Written for a general audience. May cite original research but may also oversimplify findings. The headline may not match the study's conclusions. Use only to introduce a topic to a general audience — always trace back to the original study.
Source 3: Peer-reviewed journal article in Clinical Psychological Science
Primary source. Reports original data from 500,000 adolescents. Includes methods, limitations, and statistical results. This is what you cite in academic work. CRAAP score: High across all five criteria.
Lesson: All three cover the same topic, but only one gives you the evidence you need to make a scholarly argument. The others can point you toward it.
🖐️ Your Turn
What you need: Internet access (Google Scholar). About 20 minutes.
- Go to scholar.google.com and search for your research question from Module 2 (or a variation of it).
- Find 2 peer-reviewed articles published in the last 10 years. (Filter by date range in Google Scholar's left sidebar.)
- Apply the CRAAP test to each article. Rate it briefly on Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
- Read the abstract of each article. In 2–3 sentences, summarize what each study found.
- Write a proper APA 7th citation for each article. Include author(s), year, title, journal, volume, issue, pages, and DOI.
Keep these two citations — you will use them in the Module 8 capstone research proposal as part of your background section.
🧠 Brain Break — 2 Minutes
Think about the last time you "looked something up."
What source did you use? Would it pass the CRAAP test? Was it a primary, secondary, or tertiary source? Did you check whether the author had credentials on the topic?
Most of us are more trusting of sources than we should be — and this matters when the claim is about your health, your money, or your vote.
✅ Key Takeaways
- Sources are primary (original research), secondary (analysis), or tertiary (summaries). Academic writing requires primary and secondary sources.
- Use Google Scholar, PubMed, JSTOR, and your library databases to find peer-reviewed articles.
- The CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) is a practical checklist for evaluating any source.
- Peer review is not a guarantee of truth, but it is the best quality filter we have for research.
- APA 7th in-text citation: (Author, Year). Reference: Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal, Vol(Issue), pages.
🎯 Module 4 Complete!
You now know how to find and evaluate the evidence that grounds your research. In Module 5, you will learn how to collect your own data.
Continue to Module 5: Collecting Data →