Library Orientation Programme: Reading and Evaluating - Session 4

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this section you should be able to

• summarise a strategy for reading academic journal articles containing complex or unfamiliar information that you find.
• give examples of how manage your academic reading and how to get the most out of it.
• Identify and apply appropriate quality criteria to evaluate information.

[Level 1, Skills - Evaluating Information in Library Research Skills Framework]

These Learning Outcomes will support you in achieving your module learning outcomes:-

Module SOES1017 Learning Outcomes

• LO1   Critically evaluate scientific information to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources.
• LO5   Communicate scientific concepts effectively through oral and written means to diverse audiences, making use of library resources to substantiate your arguments.

Instructions:

Complete the short learning activity on evaluating information and complete the quiz to test your learning during this session. Watch the video and read the webpage on how to tackle reading academic journal articles. Complete the optional the module from Skills for Study to develop reading and note making skills for studying at university level..

When you find a source of information you need to carefully to evaluate what you have found. 

Evaluation is not just about determining whether a source is reliable or not reliable. It is considering the degree to which a source is reliable for a given purpose. The primary goal of evaluation is to understand the significance and value of a source in relation to other sources and your own thinking on a topic. Sources should be evaluated when doing any research.

The 5W1H Framework

When faced with a lot of information, it is crucial to develop effective evaluation skills to discern trustworthy sources from unreliable ones. You can use the 5W1H framework of questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How), to help you critically evaluate the sources of information you encounter. This is a simple introduction to the 5W1H framework.

This guide on evaluating information explains the 5W1H framework and has other useful resources to help you learn how to evaluate and fact check sources and spot fake news. The 5W1H framework is flexible, encourages curiosity and deeper questioning of a source of information.

• Evaluating Information

You can use the 5W1H framework along with other evaluation tools like the CRAAP checklist. Information about the CRAAP checklist is in the next box. The CRAAP checklist helps you judge the quality of the information while the 5W1H helps you understand the story behind it.

The resources you use for your assignments will depend on the information you need to find out. If you want to find out about public opinion on a particular topic, you might use non-academic resources such as newspapers or social media.

If you need to access academic information, it can be tempting to use Google or Wikipedia. However, it’s important to remember that:

• You can't find everything on Google, academic research requires sources that are credible, peer-reviewed, and tailored to your subject.
• If you search for information on Google, you have to scroll through pages of results including many that aren’t relevant, which is a waste of your time.
• Wikipedia can be edited by anyone and sometimes information on there can be removed or re-written with malicious intent.
• You may come across articles and other resources that are behind pay-walls.

By using Library Search, your reading list and the databases on your subject page you will find the high quality information and resources that you need.

When you use an academic resource such as a book or journal article, it’s easy to see key information to help you evaluate it using the 5W1H framework or the CRAAP checklist or a combination of both. You can easily find out:-

• Who wrote it
• Who published it
• When it was written
• The cited literature and resources the author used for evidence

This short 3 minute video explains the CRAAP evaluation checklist which you can use along with the 5W1H framework. 

The CRAAP checklist is structured, easy to apply, aligns with academic standards.

A journal article is a specific type of academic publication..You probably will not have read many (if any!) journal articles before you came to University. Now you are here you will quickly find that journal articles are one of the main sources of information that you will be expected to read by your tutors or lecturers. Here are some of the reasons why they will feature often in your studies:

• Journals are published regularly throughout the year so articles are more up-to-date than books. 
• They offer greater detail and insight into current research. 
• Content is backed up by research evidence.
• Peer-reviewed journal articles are considered a reliable source of information. Peer reviewed means the content has been considered by subject specialists to be of a suitable academic standard for publication. 

Reading scientific journal articles becomes easier with experience and practice. 

Watch this short YouTube video (How to read an academic paper without loosing your mind).

The video will introduce you to the techniques involved in reading academic journal articles [video produced by the University of British Columbia]

Now read this webpage to discover how other scientists approach reading academic journals.

Pain, E. (2016) How to (seriously) read a scientific paper. Available at: https://soton.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2016/03/how-seriously-read-scientific-paper (Accessed: 1 July 2020)

Take the quiz to test your learning from this session

• Reading and evaluating information quiz

Optional activity

Reading and making notes are essential academic skills and key activities of studying at University. Find out strategies for selecting relevant information, improve your reading skills so you can absorb information more effectively and making notes whilst you read and when you are in lectures in a more focused and selective manner.

• Go to the Skills for Study reading and note making online module. Use the diagnostic tool to decide what sections of the module to focus on to develop your own skills. Each section takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete and there are a total of 3 sections in this module. Your progress is recorded so that you can dip-in and out of the section or module as you wish and pick up where you left off.

GenAI chatbots including ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot provide human-like, conversational responses to written prompts. It is important to understand that these tools recognise patterns but do not understand the content - this can lead to biases and inaccuracies in the content they generate.

GenAI can be a useful tool to help you understand concepts but must be used in addition to your own critical thinking and analysis.

Many widely available GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot are not a reliable source of information. They may generate inaccurate, biased or misleading responses, including fabricating references. Always carefully evaluate any references produced in a chat with GenAi and check if they are for genuine articles, books or other sources of information.

See our guide Searching and GenAI for more information.

Now go to the test section