Assessing academic texts

To assess the quality of the source, you must consider what makes the text an academic, research-based source. Your sources must also be relevant to the assignment’s subject and must support your presentation of facts and the arguments you include in your writing.

How do I assess a source?

To check whether the text you want to use is of good academic quality, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is the author? Is the person well-known within the field?
• Where do they work, and have they written other works on the topic?
• What sources has the author used? Look at the bibliography – can you find other relevant references there? Are you familiar with any of the works listed in the bibliography?
• What target group is the text aimed at? Is it intended for an academic readership or for the general public?
• Who is the publisher? Has the book been published by a well-known publishing house?
• When was the text published? Is it likely that new, updated texts have come out?
• For articles: Is the periodical in which the article is published peer-reviewed?