Evaluating Print Sources (Books
The evaluation of print resources is a much less daunting task than
evaluating journals and web sources. An evaluation of these materials should
consist of the criteria applied to other information resources taking into
account specific issues.
The five criteria are:
Authority, Accuracy, Currency, Objectivity,
and Purpose
*Through the proper application of the above 5 criteria and a careful reading of the work’s Introduction, Forward, Scope or Purpose we are able to determine the material’s intent or Purpose.
*The Authority is best determined
upon the author’s status, previous writings and overall standing.
*The Accuracy can be determined through the citation of relevant works
in the field.
*The Currency is a questionable issue because it is dependent upon
the issue at hand. For example, a criticism of Shakespeare’s The Tempest
may shed light on the evolution of thought on a work and perhaps new evidence
may influence literary scholars. However, printed books may not best answer
current business information. Another issue in dealing with books is that
even though the copyright is 2001, the book may have been submitted in 1999
and that research stopped in 1998 or earlier.
*The author’s affiliation or publisher
may influence the Objectivity of a work.
It is important to examine the role played by publishers in the creation
of a hierarchy. At the highest level, we find academic, specialty/trade and
government print materials. Their primacy is determined by the fact that academic
publishers such as Harvard University Press and other university presses publish
primarily works by scholars for the academic community. Specialty publishers
such as those associated with professional organizations e.g., the American
Psychological Association, (Advocacy groups or Think Tanks) e.g., Heritage
Foundation or RAND Corporation publish materials supportive of their standpoint
or may be the proceedings of conferences sponsored by them. In either event,
such materials are supported by research and have passed a series of reviews.
Government publications are another source of information. This material
may consist of either testimony given before various government agencies or
the publication of results conducted by the agency.
Trade publishers comprise a specific niche of information either
in the form of directories or statistical information relating to a particular
branch of industry or economic sector.
Academic and professional libraries provide another filter of printed
books because they usually limit their purchases to the above publishers and
avoid vanity presses and self-published books. The reason for this is due
to their purpose of advancing knowledge primarily based upon research.
Reviews
Another method to evaluate book titles is to use any number of Book
Review Indices, Electronic Sources and/or Professional Literature within which
we may find critical reviews of newly published materials. This adds another
level of security to the quality of materials.