When you’re doing your own research, you make decisions all the time about the quality and relevance of the information you’re finding, even if you don’t realize you’re doing it. These decisions might be based on any number of factors, including how familiar you are with the source’s author, the age of the information, and whether the information in the source aligns with your existing knowledge about the topic.
In college research, you’ll be making a lot of the same decisions about the quality and relevance of a source, often based on similar criteria. This section features some resources which will help you learn how to assess the quality and credibility of a source.
Relevance has to do with how closely a source matches your topic. For some topics, especially those that are well-researched, it can be easy to find sources that are directly relevant to your topic. For others, especially if your topic is more creative, it may be more challenging.
If you’re having trouble finding sources that are directly relevant to your research, don’t get discouraged. A lot of students may take this as a sign that they need to change topics, but that’s not always the case. If this is a topic you are genuinely interested and care a lot about, don’t give up! You may just need to get creative in how your search for information or how you use the sources you do find. It may not always feel like it, but the most creative research is often the best kind.
If you need help with this, don’t be afraid to ask for guidance from your professor, a librarian, a peer mentor, or someone else who has experience with academic research.
