R is for Relevancy
The book and information you find might be extremely credible, being current information written by an expert on the topic with the purpose of sharing unbiased, factual knowledge and published by a University Press, but it is not appropriate for your academic research if it is not relevant to your specific topic or arguments you are making in your paper. It is important to evaluate the relevancy of the information.
Here are some questions to consider when you are evaluating the relevancy of the information:
- Is the majority of the information in your source specifically on your topic? If only one page in the entire book is relevant to your topic, then that book is not a very strong source for your paper. You should try to find another source that contains more in-depth information on your topic.
- Is the information well-researched? The information is more credible if it is clear that the author did a lot of research to understand and describe the information accurately, and that they cited their sources where they got their information.
- Will the information support your arguments in your research paper? The purpose of this research is to find information that serves as evidence to support what you are saying. You need to make sure it has a place in your paper and flows well with your argument or point you are making. You should not stick random information or thoughts in your paper that are irrelevant. You need a cohesive argument.
- Is it the type of information you need? Did your professor say you need a primary source? Does your argument need statistics or case studies that back up what you are saying? Are you giving your audience background information, history, or previous research done in the field? Make sure the information you find fits the description of the type of information you need.
- Is it appropriate for college-level research? We looked at purpose on the previous page, and information written to inform children is not appropriate for college-level research. It does not contain higher level vocabulary, ideas, explanations, nor analysis at the level a college student should be using.
Books can be tricky because it is not uncommon for there to be just one chapter of the book on your specific topic. If the chapter explains your topic in-depth, is well-researched, and very relevant to the argument you are making, then it is an appropriate source for your research (provided it is also current enough, written by an expert, published by a reputable company or university, and has the purpose to inform, of course).