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Evaluating a Text

By : Mrs . Najmunnisa

Siddiqui



Evaluating a Text� When reading a text, it is important to ask yourself

questions about the value of the text. .

� In evaluating the credibility of an information sourcethere are several key areas to consider:

� the Authority of the author and the publisher: Are theywell qualified to speak to the topic at hand?

� Audience :Who is the intended audience for theinformation being presented?the Objectivity of the author

� the Quality of the work� Coverage of the work

� Currency: How recently was the research done and thework published?

y Is this text fact or opinion? If fact, is it true? If opinion,

do I agree? Can this writer be trusted?



Guidelines to Appraising a Research Paper

� Title:± Is it informative, interesting and to the point?

± What main ideas are presented in the text?

� Authority:

� Who is the person ± or organization -- responsible for compiling and presenting the information?

� Check to see if there is information available on the author/s.

� Do they have any special experience or degrees that mightmake them a more reliable source than someone else? If youcannot find an individual author (or editor, or artist or director) is there a sponsoring organization that might beconsidered reliable?

� critical review of the paper!)when was the text produced?



Audience

� What type of audience is the author

addressing?

� Is the publication aimed at a specialized or

a general audience?

� Is this source too elementary, too technical,

too advanced, or just right for your needs?



Objective Reasoning

� Does the author state the goals for thispublication?

Inform, explain, educate ,Advocate ,or Sell a

product or service

� Is the information covered fact, opinion, or

propaganda? Does the author exhibit a

particular bias?

� Commitment to a point of view

� Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it questionable and unsupported by

evidence? Assumptions should be reasonable.



� Read the abstract and/or introduction

� Examine the work for

± Challenging language

± Images or graphic styles (e.g., text in color or boldface type) to persuade you of the author'spoint of view

± Propaganda

± Author's arguments or supporting facts± Author's conclusions

� Bibliography that includes multiple points of view

� Verify facts and statistics with a reliable source

� Examine cited sources



To evaluate quality:

� Is the information well-organized?

� Logical structure

� Main points clearly presented

� Author's argument is not repetitive

� Has the author used good grammar?

� Are there spelling or typographical errors?



To evaluate quality:

� Are the graphics (images, tables,

charts, diagrams) appropriate and

clearly presented?

� Clearly labeled

� Descriptive title

� Understandable without explanatory text



� Is the information complete and accurate?

� Facts and results agree with your own

knowledge of the subject� Facts and results agree with those of other

specialists in the field

� Documents sources (a very important

indicator of quality)� Describes methodology

� Addresses theories and facts that may negatethe main thesis



y Look at the headings to indicate

structure� Read carefully for errors

� Consider other ways to present the

information� Verify facts and statistics with a reliable

source



� Compare publication dates and content to

other sources you have found

� You should seek out multiple points of viewand include a diversity of sources and ideas.

� Look for gaps in your arguments and

evidence

� Facts

� Statistics

� Evidence



To evaluate currency:

� When was it published?

� Look for a publication or copyright date on the± Title page (books, journals)

± Reverse of the title page (books)± Cover (journals, magazines, newspapers)

± Table of contents (journals, magazines)

± Bottom of the page (web sites)

� Dates on web pages may indicate

�



� Is your topic one that

requires currentinformation?

� Has this source beenrevised, updated, or expanded in a

subsequent edition

� Topic areas requiring the

most up-to-dateinformation .

� Search catalogs and other databases for more recent

editions� Worldcat

� Books In Print

� Amazon.com



To evaluate relevance

� Is the content appropriate for your research topic or assignment?

� Scholarly vs. popular

� Fact vs. opinion

� Format/medium (e.g., book, journal, government report, website, etc.)

� Subject coverage

� Language

� Time period� Geographical area

� Audience



References

� References help an audience to verify the facts of an argument, and can be a good indicator of thequality of the author¶s research.

� Check whether your resource offers citations andreferences.

� Use them to evaluate authority and timeliness,noted above.

� Do they indicate bias?

� Are the references geared to a sophisticatedaudience?

� Do they provide readers with the completeinformation they would need if they wanted to

verify the facts as stated by the author, or if theywanted to learn more about the topic?



To evaluate coverage:

� Does the work update other sources?

� Does it substantiate other materials you

have read, or add new information?

� Have you found enough information to

support your arguments?



To evaluate quality

� Is the information well-organized?

� Logical structure

� Main points clearly presented

� Main ideas unified by overarching idea

� Text flows well

� Author's argument is not repetitive



Difference between Fact and

Opinion± It is not always easy to separate fact from opinion. Facts

can usually be verified; opinions, though they may be

based on factual information, evolve from the

interpretation of facts. Skilled writers can make you think their interpretations are facts.

± Opinion: Cannot be same it varies. Opinions refer to

a particular person¶s (or group¶s) feeling, thought,

judgment, belief, estimate, and/or anything that is not

100 percent true and can¶t be proven.



� View: cannot be a fact and also varies

� Fact: Facts can be all or some of thefollowing: can be proven, real for all peopleand places, can be duplicated, can beobserved, historical, or 100 percent true, but

� fact can also be changed e.g., of 20 millionpopulations in Malaysia in 2000, but after 5years it is change.



Fact

Names places dates Can be proven



May sound like a fact

Based on judgment Varies

Feelings

Cant be proven

Opinion



OPINION SIGNAL WORDS

believe best/worst expect

� feel in my opinion least/most

� may/may not might/might not myimpression is«

� my perspective is.. my point of view

is... my sense is«� possibly probably should

� should not think



� E xamples:

� Special Vitamin Cereal is the best cereal because it has more vitamins.

± (Opinion: Signal word ³best´; cannot be proven; apoint of view)

� Scientists believe that the world is billions of years old.

± (Opinion: signal word ³believe´; cannot be provenand is only a theory)

� There are nine hundred students in this school.

± (Fact: can be proven by checking school records)

� Brazil is the largest country in South America.

± (True Fact: can be proven by checking referencebooks)

� Paraguay is the largest country in South America.

± (False Fact: can be proven to be false by checking

reference books)



�Y ou should work at least one week before quitting

your job.

(Opinion: signal words, ³at least´, ³should´; cannotbe proven; advice)

�The thinking of medical doctors is that the disease is

not curable.

(Opinion: signal word, ³thinking´; has not beenproven beyond doubt.)

�There are eight million people in the city of New Y ork.

(Fact: can be proven true or false by checking

census records)�The United States will always be a democracy.

(Opinion: future tense ³will-´ can never be proven; it

didn¶t happen yet)



Exercise

� All people must breathe to live.

� All people love basketball.

� Blue is the best color.

� He is stupid.

� Abraham Lincoln was a United States president.

� North Carolina is a southern state.

� I don¶t like broccoli.� Fire needs oxygen to burn.

� Pizza tastes great.

� Most people have two arms and legs.



� The USA has biggest economy in the world.

� Shakespeare wrote text books

� Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the

founder of Pakistan.

� Smoking can be dangerous.� I assume that 95% criminal cant read.

� Poor education causes 75% crime

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