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Information and Literature Survey in Social Sciences




                Notes              What is the author’s reputation among his/    y  Look in annual reviews
                                   her peers?                                y  Use citation indexes to find articles citing
                                      y  Cited in articles, books or bibliographies on   your author
                                     the topic                                  Š  Web of Science (Social Science Citation
                                      y  Mentioned  in  your  textbook  or  by  your   Index and Science Citation Index)
                                     professor                                  Š  Arts & Humanities Search
                                   Who is the publisher?                     y  Look in directories, e.g.
                                      y  Commercial, trade, institutional, other    Š  Writer’s Market
                                      y  Known  for  quality  and/or  scholarly     Š  Literary Marketplace
                                     publications                               Š  Directory of Corporate Affiliations
                                      y  Basic values or goals               y  Search the web for the publisher’s web site
                                      y  Specialization                      y  Look  for  editorial  guidelines  or  author
                                      y  Editorial board                     instructions in journals or on the publisher’s
                                      y  Blind review process                web site
                                   Is the author associated with a reputable institu-    y  Search the web for the organization’s web
                                   tion or organization?                     site
                                      y  Organizational mission              y  Look in directories, e.g.
                                      y  Basic values or goals                  Š  The Encyclopedia of Associations
                                      y  National or international              Š  Research Centers Directory
                                      y  Membership


                                 To evaluate objectivity:

                                              Ask the Questions                        Find Answers

                                   Does  the  author  state  the  goals  for  this   Read the foreword, preface, abstract and/or
                                   publication?                           introduction
                                        y  Inform, explain, educate
                                        y  Advocate
                                        y  Persuade or dissuade
                                        y  Sell a product or service
                                        y  Serve as a soapbox



                                   Does the author exhibit a particular bias?     y  Read the abstract and/or introduction
                                      y  Commitment to a point of view       y  Examine the work for
                                      y  Acknowledgement of bias                Š  Inflammatory language
                                      y  Presentation of facts and arguments for both     Š  Images or graphic styles (e.g., text in color
                                     sides of a controversial issue             or boldface type) to persuade you of the
                                      y  Language free of emotion-arousing words   author’s point of view
                                     and bias                                   Š  Propaganda
                                                                                Š  Author’s arguments or supporting facts
                                                                                Š  Author’s conclusions
                                                                                Š  Bibliography  that  includes  multiple
                                                                                points of view







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