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Evaluating a Text

By : Mrs . Najmunnisa

Siddiqui

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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� 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

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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?

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To evaluate quality:

� Are the graphics (images, tables,

charts, diagrams) appropriate and

clearly presented?

� Clearly labeled

� Descriptive title

� Understandable without explanatory text

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� 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

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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

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� 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

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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

�

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� 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

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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

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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?

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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?

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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

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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.

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� 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.

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Fact

Names places dates Can be proven

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May sound like a fact

Based on judgment Varies

Feelings

Cant be proven

Opinion

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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

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� 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)

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�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)

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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.

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� 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