Lazarus, K n.d., Barn Owl, Unsplash, viewed 20 November 2018, <https://unsplash.com/photos/sPZXWoWHqX8>

This is Module 2 in the Search, Evaluate, Integrate, Reference and Act Ethically (SEIRA) Owl modules.   These modules are about scholarship in using sources.  That is, how and where to find the best sources; how to integrate them convincingly and correctly in your writing and how to approach academic activities with ethics and integrity.

Now that you have a starting point for searching for information, you need to be able to identify:

• if the source is scholarly - that is, suitable for academic writing
• how the author/s of that source support your position, or offer alternative views.  This demonstrates your ability to think critically.

For example, does the author present a strong view or a casual observation or summary?   Are examples and statistics used relevant or recent?   Are there any biases?  Will these sources support my arguments?

Once you have made a choice about the best sources to use, you can learn to integrate them into your writing.

Three steps to evaluating successfully

     Watch the film   

This film is a continuation of Nathan and Kim's visit to Academic Librarian, Catherine.   Catherine highlights some important questions to ask, as she describes the attributes of academic sources (1:54 minutes). 

The video will help you to:

• understand what makes a source scholarly (such as having a reference list).
• apply selection criteria to the materials you are searching for (such as currency and the author's qualifications).

    Skim the resources

Critical thinking

Berkley Library University of California - Scholarly and popular resources

 Take the quiz

Complete the quiz questions to test your understanding about how to evaluate sources suitable to use in an Engineering assignment.  This quiz has been designed to test your understanding about what makes a scholarly source and how to think critically as you begin to integrate your sources.  There are a total of 4 questions and you will receive immediate feedback on multiple choice; true and false and 'drag and drop' questions.