Evaluate Books and eBooks

When you are considering using a book for your academic research, ask yourself the following questions to help you assess what type of publication you are reading:

• Who is the intended audience?
• What authority does the author have to write on the topic covered? Is the author a freelance writer? A practitioner? A scholar?
• What is the author’s point of view (or of the publisher as a whole)?
• Who published the material and why are they publishing this information?
• Does the type of information provided meet my research needs?
• Is the information provided relevant to my topic or research question?

Google is a great resource to help you answer the questions above.  For example, you can search for information about an author.  A Wikipedia page about an author is a good place to start.  You can also research publishers to find out more information about them.