For researchers, it is crucial to examine the reliability and relevance of resources that are used in research work. Today, internet is the most consulted source of information. Even though it is used by many researchers, it can be the most unreliable source of information since there are no restrictions given to those who post information.
There are various ways that a researcher can turn to while trying to evaluate the sources. First, a researcher should always strive to use sources that have an author. The information contained in the sources may be true, but it is hard to validate information, whose author testimonials are not known. When the author is identified, the researcher may try to establish his or her educational background and employment details.
Secondly, a researcher should find out whether the information contained in the source matches with his or her research topic. This is done through examining the title, headings, table of contents, and other descriptions that have been given for the source. If the information, it contains, contradicts with the existing knowledge you should establish whether it can be verified. The nature of the publication is also identified whether it is a scholarly or a popular and also whether the research methodology is illustrated. At this point, the researcher should look into the sources, whether they have been cited inside the text or not. All reliable sources should contain in text citations. There are also details that show author biasness in the paper, this includes whether the author do away with some relevant information or write with feelings.
Thirdly, a researcher should examine the source of information. Information can be from a scholarly, accepted, academic or government agency. He or she should check affiliated institutions parent organizations and financing organizations. The URL also gives a clue of the person who created the source. For example, a URL ending with.edu shows a source from an educational institution. If it ends with.org, then it is most likely to be an organization and if it ends with.gov, it is most likely to be a government organization.
The fourth aspect that can be used in determining the reliability and relevance of a source is finding out the main reason why the source was created. Reflect on whether the main function of the source was to enlighten, convince, entertain or promote. The intended audience should also be established. At this point, a researcher should ask oneself whether the audience of the piece was scholars, public, professionals or learners. To be able to identify the source with ease it is essential to study the purpose statements for the journals. The date when the source was created also plays a significant part in determining the trustworthiness of the source.
Relevance and reliability plays a crucial role in determining the strength of one’s research work. It is most likely that research work that contains relevant and valid ideas is accepted in the community, as opposed to one that lacks this information. It is essential that a researcher deals with various weakness that can hinder the ability of the research work attaining its intended purpose. The research work that passes all relevance and reliability procedures is strong, while one that fails to accomplish one or all the measures is weak.