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Determining Whether a Work is Significant

When a work is important, it has had a significant impact on its field. Some works are cited numerous times, and discussed or debated in journals for decades. Here are some ways to evaluate resources for their significance:

Articles

• How many times has the article been cited? The number of times an article has been cited may indicate its relevance. Use Google Scholar for citation tracking.
• Note the copyright date of the article and compare it to other works. A newer article will not have as many citations because it takes time for scholars to evaluate a source for its impact.
• Comparing articles on similar topics and similar copyright dates will give you a general picture. 
• How important is the journal? Ask your professor if the journal is important in its field, or check Ulrichs International Periodical Directory to see if the journal is peer reviewed.

Books

• Who is the publisher? Scholarly publishers, such as a University Press, are selective about the scholarly works that they publish each year.
• Find book reviews in scholarly publications. Search for the title of the book in PSU Library catalog, or relevant databases in your subject from the Databases & Articles webpage, to see if there are reviews of the work.
• How many times has the book been cited? The number of times a book has been cited may indicate its relevance. Use Google Scholar for citation tracking.
• Note the copyright date of the book. A newer book will not have as many citations because it takes time for scholars to evaluate a source for its impact.

Here is an image of the numbers of times a book has been cited in Google Scholar.

Find Out Who Has Cited a Work

One way to find out who has cited the article is to use the Cited By tool in Google Scholar. In Google Scholar, type the title of the article in quotes in the search field, as shown in this image.

Locate your article in the search results, and select the Cited By link with each article. 

Integrating Sources into Your Paper

It is important to draw on the work of scholars to support your ideas. Back up your points with supporting evidence from scholars to support your argument or thesis statement. You are contributing to a scholarly conversation with scholars who are experts on your topic. Make sure that your sources are cited properly.

Research as inquiry process is the foundation of scholarly research. Include your own voice with your analysis and ideas, along with scholars or experts. It is a good idea to address all sides of an argument to make your thesis stronger.

What is the best way to incorporate sources into your research paper?

Three ways to present sources in support of your central argument are:

• Quotation - When you use the exact words from the source, you will need to put quotation marks around the words that are not your own and cite them.

• Paraphrasing - When you state an idea from another source in your own words, you need to cite the source.

• Summary - When you are presenting an overview of many ideas, a citation is still necessary.

More information can be found on the webpage, Quoting and Paraphrasing.

When including a source in your paper, use these three important components:

• Give credit to the original research - Note the author, date, or any other relevant information when introducing a quote or paraphrase.

• Cite supporting research - A direct quote, paraphrase, or summary must be properly cited in your research.

• Relate your ideas - When incorporating research resources into your paper, relate your evaluation of the resource back to your original thesis.

Contact the PSU Writing Center for help with integrating sources into your paper.

Evaluate your Sources

Evaluate your sources to determine whether a book, article, or film is relevant to your research.

1. What is it about?  For an article, read the title and abstract written by the author to know if it is related to the topic. For a book, read the title and table of contents to determine its pertinence.

2. What is the subject? Read the title of the resource to determine the subject area. For example, if you are researching climate change activism from a political science perspective, search for resources about climate change as a political issue, rather than a scientific occurrence.

3. Are you looking for current information? The publication date or copyright is important for certain fields, such as community health or the social sciences.

4. Is it scholarly? For books, look at the publisher. Is the book published by a University Press? For articles, investigate the journal (not the article). Search for the journal in Ulrichs International Periodicals Directory to determine whether the journal is peer reviewed.

5. What type of article is it? Not every article in a scholarly journal will be appropriate for your research. Peer reviewed journals contain book reviews, editorials, and interviews. Read the abstract written by the author to clarify what the article is about.

6. If it is a research study, what type is it? Some courses that require a specific type of research; quantitative, qualitative, empirical, or a case study. Usually the abstract usually identifies the type of study.