BIOL 1081L: Biology Laboratory I (UCBA)

Reading and understanding academic sources (ex: scholarly journal articles) can be a challenging part of the research process. The Anatomy of a Scholarly Article video (3:12 minutes) provides strategies for reading scholarly articles. The Reading Scholarly Articles handouts (Word file links) outline the structure of a scholarly article within different disciplines.

Note: If you decide the article is relevant to your research question then carefully read each section of the article and take notes.

The information ecosystem is complex. And as you research your topic, you'll likely find a variety of sources. This means it's incredibly important to look closely at the information to determine if it's accurate, trustworthy, reliable, and/or appropriate for what you need. This evaluation process includes fact checking, asking questions, carefully reading, listening, or viewing the source, and searching for more information. 

Start by asking questions to help you decide if a source will fit your needs:

• How will you use this source in your research assignment?
• What value does this source add to your research assignment?
• Does the information relate to your research topic and/or answer some aspect of your research question?

The Evaluating Sources for Credibility video (3:22 minutes) introduces the concept of evaluating information to determine a source's credibility.