All sources, including scholarly peer-reviewed sources, must be evaluated before you use them in your research. Look at the following factors to evaluate the quality of the source and its utility for your research project.
What restrictions on publication date are present in your assignment?
If there are none, consider how fast information in the field evolves. For most areas, restricting articles to those published in just the past five to ten years is reasonable.
Look beyond the title to the article's abstract. How relevant is this article to your research topic?
Who is the author and what is their expertise in the subject area? Have they published on the same subject before?
Who is the publisher and what are their credentials?
All peer-reviewed articles should have a detailed list of references consulted by the author at the end and should have clear in-text citations or footnotes.
For important facts or claims, check the citation provided to ensure the original source wasn't misinterpreted.
Have corrections or retractions been issued?
What type of article is it? A research study? Metasynthesis? Literature review? Make sure it's not an editorial or book review, if you need peer-reviewed articles for your assignment!
Look for potential sources of bias from the author, journal, publisher, or funding source. Look for obvious opinions, as well as looking at the author's affiliations and employer, conflicts of interest, and funding source.
Take a look at the data or results presented in the article. Does the data support the article's assertions? Was the study well-designed? Does it agree or disagree with other articles you've read?