Continuing with our sample query of the effects of slavery on the descendents of slaves, let's look at the following record of a book which was recommended to you by your history professor: Evaluating a Source
How would you begin to evaluate the record? Will you want to use this text for your report? (Well, of course, the teacher did recommend it!)Who wrote it? Look at the author. If you recognize the author's name as a renowned authority on your topic, or your teacher quotes the author, if the individual's credentials are impressive and the topic is in the area of the author's expertise, then it is a good bet that the book or article will be worthwhile. On the other hand, if the author is Danielle Steele or Mister X, you may not want to use the book as an authoritative source on a scholarly topic.
Let's look at the author of our sample record.
Abram Kardiner (1891-1981) was a psychiatrist, the director of the Columbia Psychoanalytic Institute, and the co-founder of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. In his writings and research, Abram Kardiner attempted to gain an understanding of the nature of man. But what he learned in this endeavor indicated that there is no standard human nature, only a "basic personality."How did I learn all this information? I took an easy, but legitimate, route. There are several reference books which may be of help. Who's Who in America, Biography and Geneology Master Index, Biography Index and Contemporary Authors are all potential sources for information regarding well known authors. However, if the author of the book is not in one of these sources, do not despair. These reference works are not all encompassing, and many well known and respected people are not included.
Dr. Kardiner was also a source recommended to you by your professor. With his impressive credentials (gleaned from a his biography) and your professor's recommendations, it is a pretty sure bet that this book will be very worthwhile to examine.
What does it cover? Look at the subject headings used.
African Americans -- Psychology
African Americans -- Social Conditions
So this book must be about the psychological and sociological effects on the children of African Americans' oppression. Is it primary or secondary information? Since it looks like it contains interviews of children of survivors, some of it may be primary sources. Is it scholarly or general? Since it was published by Norton Press, it's a good bet that it would be considered a scholarly source. It also contains eight pages of bibliographic references, another good indicator of scholarly research.
