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Social Work

A comprehensive guide to researching, evaluating and citing information on Social Work. Topics include using databases, APA style, avoiding plagiarism and using Interlibrary Loan.

Understanding Peer-Review

What is Peer-Review?

Peer-review is a process by which articles are evaluated by other scholars or experts in the field.  These "peers" of the author evaluate the article on its research design, statistical analysis, conclusions, originality, accuracy and importance to the field. An author may have to make corrections to the article several times before it is accepted for publication by the journal, or it may be rejected and not published.  Choosing a peer-reviewed article is a way to ensure you are getting the highest quality information. 

The 5 W's

When looking at an information source, try asking yourself the Five W's. 

  • Who? Who wrote this? Can you even tell? Are they an authority in this topic? Credentials are important, but first-hand accounts are also important. Most importantly, who stands to benefit if you believe this source?
  • What? What kind of resource is this? Is it an advertisement? Newspaper article? Scholarly research article? Also, what kind of information does it present? Does the content match up with what you already know about this topic? Are there a bunch of advertisements, either related or unrelated to the topic of the article?
  • When? How up to date is the information? And how soon after the event was this published? (We've all seen false reports and misinformation happen shortly after major events like school shootings.) Also, how up to date do you need the information to be? Looking for reviews of classic movies that came out shortly after the cinematic debut versus critical acclaim that came years later can make a big difference.
  • Where? Country of origin?  How different is the information provided by CNN versus BBC versus Al-Jazeera? Also, where is this information in relation to the structure of the website? Is it on the front page? Is it buried?
  • Why? What's the purpose of the source? Is it trying to sell you something? Convince you of something? Also, why are you looking at this source? Entertainment? Medical research? Academic need?

Evaluating sources

Avoid Fake News