Review the criteria about the audience of a secondary popular work. Many websites make no pretense whatever of being serious works of scholarship: Their purpose is to communicate and entertain.
How can you tell if a printed secondary work is popular or scholarly?
Ask yourself:
Who is the author? Are his or her credentials stated and are they appropriate?
- Is the name of the sponsoring organization given? Is it a recognized one?
- Are statements backed up with credible documentation?
- Are the sources credited?
- Is the information current and is the date of publication evident?
Evaluating electronic resources
Check out this site from the Cornell University Library.
