Continuing with our sample query of the effects of the Holocaust on survivors, 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!)© Copyright 2000 State University of New York & Ulster County Community CollegeWho 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.
Aaron Hass has a Ph.D and is currently a professor of psychology at California State University. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA Medical School. He has published at least two books about the Holocaust and survivors. He has lectured internationally on subjects relating to the Holocaust and is an editorial advisor to the journal Holocaust and Genocide Studies.How did I learn all this information? I took an easy, but legitimate, route: I read the book jacket which included all this information provided by the publisher. If I do not have the book in hand, how else can I get this information? There are several reference books which may be of help. Who's Who in America, 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 - including Aaron Hass.
Dr. Hass was also a source recommended to you by your professor. With his impressive credentials (gleaned from a book jacket!) 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.
Children of Holocaust survivors - US - Psychology
Children of Holocaust survivors - US - Interviews
So this book must be about psychological effects on the children of survivors and also has interviews with them. 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 Cornell University 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.
