How to Evaluate a Secondary Source for an Academic Essay

Secondary sources are analytical works that comment on and interpret other works such as primary sources. You will need to find a secondary source that analyzes the primary source you have chosen. In this course, the primary sources you will look at are the readings from the textbook. Because of the limitations of the textbook, you may be able to evaluate a secondary source that somehow analyzes the author you have chosen or another work by the author you have chosen, but you must receive instructor approval first. Your secondary source must be approved at least ONE WEEK before your due date to allow for change if necessary.
 Choose only work that provides academic and peer reviewed information on your topic.
Using MLA style, locate and record the citation to the book, periodical, or document that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic.
 If you need help finding an appropriate secondary source, let me know in advance. I will not be able to adequately help you the day before your essay and presentation are due. 
Evaluating a secondary source calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research. Your formal essay needs to include the following parts:
Introduction:
 This is where you introduce the subject of your evaluation. Provide adequate background information on your primary source as well as the context in which the secondary source was written. 
 Body:
This is where you will perform the actual evaluation and analysis of the secondary source you have chosen. The body of your essay needs summarize, assess, consider currency, evaluate credibility, and point back to the text itself to provide examples and support.
Summarize: The length of this summary will vary depending on the source. Summaries should be at least one paragraph of the body of your essay and typically will come before your actual evaluation. Address the main arguments. What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? 
Assess: After summarizing a source, assess it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources or with your own interpretation of the primary text? Ask how it fits into the larger body of research on the topic. How does this work contribute to your understanding of your topic? Has it changed how you think about your topic and if so, in what way(s)?
Currency: What is the date of publication? When was the body of work last edited or updated? Think about your topic and how important recent information is to it; is the source current or out-of-date for your topic?

Evaluate credibility: It is useful to mention why this particular author/organization is credible and applicable to the topic you are studying? Are any credentials given?
Find out who the author is/was and the context in which she or he wrote the book. Who is the publisher? What political and cultural institutions or events might have had an impact on the author's reason for writing this source or the publisher’s reason for printing it? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source, do you suppose? Ask yourself what the author's thesis might be and if the thesis is effectively argued. 
What resources has the author used? Look at the citations! They are the nuts and bolts of academic writing. When you come across a particularly interesting or controversial passage, watch to see what is cited. What primary sources has the author used? What other secondary sources has the author pointed to? Have they been used effectively? Are his or her sources credible or reliable? How does the use of the sources influence the kinds of arguments made? What ongoing literary discussion do you think this source is contributing to?