At first glance,
does the title of the work seem to fit your topic? Books may have content that
is not reflected in the title itself; look at the contents pages, the index,
and the chapters, once you have the book in hand.
If you have an
article reference or citation, does the title of the article relate to your
topic? Articles are more likely to be "about" what the title describes and not
much else, especially in the sciences.
Scientific or technical book and article titles will match with their subject
more than in some other areas, especially humanities or literature. If you can't
tell from the title, check the subject headings or indexing terms and the abstract
(summary) if available, if you are looking at the record from a database or
online catalog.
Who is the author? What is the agenda behind the work?
A source like Current Biography or an index such as Biographical and
Geneological Master Index may have or help find material on the author. Or
a simple look at the Writers' Directory may give you brief information.
*Everyone has an agenda*
You may have to
read the article to determine an individual author's standpoint. For instance,
Gloria Steinem and Phyllis Schlafly have both written on the subject of women's
rights, but they have very different points of view.
If you are looking
at articles in journals and magazines, what is the journal or magazine's purpose?
What is its agenda? Is it a news magazine, a gossip sheet, a subject-specific
magazine (like Scientific American or American Health), or a scholarly
journal? Who is their intended audience? Why are they publishing what they do?
There may be many reasons--the most common is to make money by selling as many
copies as possible.
Is it current? Is it the most recent material? Is it recent enough for the project?
Some projects require retrospective materials. If you are looking for articles,
does the index or database you have been using cover the time period you want?
A few indexes go back as far as the 1800's.
Is it useful for your project? (Is it relevant?) Does this library carry this
title? If not, can you afford to wait for it to be delivered from another library?
Would another item which is in the library do as well or better?
"There is no transfer of information which does not require an act of judgement." --Jacob Bronowski The Ascent of Man