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Medical Sciences Library

PHLT 310 Public Health Writing (Fall 2025)

Class guide for PHLT 310, with materials and resources to encourage student success for this module.

Source Evaluation

When evaluating research articles, you will need to look at the following:

  • Journal: Check the journal that the article was published in. If the article was not published in a journal, it may not be a reputable source. If it was, check to see where the journal is indexed. If it is indexed on major databases like PubMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, or other similar sources, then it is considered to be a strong source.
  • Citations: Responsible authors will cite any outside information used in their article and include detailed information on how to find those sources (also known as a Reference List). 
  • Peer-review: Peer-review is the process of having another expert (or several) in your field of study look over your article before publication (Valdosta State University). The most reputable articles will have gone through some form of peer-review.
  • Bias: Read through the article and determine any biases. Credible articles will address any potential biases in their research and their attempts to minimize them. If the article seems to be persuasive or like it is trying to sway you, then it may not be a good source for your research (National Library of Medicine). 

Quantitative Research

Quantitative Research produces findings that are measurable (University of Texas at Arlington). Most often, this involves a process of collecting and analyzing some kind of numerical data. Any kind of quantitative research design will need to include a thorough "Methods" section, where the author will describe in detail the process of data collection (University of Texas at Arlington). For more information on identifying parts of an academic article, please see the Anatomy of a Health Sciences Article Interactive Guide from the Medical Sciences Library.

In addition to the above criteria, when evaluating quantitative research articles, you must also look at:

  • Methodology: Read through the article's "Methods" section. This should describe in detail how the data in this article was obtained, why they collected it that way, and any limitations they encountered (Oregon State University). Enough description should be used that another researcher could replicate this process. If the methodology described is vague or non-descriptive, it is most likely not a strong source. 

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research involves examining social phenomenon that cannot be measured numerically (University of Texas at Arlington). Similar to a quantitative research design, qualitative research will have a methodology section that details how their research was conducted and a research question that it seeks to prove. However, it differs from quantitative research in that it does not contain any numerical data (Association for the Study of Medical Education). When evaluating this type of research, more emphasis will need to be placed on the credibility of the journal and author, citations, peer-review, and bias to determine suitability.

To better understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative research, please see this guide from McGill University. 

When evaluating books, you will need to look at the following:

  • Publisher: There are several large, reputable academic press companies that specialize in scholarly book publishing, like SAGE and McGraw Hill. University presses, like Oxford University Press, are also good sources of scholarly materials. If it is unclear how reputable the publishing company is, check a list of other titles they have published to determine if they specialize in academic writing (University of Nevada Reno). Check for religious or political affiliations that could contribute to bias.
  • Author: Check the author's credentials to see if they are qualified to write on the subject. Credible authors will have education and professional experience in their field of study. 
  • References: Scholarly books, like articles, will have a detailed list of references listed at the end of the book. Non-academic books will not contain any references (University of Nevada Reno). 

Sources from the web can be tricky to determine credibility. Since anyone can create and maintain a website, you must look to see who created the webpage. By a general rule of thumb, government agencies (like the CDC or Department of State) and educational institutions (like Texas A&M or other colleges/universities) are considered to be trustworthy sources (University of Texas at Al Paso). Other organizations, like nonprofit organizations, will need to be checked to determine bias. 

Any questions about suitability of a webpage for your research should be directed to your instructor.