This document discusses evaluating research sources for relevance and quality. It prompts the reader to discuss three peer-reviewed articles related to their research question, how they determined relevance, and the strategies and criteria they used to evaluate the authority, credibility and scholarliness of the sources. The reader is also asked to re-evaluate any sources if they did not initially consider these evaluation aspects and can use the discussion to get support for any challenges in evaluating research.

1. EVALUATING RESEARCH
Resources
Attributes and Evaluation of Discussion Contributions
.
Professional Communications and Writing Guide
.
Graduate Psychology Discussion Rubric
.
PSY5002 & PSY5005 Research Guide
.
Think Critically About Source Quality
.
As mentioned in the unit introduction, at the core of psychology
in practice is the use of techniques, strategies, and best
practices based on the highest-quality research available (APA,
2014). It is not enough to locate research related to your topic.
The research must be relevant to your particular problem or
situation and present valid findings that you may apply in the
field.
For this discussion, respond to the following questions:
What 3 peer-reviewed articles did you find related to your
research question? Give a short summary and provide the APA
citation for each article.
How did you determine whether an article was relevant to your
research question?
What strategies did you use to ensure the articles you located
were worthy of use in psychology practice?
What criteria did you use to evaluate the authority, credibility,
and scholarliness of the articles within the field of psychology?
If you did not consider these questions as you completed your
research, go back and evaluate the articles you located. Use the
tools listed in the resources for assistance. If you had any
trouble evaluating research, use this discussion to receive
support from your peers and instructor to work through your
challenges.