Title: The Critical Assessment of Research
Subtitle: Traditional and New Methods of Evaluation
Description: It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author’s credentials) are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, in the contemporary research environment, the traditional gold standards are no longer sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information requires the consideration of additional factors, including: who has sponsored the research; who controls the dissemination of the research; what are the effects of dominant research paradigms; and what are the financial interests of authors, publishers and editors. The role of new technologies, including Web 2.0, is also addressed. Relevant examples such as controversies about positive evaluations of new medications that appear in peer-reviewed journals, the literature on Enron prior to the revelations that led to its collapse, and the suppression of research that does not conform to dominant paradigms offered to indicate the need for a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to evaluating information. Practical suggestions for the evaluation of information are an integral part of the text.
Subjects: Research Ethics, Academia Research, Evaluating Research, Research Funding, Sponsorship of Research, Information Literacy, Informatics, Library Science