The ability to evaluate information and evidence critically is a key skill for a researcher and one that you will develop with practice. "Critical" in this sense does not mean to disparage or debunk all of the information you encounter in your research. Rather, critical evaluation involves a close reading of materials and a weighing of evidence in order to discern what information is reliable and what information is less credible. This means that you should not take information at face value, but instead analyze the information considering both its merits and its shortcomings.

Consider, for example, the documents that could be discovered by a researcher looking for the lyrics of the popular African-American folksong "John Henry."

           
From Collection #3826 in the Southern Historical Collection

As a researcher critically evaluates these documents, she might consider the following:

• The collecting strategy and motivation of Guy Benton Johnson.

  Why did Johnson specifically want to capture and preserve the lyrics to "John Henry" at this point in time?
  Why did he choose to collect lyrics through a contest rather than going into the field to gather them himself?
  Why did he try to gather the lyrics from students as opposed to the "older folk" who were more likely to have first hand knowledge?
  Why does he include the names and institutions of the judges? Could the choice of judges have influenced who submitted an entry?

• The motivation and credentials of Howard B. Thompson.

  Why did Thompson submit a version of "John Henry"? Was he motivated by the prize money or did he have a more selfless motivation indicated by his expressed "hope that they will be of some service to you [Johnson] in your line of work"?
  How did the mood of the 1920s and Thompson's geographical location affect his version of the song?
  How accurate are the lyrics as remembered from childhood?
  Does his detailed description of how to sing the song add to his credibility as someone with close knowledge of the "traditional" lyrics?
  

Asking such critical questions will help the researcher to tell the difference between that which she can trust and that which she should approach with skepticism. In the above example, there is apparent validity in Thompson's version, but there is also some room to doubt its accuracy and authority.

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