ANST - another question

[Susan Bowen]

As you gain more experience in a field it gets easier to figure our whether
something is accurate. It is definitely more difficult when you are starting to
study a new field. Here are some things I can think of to look for.
1. If the book makes sweeping generalizations over long periods of time and
place the book probably isn't worth the paper it is printed on. There is a lot
of variability in the period we cover and what was true for one time and place
is not true for another.
2. Look at the bibliography. Do you see a lot of primary sources? Do you see
other sources that you know to be good? Do you see authors who you respect?
3. If you are so new to a field that you don't know a good bibliography source
from a bad one, ask people. Most people with knowledge about a field will tell
you more than you want to know about the virtues of some sources and the
failings of others.
4. Does it pass the "sniff test?" If something just doesn't seem to fit with
what you already know about your subject, be suspicious. See if you can find it
in a variety of sources before you accept it as fact (and if you are being
meticulous, make sure that these sources didn't all get their data from the
same bad source to start with.)
5. If the book doesn't have a bibliography and footnotes, consider it the same
way you would a historical novel. It may be able to help you get a flavor of
the period, but don't depend on it for anything important.

Baroness Philipppa Rookhaven

STDRLC13 wrote:

> Forgot to ask this one in the last post. When I'm doing persoan research
> and reading someone else's book how do I know that it's accurate? some
> of the books that I've been reading for garb designs tend to stae
> unilaterally that THIS design is what the french people wore in such and
> such a century without stating which region that design comes from or
> what their source is. Also I'm running into another problem...some of
> the books that I really want to read are not in print and cannot be
> found in the public library? What do you do then? -Isabeau
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