Evaluating a book Q: How can I find information about the author that tells me whether the author is an expert?  That is, his/her background, qualifications, experience or other books or articles s/he has written: You can usually find this information within the book itself, on the jacket cover, in an “About the author” section/paragraph, etc.  Sometimes, if you skim the introduction or prologue, the author will tell you some things about him/herself while explaining what the book is about and introducing the reader to the topic.  Sometimes, the person who writes the foreword will mention the author’s expertise and knowledge on the topic.

Q: I can’t find any information about my author in the book itself!  What should I do now?

• If you can’t find out about the author in the book itself, try the article databases.  Look for articles written by your author. 

  • Are they on the same topic as your book? 
  • Are they published in reputable magazines or journals? 
  • Have the author written many articles on the topic? 
  • Sometimes, articles will tell you that an author is affiliated with a university – is this true for your author?  If so, what department and what subject?

• Now look up the author's name on the Internet.  Can you find out anything about this person?

  • Look for qualifications, experience, organizations that the author works with or supports, other publications that the author has written, including web pages. 
  • When you do find some information about or by your author, think about what this information tells you about your author’s authority and expertise on the book’s subject.  Do they know a lot?  Are they recognized as an expert in their field?  Have they won any awards?  Etc.

Q: What if there is no author?

• Many books, for example many encyclopedias, do not list individual authors, but only the company that published the book.  It’s important to find out about the company.  Is the company well known?  Is it respected?  Has it done other books or is this the first?  Etc.

Q: What if I don’t know how to find this information?!

• Yes, it can be more difficult to find information about a publishing company regarding their scholarly reputation because lots of the information about publishers is aimed at selling. 

• If you are having trouble, always ask a librarian or your teacher.  Some companies are very well known indeed and your teacher or librarian may be able to tell you about the company right away.  If not, they will probably know how to find out.