-- Read the abstract or preface of the work to see if the author is presenting the results of his/her own original research or just rehashing the work of others
-- Look at the list of references at the end of the source. If it is nearly as long as the article itself then the majority of the content is probably just a restating or review of other works. Inversely, if an article is quite lengthy but the list of reference is very short then there is a greater chance that the content includes an excess of personal views or biases.
-- Look at the length of the work. If the paper you are writing is only supposed to be 5 pages in length, an article that is 20 pages long will no doubt be too detailed or scholarly to be useful.
