In 1994 a book was published called The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life.  The conclusions of this book stirred up a firestorm of protest and a great number of very critical reviews.   Because this book was so controversial, the Librarians purchased a copy for the collection.  This would allow students who wanted to debate the conclusions of the book to read them and analyze then for themselves.  A student researching today might not know the history of this book and so might assume it to be a good and reputable source simply because they found it in the library.  To see if this is the case, let us do a little evaluating using the tools listed above. 

The book is: Herrnstein, Richard J. and Murray, Charles, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, New York: Free Press, 1994.

After retrieving this book, it can be evaluated in the following manner:

Relevance:  After looking at the book’s title and table of contents and then reading the Introduction, it becomes clear that the theme of this book is a proposed link between races and poverty and the skills shown on IQ tests—in short Caucasians (“whites”) perform better and are better prepared for intelligence tests.  In the authors’ own words, “…low intelligence, independent of social, economic, or ethnic background lies at the root of many social problems.”  If you were researching such issues as racial differences, racism, intelligence tests, or the effects of class distinctions in America, The Bell Curve would obviously be very relevant to your research.  If you were researching a paper about national defense or the tax structure in America, this book would not really be relevant.

Currency:  The Bell Curve was written in 1994, or less than 10 years ago, so the issues addressed in it are current.

Author’s Credentials:  The Contemporary Authors Cumulative Index indicates that Richard Herrnstein is discussed in volume 153.  In vol. 153, we find a section on Herrnstein on pages 154 – 158.  In these pages we find that he has a PhD from Harvard University and has been both a Professor of Psychology and a practicing Psychologist.  Much of his research and writing has been focused on IQ tests.  Thus, for a man writing about IQ tests and psychology, Herrnstein’s credentials, research, and reputation indicate that he is a credible author.

Content: The Book Review Digest volume for 1994 lists twelve reviews of The Bell Curve.  Of these, four reviews are quoted.  The first claims, “The argument of the book is straightforward, provocative, and disturbing.” Another reviewer writes, “There is a good deal of genuine science in The Bell Curve and there is also an awful lot of science fiction…In short, the Bell Curve is not only sleazy; it is, intellectually a mess.”  A third review claims that, “Nowhere is the authors’ dishonesty clearer than with respect to race…[They] take pains to sugarcoat and hedge their more outrageous claims, but their nasty political agenda [is] always visible in the wings…”  Simply put, the professionals who have reviewed this work were very critical and rejected most of the authors’ conclusions.

Bibliography: A fast scan of the book finds that it has 220 pages of Appendices and notes and a 57 page-long bibliography.

Conclusions: The bibliography of The Bell Curve seems to identify many other good sources of information and the credentials of its main author seem pretty strong.  But the book reviews excerpted in the Book Review Digest indicate that the conclusions in this book have been challenged and found wanting.  So, a researcher must approach this book with a great deal of skepticism and caution.