LibGuides: Learn to Research in 5 Easy Steps: Step 4: Evaluate

Evaluate Your Sources Overview

In this module you will learn about

Why you should evaluate your sources
Five questions you can use to determine if a source is credible
Detailed criteria for evaluating sources

After working through the interactive tutorial and reading the text, click on this tab on the left side of the page

1. Why Evaluate?

Evaluate your sources to make sure they are of good quality for your research paper

Information is easy to find - printed in books, magazines and on the web; heard on the radio or tv; discussed in class or among friends - and you can be easily overwhelmed by all of it.

If you use poor quality sources, your research paper could contain errors, overly-biased information or out-of-date facts

Instructors will check your sources to see if you have made good decisions about where you found your information

Knowing how to evaluate will help you make better decisions in other areas of your life, such as finding accurate medical information, voting on issues during election time, presenting reliable information to your coworkers in a meeting...etc.

2. Credible Sources Count

Work through the Credible Sources Count interactive tutorial to learn about the five easy questions you can use to determine if a source is credible.

3. Evaluation Criteria

These criteria expand upon the Who, What, When, Why, and How criteria you learned about in Credible Sources Count.

Use the criteria below to determine the quality of ALL YOUR SOURCES (books, articles, videos, audio programs, and especially websites...etc.)

If your source fails to meet a lot of the criteria, look for another, better source.

CRITERIA	QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Authority / Credibility Determining the author for a source is important in deciding whether information is credible. The author should show some evidence of being knowledgeable, reliable and truthful.	Who is the author (person, company, or organization)? Is the author reputable or well-known? (what is their experience, expertise, education, knowledge)? Does the author provide citations as to where they obtained their own information? For websites, do sections like "About Us" or "Who We Are" give you more detailed information about the organization or author?
Accuracy The source should contain accurate and up-to-date information that can be verified by other sources.	Can facts or statistics be verified through another source? Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? Does it match the information found in other sources? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? For websites, do other reliable websites link to this one?
Scope / Relevance It is important that the source meets the information needs and requirements of your research assignment.	Does the source cover your topic comprehensively or does it cover only one aspect? To what extent does the source answer your research question? Is the source considered popular or scholarly? Is the terminology and language used easy to understand?
Currency / Date Some written works are ageless (e.g., classic literature) while others (e.g., technological news) become outdated quickly. It is important to determine if currency is pertinent to your research.	When was the source written and published? Has the information been updated recently? Is currency important to your research?
Objectivity / Bias / Reliability Every author has an opinion. Recognizing this is instrumental in determining if the information presented is objective or biased.	What is the purpose or motive for the source (educational, commercial, entertainment, promotional, etc.)? Who is the intended audience? Is the author pretending to be objective, but really trying to persuade, promote or sell something?
Style / Functionality Style and functionality may be of lesser concern. However, if the source is not well-organized, its value is diminished.	Is the source well-written and organized? To what extent is it professional looking? For websites, can you navigate around easily? For websites, are links broken?