| What to consider when evaluating sources
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Authorship:
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- What are the author's credentials and who are they affiliated with?
- Who wrote the piece of information? (e.g. journalists, scholars/researchers, non-profit organisations, corporations, government bodies)
- Has your professor mentioned the author or source? Is he or she an expert in a particular subject area?
- Is there a way to contact the author or source to ask questions about the information presented?
- Was the information source published by a scholarly press or academic department?
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Accuracy:
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- Has the information source gone through an editorial process? In the case of scholarly publications, this would mean that the article has been peer-reviewed.
- Based on what you already know about the topic or from reading other sources, does the information seem credible?
- Does the author cite other sources in a bibliography to support the information presented?
- Are statistical or numerical data presented in graphs or charts, and if so, do they appear complete and labelled clearly?
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Currency:
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- Is the publication date of the information source clearly stated?
- Hints:
- Articles: Look for the publication date of the journal in which the article was published.
- Books: Look for the copyright date on the page following the title page.
- Web Sites: Look at the bottom of the webpage for the date of last revision (e.g. last updated 12 November 2002). If the source is presenting the results of a research study, has anything been published more recently that contradicts the results of the study?
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Objectivity:
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- Is the information free of advertising? If not, are the ads clearly separated from the content?
- Does the information source display a particular bias or perspective? Or is the information presented factually, without bias?
- Is the author(s) of the information source clear and forthcoming about the author's view on the subject?
- Does the information source contain any inflammatory or provocative language?
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Purpose:
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- What is the primary purpose of the source? Some questions to ask in your effort to ascertain the primary purpose of the source:
- Does the source seek to inform or entertain?
- Does the source seek to promote a viewpoint?
- Does the source seek to sell products?
- Does the source seek to report on original research or experimentation?
- Who is the intended audience? Students, professors, researchers, the general public?
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Scope:
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- Is the information presented on your subject comprehensive?
- Is there any new information presented? Or, does the author review past research?
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