Evaluating Sources

Choosing articles or books for a research project? Your professor will expect you to justify your choices. Be prepared to answer the following about each item.

 

Currency: Is the information recent enough for your topic/field of research? Does recent matter?

 

Was this published within an appropriate number of years or around the time of an original event?

 

Relevancy: Does the information apply to your topic?

 

Is it a primary or secondary source?

How much of the information applies to your topic?

Is the information general or detailed, balanced or biased?

 

Authority: Who authored this information? Are they a trustworthy source of information?

 

Was it a single person or several people?

Was it a corporation or organization?

Are their credentials provided?

Are methods/references provided?

Was this peer-reviewed?

What is the domain? (Many Internet sources are not reviewed before being posted; however, government, educational, and organizational sites often have some sort of review process. If no review process is stated or evident, you may assume there is none.)

• .GOV = government
• .COM = business
• .ORG = organization
• .EDU = educational affiliation
• .NET = network

 

Accuracy: Is the information still factually correct?

Are there any errors in the information?

Does the site employ fact-checking for the website?

 

Purpose: Why was this written?

 

Who is the intended audience?

Is the information intended to inform, persuade, sell, entertain?

Is this a first-hand account of an event or research?

Does the author have a vested interest in the topic?