Introduction

In Brief: Research Topic

Step 1: Search Terms

Step 2: Search Strategy

In Brief: Primary & Secondary Sources

Step 3: Finding Books

Step 4: Finding Articles

Step 5: Locating Sources

Step 6: Evaluating Sources

Step 7: Using Information Effectively

Library Search Walk-Through

Step 6: Evaluating Print and Electronic Sources


Evaluating sources is an integral part of library research. Not every book, article, report, or Web site is equal; neither is it always appropriate as a reference for your research.

Research or Academic Library
Books, journals, videos, and other sources are reviewed and evaluated by scholars, publishers, and librarians before the materials are placed on the library shelves. Despite this, you will need to evaluate the sources that you find in the library to ensure that they are appropriate for your research.

World Wide Web
Web sites have few qualitative controls, since anyone with the right equipment can publish on the Internet. Evaluating web sites requires some special criteria because of their visual and graphic nature, but the same general evaluation criteria used for the content of print resources can also be applied to the content of web sites.

Print Evaluation Criteria:

Authorship

  • Who wrote the information?
  • What are the author's qualifications for writing on this subject?
  • What is the author's professional affiliation?
  • If an author is not listed, is the information authored by a government, corporate, or non-profit agency? Is the agency or organization recognized in the field in which you are studying?

Currency

  • Does your topic require current information?
  • Is the content of the work up-to-date?
  • Is the publication date clearly labeled?

Publishing Body

  • How reliable and free from error is the information?
  • Are there editors and fact checkers that review the information in order to ensure that it meets the standards of the publisher?
  • Has the information been peer reviewed?
  • Is the publisher recognized in your discipline/field of study?
  • More specifically...
    • Periodical articles
    • Books
      • Is the book published by an academic press or a commercial publisher?
      • If a commercial publisher, does it publish primarily scholarly or popular books?

Objectivity, Point of View, or Bias

  • Is the information provided as fact or opinion?
  • Is the information presented with a minimum of bias?
  • To what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the audience?
  • Is the information consistent with information from other sources?

Reference to other sources

  • Does the source include a bibliography or footnotes?
  • What types of sources are cited (primary/secondary, popular/scholarly, current/historical, etc.)?

Relevance to your topic and assignment

  • Is the language and approach suitable to your level of expertise on the subject?
  • What are your biases or assumptions on this subject and your expectations for the source?

Web Evaluation Criteria
In addition to the Print Evaluation Criteria, consider the following special criteria for Web sources.

Authorship

  • It is often difficult to determine authorship of Web sources. Does the site provide the author's name, position, institutional affiliation, address and/or email address?

Currency

  • When was the page created or first posted on the Web?
  • What is the "last updated" date?
  • Is there a date of copyright?
  • Does the document refer to clearly dated information (example: "Based on 1990 US Census data")?

Publishing Body

  • To what domain does the site belong? Is this information important for your assessment of the site?
  • Is the name of the individual or organization responsible for the overall site provided? Is there a link to information about a mission or purpose?
  • Does the document reside on the Web server of an organization that has a political or philosophical agenda?
  • Is the site reliable? Will it be there tomorrow?
  • Are editors or reviewers monitoring the accuracy of the information being published?
  • Are the facts documented? Are quotes accurate?
  • Are there misspellings or errors? Errors show a lack of quality control and can actually produce wrong information.
  • Is the content available in both print and on the web? If so, is the coverage the same?
  • What is required to view the content? Registration? Money? Personal information?

Objectivity, Point of View, or Bias

  • The Web often functions as a "virtual soapbox."
  • Is the page selling? Promoting? Ranting? Sponsoring?
  • Is the content clearly separated from advertising and opinions?
  • Are links to other viewpoints provided? Balanced?
  • Are opinions clearly labeled?


Additional Resources for Evaluating Web Resources:


Step 7: Using Information Effectively



Questions or Comments?
Contact Jessica Albano
Last modified: Wednesday April 09, 2008