Evaluating the sources you have found is a critical step in library research. The following will help you evaluate resources.
Authority
What are the qualifications of the author or organization responsible for the content of the resource? For example, if it is a medical article, is the author a doctor or nurse or Ph.D.?) What are the author's education and/or experience?
Is it a reputable publisher or Web site? Is there an "about us" link on the Web page that provides information about the organization?
Is it a commercial, governmental, educational or personal Web site? You can tell a lot by the URL:
| .gov |
government site |
| .edu |
educational (university, college) site |
| .org |
Non-profit organization, such as Heart Assn |
| .com |
Commercial site - sells products or services |
| .net |
Often personal pages |
Find out more about the author from sources such as:
- Who is the expected audience for the publication or Web site (scholarly or general public)?
- Does it provide general background information or in-depth information on a specific topic? Which do you need?
- How extensive is the bibliography or list of cited references? Can you use these references to find more information on your topic?
How Old Is it?
- Check for the date of publication.
- How up-to-date are the citations in the bibliography?
- How current should sources be for your topic?
Accuracy
- Has it been peer-reviewed by other scholars in the field?
- Are there book reviews available on it?
Objectivity/Bias
- Are there footnotes to show the source of the facts or quotes?
- Is the material even-handed, presenting pro and con information?
- Are opinions or propaganda easy to recognize?
- Do the words and phrases push your emotional buttons or bias the content?
- Are there ads that suggest the information might be geared to sell a product?
- What can you tell from the website's address (URL)?