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Sources to Impress (or Appall) your Instructors
To evaluate a source you must read and think about it. Questions to ask yourself about a source are listed below.
How old is the source? Can you find the date the information was created?
How important is currency for your research topic?
If the source is a webpage, are there any broken links on the page? If so, that might mean the page is no longer maintained.
Does the information you find have anything to do with your topic?
What are you trying to accomplish with the information you find? For example, are you writing a research paper, looking for a quick fact or deciding which classes to take? Does the information you find help you do that?
Why or why not?
Who is responsible for the information? Is it a person? What do you know about that person's qualifications or experience?
Is the information produced by an organized group of people such as an advocacy group or government agency? What do you know about that group?
If it's a website, is it a .com, .edu, .gov or other?
Can you identify any errors of fact?
Does the page list any sources or clues about where the information came from? Can you verify those sources?
Point of View, Objectivity or Bias
Does the person, group or organization have a bias?  What is it?
What is the source trying to do? Is it trying to inform, entertain or express an opinion?
What tone does the author use to accomplish this?  For example, is the tone humorous, sarcastic, concerned, angry, informative, or neutral?
Evaluating Sources for Credibility
This brief YouTube video clearly explains what to consider when evaluating information. Click on CC for subtitles.
CLIP tutorial: Evaluating Internet Sources
by Theresa Yancey Last Updated Jun 7, 2022 261 views this year
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Last Updated: Oct 12, 2021 7:54 AM
Tags: hfcs, high fructose corn syrup, rd115, source evaluation
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