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Evaluating
Information Sources
Why do you
need to evaluate the information you use?
.... because the argument,
information, project, etc. on which you are working is only as strong as the
evidence you bring to it. Your writing or presentation takes on the
"character" of your sources.
If you use unreliable sources, your own
paper will be unreliable and unbelievable. In most cases, you are not an expert.
So to be believable to your readers, you must bring to your paper (& other
projects) the opinions and research of experts. Such sources are written by the
experts themselves or rely on expert opinion/research for their content.
The stronger your evidence, the better your presentation will
stand up to critical judgment by your professor. Therefore,
selecting high quality information is extremely important.
Five evaluation criteria may be used to judge the value
of an information source as evidence to support your work. They
are:
1. Accuracy -- is
the information reliable and error free?
Is there an editor or
someone who verifies/checks the information? Is
it peer-reviewed?
Is the information verified
in other sources?
Do experts agree on the
findings?
Is there adequate
documentation:
bibliography, footnotes, credits, quotations?
Are the conclusions
justified by the information presented?
2. Authority -- Is
the source of the information reputable?
- How did you
find the source of the information? Did you use
an index or references from other works?
- What type of
source is it? Sensationalistic? Popular ?
Scholarly?
- Is there an
author? (On the Web, is the page signed?)
- Author’s
qualifications? staff reporter? scholar in field?
- What is the
reputation of the publisher? (On the Web, is the
sponsor of the page reputable?; if no signature
or sponsor indicated, can you determine its
origin from the URL domain name -- .edu, .com,
.org)
3. Objectivity --
Does the information show bias?
- What is the
purpose of the information? -- to inform?
persuade? explain? sway opinion? advertise?
- Does the
source show political or cultural biases?
- Do other
sources provide other viewpoints?
4. Currency - When
was the information published?
- Does currency
matter? Does it reflect the time period about
which you are concerned?
5. Coverage -- Does
it provide the evidence or information you need?
- What are the
main points or concepts?
- What is the
author's thesis or purpose of the work? (to give
an opinion, sway audience, provide information? )
- What are the
major findings? Do they support or refute your
original ideas on the topic?
- For what
audience is it intended? (professional,
layperson, child, adult?)
- Is it
suitable for your level of understanding? (too
simple, too difficult?)
- Is the
information in the appropriate format? (print,
electronic, video, sound?)
**Sources:
- Beck, Susan.
"Evaluation Criteria." The Good, The
Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It’s a Good Idea
to Evaluate Web Sources. 1997. http://lib.nmsu.edu/staff/susabeck/evalcrit.html [5/20/99].
- "Evaluating
Information: A Basic Checklist," a brochure
published by the American Library Association,
1990.
For additional help in analyzing the quality of
the sources you find, see:
How to Critically Analyze Information Sources
by Joan Ormondroyd, Michael Engle, and Tony Cosgrave (Reference Services Division, Olin*Kroch*Uris Libraries,
Cornell University Library).
Evaluating Materials on the Internet by Risė Smith
(Public Services Librarian, Mundt Library, Dakota State University).
Evaluating Internet Research Sources
by Robert Harris (Vanguard University of Southern California).
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