Tips for Evaluating Materials

When you are working on your research paper, making sure that you are using good sources is as important as making sure that you are able to find the information that you need on your subject in the first place. Some sources are going to be more highly regarded by your teachers and professors then others. For instance, your teacher will probably greatly prefer it if you have a bibliography that is full or published journal articles, books, and other 'professional' resources then if you have a bibliography that is full of web site addresses. This isn't to say that you should never turn to the internet when looking for sources - there is, after all, a lot of very good information available online - but you need to be slightly more discerning when it comes to information you find on someone's website.

When you are evaluating your sources (and this goes for print as well as online resources) there are a number of issues that you ought to consider. How good is your information? Is it accurate? Is it reliable? Is it current? Whether it's a book, magazine article, pamphlet, or Web site, ask yourself the following questions:

WHO? Who produced the information? Is the author well-known? Is the author affiliated with an organization or institution? Is the publisher respected?
WHAT? What do others say? How does your information compare with other information on the same subject? Did someone recommend this information?
WHERE? Where did the information come from? Is it original research or was it taken from another source? Is it the author's personal opinion or is it an established fact? Does the information agree with the rest of the research or was it taken out of context?
WHEN? When was this information generated? Has it been updated recently? Is there newer information available?
WHY? Why did the author produce this information? What is its purpose: to inform, to educate, to entertain, to persuade, or to sell?

Here are some links to help you evaluate information on the World Wide Web:

Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools by Michael Engle, Olin, Kroch, Uris Libraries at Cornell University
Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages by Jim Kapoun, from an article in C&RL News