Introduction
Every source of information you find (books, articles, Internet sites, etc.) can and should be evaluated before you use it. You need to make sure that the information you quote in a paper, in a speech, or in everyday discussion is accurate and meaningful. The process of evaluation helps you answer a number of questions about your information source, including:
- Is the source fact or fiction?
- Does the source have a particular perspective, or does it cover all points of view on a subject?
- Does the source have the right amount of information that I need?
- Does the source have the right type of information that I need?
Six questions to ask when evaluating a source, and some points to consider about the answers, are listed below:
1. Who wrote or created the source?
- Is the author a knowledgeable individual on the subject of the information or not?
- Information created by a knowledgeable individual or expert tends to be more reliable than that created by someone without experience in a given area.
2. What audience was the source written for?
- Is it a document written for people new to the topic, or for scholars in its topic? You can often answer this question by looking at the language used by the author(s).
- Depending on the requirements of your assignment, you need to decide whether the information in the source will be easily understood or valuable to those who read your work.
- You should also note whether the source provides enough information to meet your needs (some sources are brief overviews of a subject and others can be quite long and involved).
3. Where did you (or can you) find the source?
- The location of information can (but does not always) affect its value.
- If the information is found in a scholarly journal (discussed below) or on a U.S. government Web site, it tends to be more accurate than if it is found in The National Enquirer or on someone's personal site.
4. When was the source written or created?
- Newer information is not always better information, but time can be relevant depending on the topic.
- If you are writing a paper about new treatments for AIDS, you would not want to use a source written in 1988 because there have been so many advances since that time (you might, however, use that source to provide evidence of the history of treatments).
5. Why was the source written?
- Sources of information are created both to provide information and, in many cases, to shape people's opinions about an issue or topic.
- You need to be able to tell whether your source is biased holding to one particular viewpoint) or objective (presenting all sides of an issue fairly).
- Do not feel that you must always exclude biased sources, but be sure to balance them out with those of opposite bias when you are writing an objective work.
6. How can you verify the information contained in the source?
- Information sources should give you some indication of where they obtained their information. A bibliography or list of citations should appear with the source.
- If you decide to question the facts presented in a source you could then go to the other sources it cites to check the accuracy of those facts.
Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals
Periodical articles are a common place to find information on nearly any subject. Periodicals are publications that come out on a regular basis (quarterly, monthly, daily, etc.). They can be broken into three main groups:
- Newspapers report current happenings, opinions, and special interest features
(Examples: The Cincinnati Enquirer, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal)- Magazines present articles of popular interest on a variety of subjects
(Examples: Time, Newsweek, Popular Science, Psychology Today)- Journals offer the results of studies and experiments conducted by scholars
(Examples: New England Journal of Medicine, RN, Nature, Journal of Leisure Research)Scholarly articles (also known as journal articles, refereed articles, or research articles) are found in journals. This type of article is greatly respected as a source of information on a topic. Periodical articles from popular periodicals (magazines or newspapers) will provide information on a topic but will usually lack the depth or specificity that scholarly journal articles provide. For some assignments, you may be required to find scholarly articles when researching a topic. In other cases, you may wish to find scholarly articles to be sure your information has some authority.
Internet Sources
While the basic points of evaluation are the same for any information source, Internet sources have some additional points to note. While books and articles undergo a sometimes lengthy editorial process that should cut down on inaccuracies (but not necessarily eliminate biases), Net information can be created and "published" online by anyone in a matter of minutes. This fact should not make us reject any information we find on the Net, but rather we should be more cautious. Consider these points:
- Pay close attention to the URL (site address) of the information you find. Put a critical eye to information placed on a personal Web page.
- Carefully note the bibliography or list of citations that the source includes. The source may include hypertext links to Net sources that it cites, which makes it easier for you to view them and verify the information in the original source.
- Use a large selection of sources (both print and electronic) to help you confirm the information you find on the Net.
This page was last modified on 12/18/2007 by Heather Maloney.