Evaluating Sources for Your Research   Tags: evaluating_articles, evaluating_books, evaluating_sources, evaluating_videos, evaluating_web_sites, information_literacy, library_skills, research  

Today there is a flood of information in a wide variety of formats - print and electronic/digital.  It is also a fact that within this flood of information there are materials that are not trustworthy.

A library may hold inaccurate and biased materials if they have not carefully selected the materials - or if they accepted gift books that were not thoroughly checked.  Sometimes a topic is so new that a library will take what it can get at the time and often the facts are not as accurate as those found in later works.  Other times the materials were once accurate but now, because of age, are not - particularly true in areas such as medicine and business which rely so heavily on the latest information.

When looking at sources such as web sites one has to remember that anyone can be a publisher and at the same time there are few rules and regulations governing how to set up and maintain a Web site.  Many authors are anonymous and fill their sites with half-truths, lies, propaganda, and ignorance - whether deliberately or because they have not carefully researched their topic.

As a result skills must be developed which will help you discern what is reliable, objective, and accurate.

The following criteria are a guide to evaluating any type of information source - be it a book or article - or the latest web site.

1. Authority
2. Purpose
3. Accuracy
4. Objectivity
5. Currency
6. Coverage
7. Audience