Use these questions to fully evaluate a source
and determine its authority, reliability, credibility, and overall
quality. (printer-friendly pdf)
| Reliability
and Credibility |
Where to find the information |
| |
Book |
Article |
Internet Source |
- Who
is the author or creator?
- Is he/she the original author/creator?
- Is
this person qualified to write this article/web page?
- What
are his/her credentials?
- What
is his/her occupation, position, education, experience?
- Is
the author affiliated with a larger institution?
|
|
|
|
- Does
an institution (company, government, university, etc.) or
internet provider support or endorse this information?
- What
is the mission of the organization?
- Is
it a national institution?
- What
is its membership?
|
|
|
|
- When
was the source created, published, or last updated?
- Are
the facts accurate?
- How
does this information compare with other sources in the
field?
|
- Cited
sources in bibliography
- Inclusion
in other bibliographies (citation index)
- Book
Review Index
- Book
Review Digest
|
- Cited
sources in bibliography
- Inclusion
in other bibliographies (citation index)
|
- Cited
sources in bibliography
- Associated
links from site
|
| Perspective |
Where to find the information |
| |
Book |
Article |
Internet Source |
- Does
the author/creator express a particular point of view?
- Does
the author/creator have a bias?
- Are
the author/creator's affiliations with particular organizations,
institutions, associations, etc. reflected in the message
or content?
|
|
|
- Author
affiliation statement in source
- Personal
web page
- Corporate
or institutional web pages
- Associated
links from site
|
- Does
the publication/web page in which the article appears or
the associated web sites have a bias? [Ideological; subject
discipline; etc.]
- Is
the publication/web page, or its parent site, directed toward
a particular audience? [General public; scholars in a given
field; etc.]
- Where
is the publication/web page published?
- When
was the article/site written or created?
|
- Writer's
Market
- Literary
Marketplace
- Corporate
or institutional web
|
- Magazines
for Libraries
- Writer's
Market
- Literary
Marketplace
- Corporate
or institutional web pages
|
- Associated
links from site
- Corporate
or institutional web pages
|
| Purpose |
Where to find the information |
| |
Book |
Article |
Internet Source |
- To
what audience is the author writing?
- Is
this reflected in writing style, vocabulary, or tone?
- Does
the material inform? Explain? Persuade?
- Is
there sufficient evidence?
- What
conclusions are drawn?
|
Determined
by your reading of the document |
Determined
by your reading of the document |
Determined
by your reading of the document |
