Evaluating Sources

Write-n-CiteResearch Skills

Objectives: To evaluate sources.

Essential Questions: How can you evaluate a source?

Journal – Type and print your responseWhen a friend tells you a story or gives you

seemingly useful information, how do you know whether or not to trust that the information you are receiving from this individual is valid or true? Does your level of trust regarding the validity of the info differ from info or stories a parent or guardian might offer? How?

(In other words, what I want to know is how you judge the source of the information.)

Why should you evaluate a source?To distinguish research-based info vs. biased

informationTo critically analyze the information you use for

your research – especially from the Internet….

Review and take notes on the handouts (outline) on the following four slides.

How should you evaluate a source?

1. Authorship: Who wrote this? When we look for information with some type of critical value, we want to know the basis of the authority with which the author speaks.

a. The Internet document you are reading gives biographical information, including the author's position, institutional affiliation and address.

b. If none of the above, there is an address & phone number as well as an e-mail address for the author in order to request further information on his or her work and professional background.

How should you evaluate a source?

2. The Publishing Body: On the Internet, ask the following questions to assess the role and authority of the publisher:

a. Is the name of any organization given? Are there headers, footers, or a distinctive watermark that show the document to be part of an official academic or scholarly site? Can you contact the site Webmaster from this document?

b. Does this Web page actually reside in an individual’s personal Internet account, rather than being part of an official Web site?

(For help identifying personal pages visit:http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/url.html )

How should you evaluate a source?3. POV / Bias: When evaluating information found on the

Internet, it is important to examine who is providing the "information" you are viewing, and what might be their point of view or bias.

a. Does this document reside on the Web server of an organization that has a clear stake in the issue at hand? If you are looking at a corporate Web site, assume that the information on the

corporation will present it in the most positive light. If you are looking at products produced and sold by that corporation,

remember: you are looking at an advertisement. If you are reading about a political figure at the Web site of another political

party, you are reading the opposition.

b. Does this document reside on the Web server of an organization that has a political or philosophical agenda? If you are looking for scientific information on human genetics, would you

trust a political organization to provide it? Never assume that extremist points of view are always easy to detect. Some

sites promoting these views may look educational.

Do not

write this

down

Do not

write this

down

How should you evaluate a source?4. Accuracy or Verifiability of Details: Is

the info accurate? Can you verify it? a. The background information that

was used can be verified for accuracy.

5. Currency: Is the site current? (This refers to the timeliness of information.)

a. In printed documents, the date of publication is the first indicator of currency.