Helpful links
- Evaluating Resource Quality- From Christopher Center Library at Valparaiso University. Includes tutorials and a great section on bias, which lists different periodicals and their biases.
Four-part guide from the Purdue Online Writing Center (OWL)
From the Berkeley Library, University of California: both scholarly and popular sources can be appropriate for your research purposes, depending on your research question, but research assignments will often require you to consult primarily with scholarly materials.
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article (NCSU)
A visual showing you different parts of a scholarly article.
Evaluating Sources for Credibility
A short video covering different factors for determining the credibility of a source.
Infographic of Scholarly Publishing Process
A visual showing the steps that go into publishing a peer-reviewed article.
Evaluation Proccess
Content Analysis
- Evaluating your sources will help you decide whether or not you want to include the source in your research/project/writing. An in-depth analysis or your source will show whether or not the source will be useful to your particular project/writing/research and/or relevant and reliable. The following are things that you should consider while evaluating your sources:
Purpose and Relevance
- Who is the author of the source addressing? (Who cares?, and So what?)
- Does the author speak to the subject topic/audience that you are trying to reach?
- Does the information answer your research question, or related to your research question?
- Would you be comfortable using this source for your research? Do you understand the source, and can you synthesize the information?
- Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
- Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?
- Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
Objective reasoning (Authenticity of source)
- Does the information seem to be valid and well-researched, or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence? Assumptions should be reasonable.
- Is the author's point of view objective and impartial? Is the language reasonable -- free from emotion-arousing words and bias?
- Is the information covered by the source fact, opinion, or fiction? Facts can usually be verified; opinions -- though they might be based on factual information -- are derived from the interpretation of facts.
- Are the arguments/ideas put forward in this source similar to other articles you've read on the same topic? The more an author departs from the views of others in the same field, the more carefully and critically you will need to scrutinize that author's ideas.
- Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
- Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
- What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
- What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
- Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
- Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? (i.e. .gov, .edu, .org, etc.)
- Is the article you are using organized logically? Are the main points clearly presented? Do you find the text easy to read, or is it stilted, or choppy? Is the author's argument repetitive?
Accuracy (the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information)
- Is the material primary or secondary in nature?
- Is the information supported by evidence?
- Where does the information come from?
- Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
- Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
- Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
- Has the information been peer-reviewed or refereed?
Fact Checking Websites
FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.
Debunks email and social media hoaxes, thwarts Internet scammers, combats spam, and educates web users about email, social media, and Internet security issues.
A fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, as is PunditFact, a site devoted to fact-checking pundits.
A project of the Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute, dedicated to checking the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media.
The snopes.com website was founded by David Mikkelson, who lives and works in the Los Angeles area. What he began in 1995 as an expression of his interest in researching urban legends has since grown into what is widely regarded by folklorists, journalists, and laypersons alike as one of the World Wide Web's essential resources.
Get the truth about rumors, inspirational stories, virus warnings, hoaxes, scams, humorous tales, pleas for help, urban legends, prayer requests, calls to action, and other forwarded emails.
Sources from ALA Libguide: Information Evaluation