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Research Process: A Step-by-Step Guide: 3a. Evaluating Sources

This guide will help you understand the research process that you need to go through for your assignments.

Criteria for Evaluating Sources

When doing research, you should use a variety of sources such as books, articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals, and websites. To ensure you are including only valid information in your research, evaluate your sources using the criteria below.

Criteria Questions to Ask

Authority / Credibility
Determining the author for a source is important in deciding whether information is credible. The author should show some evidence of being knowledgeable, reliable and truthful.
  • Who is the author (person, company, or organization)?
  • Does the source provide any information that leads you to believe the author is an expert on the topic?
  • Can you describe the author's background (experience, education, knowledge)?
  • Does the author provide citations? Do you think they are reputable?

Accuracy
The source should contain accurate and up-to-date information that can be verified by other sources.
  • Can facts or statistics be verified through another source?
  • Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? Does it match the information found in other sources?
  • Are there spelling or grammatical errors?

Scope / Relevance
It is important that the source meets the information needs and requirements of your research assignment.
  • Does the source cover your topic comprehensively or does it cover only one aspect?
  • To what extent does the source answer your research question?
  • Is the source considered popular or scholarly?
  • Is the terminology and language used easy to understand?
Currency / Date
Some written works are ageless (e.g., classic literature) while others (e.g., technological news) become outdated quickly. It is important to determine if currency is pertinent to your research.
  • When was the source written and published?
  • Has the information been updated recently?
  • Is currency pertinent to your research?
Objectivity / Bias / Reliability
Every author has an opinion. Recognizing this is instrumental in determining if the information presented is objective or biased. 
  • What is the purpose or motive for the source (educational, commercial, entertainment, promotional, etc.)?
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is the author pretending to be objective, but really trying to persuade, promote or sell something?

Style / Functionality
Style and functionality may be of lesser concern. However, if the source is not well-organized, its value is diminished.
  • Is the source well-written and organized?
  • To what extent is it professional looking?
  • If it is a website, can you navigate around easily?
  • If it is a website, are links broken?

Use the C.R.A.A.P. test to evaluate information

How do you know the websites you're using for your research are quality sites? Apply the famous CRAP Test!

Ask yourself the following questions about each website you're considering:

Currency

  • How recent is the information?
  • Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated?
  • Does the website appear to update automatically (this could mean no one is actually looking at it)?
  • Based in your topic, is it current enough?

Reliability

  • What kind of information is included in the website?
  • Based on your other research, is it accurate? ...complete?
  • Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
  • Is the information balanced, or biased?
  • Does the author provide references for quotations and data?
  • If there are links, do they work?

Authority

  • Can you determine who the author/creator is?
  • Is there a way to contact them?
  • What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
  • Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
  • Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site?
  • Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?

Purpose / Point of View

  • What's the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)?
  • What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view?
  • Are there ads on the website? How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammunition next to an article about firearms legislation)?
  • Is the author presenting fact, or opinion?
  • Who might benefit from a reader believing this website?
  • Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?

 

What type of website is it?

By looking at the suffix of the website’s URL, you can tell what type of website it is:

.edu = educational institution like a university’s website

 .gov = United States government website

 .org = organizational website, typically for a non-profit organization but not always

.com & .net  = commercial website and most likely the least credible of the websites

 

Why evaluate a website?

The web made it easy for anyone to publish information on the web (blogs and Wikipedia are great examples, but just because it is published on the web does not make it true. Always question the information you find and its source to evaluate the website credibility and usefulness.

Importance of Evaluating

Who Created the Site?

 HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY YOUR TEACHERS DON'T WANT YOU TO JUST USE GOOGLE AND WIKIPEDIA?

You can Google just about anything, but it's not always your best resource for finding the exact answer to what you want. Here's a look at LifeHacker's top ten tools for finding better answers online.

Investigate the Author

  1. Credentials
    What does the author know about the subject?
  2. Objectivity
    Does the author have an agenda?
  3. Documentation
    Where did the author get the information?
  4. Timeliness
    When was the material written?
  5. Review and Editing
    Has the material been reviewed for publication?