Library Research

In Step 4, you will learn: 

• Why you should evaluate your resources
• How to evaluate or critique your resources

Let's get started:

1. Watch the "Evaluating Sources" video.
2. Select the pages above to continue.

There is so much information out there in the world, especially via the Internet, that it can be overwhelming.  So, how do you know what is valid, appropriate, and credible?  You need to evaluate your resources to make sure they are of good quality for your research paper.  Some points to remember:

• The information and resources you use for your research papers should reflect the quality, authority, perspective, and balance that best supports the topic you have selected for your research paper.  This is especially true when using Internet resources.
   
• If you use poor quality sources, your research paper could contain errors, overly-biased information or out-of-date facts
   
• Knowing how to evaluate will help you make better decisions in other areas of your life, such as finding accurate medical information, voting on issues during election time, presenting reliable information to your coworkers in a meeting...etc.
   
• Using the criteria in this step will help you become more skilled and knowledgeable in evaluating resources; and as a result, your research papers will be credible.

iLearningServices. "SMART: Evaluating Sources." YouTube. 2 May 2011. Web. 15 July 2014. https://youtu.be/gx3RiK_aceQ

The following are some general, basic criteria to consider when evaluating all your resources.  

Accuracy
Does the information presented seem accurate? Are the facts verifiable?

Authority
Who is the author? What expertise does he or she have on this topic? Who sponsors the site? Check the domain name (.org, .edu, .gov, etc.) to determine if it is a university, business, organization, or an individual.

Objectivity
What is the stated purpose of the site? Check the "About..." link on a web page if there is one. What position or opinion is presented and does it seem biased? What kind of sites does this one link to?

Currency
On what date was the page created? Do you need more current information? Do links on the site still work?

Use
Would you quote information from this site in a college research paper?