Evaluating Sources

When researching a topic, your job is to collect information from ARTICLES, BOOKS, and/or the WEB. At some point, however, you have to stop analyzing what each resource says.

You may have already done some evaluating when selecting items, like looking at the date and the scope of the subject matter being covered. Now, you want to go through each resource with a fine-tooth comb to glean the good information from them.

When EVALUATING a source, look at:

• the importance of the information as it relates to your topic
• whether the information is intended for a similar audience as your research
• how current the information is and whether that matters given your topic
• how reliable and authoritative the author is